MUCH has been made of the billions of dollars in donor pledges recently secured by our government during the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan held in Geneva. It is regrettable, however, that compared to the attention the event received, there seems to be very little concern for the people it was actually held for. Consider, for example, a recent news report citing a United Nations Children’s Fund warning that up to 4m children are still living in great peril next to contaminated and stagnant floodwater that, months later, refuses to drain out from some of the districts that were worst-affected by last year’s terrible monsoon. Unicef also says that the incidence of acute respiratory infections has skyrocketed in the flood-stricken areas, while the number of children identified as suffering from severe, acute malnutrition has nearly doubled between July and December as compared to 2021. Unicef estimates that about 1.5m children are in need of life-saving nutrition interventions.

Unicef’s country representative believes that “Nearly 10m girls and boys are still in need of immediate, life-saving support and are heading into a bitter winter without adequate shelter. Severe acute malnutrition, respiratory and waterborne diseases, coupled with the cold, are putting millions of young lives at risk”. These are our own children that are being talked about. We should not wait for international donors to make good on their pledges to take action for their welfare. With cold waves forecast for many flood-affected regions in the coming days, steps should be taken on an emergency basis to protect at-risk children from at least the worst of the weather. Unicef needs about $110m dollars more to ensure life-saving support to women and children affected by the floods. The country should find that money on a priority basis. Nothing can be more important than ensuring that our youngest are at least protected from illness and hunger after they have had their lives uprooted.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2023