- Advertisement -
ISLAMABAD, Sep 29 (APP): Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, met with Ms. Coco Ushiyama, the Representative and Country Director of the World Food Programme (WFP) in Pakistan here at President House on Monday and discussed matters related to climate change.
Welcoming Ms. Ushiyama, the Acting President expressed pleasure on receiving such an honourable and dedicated humanitarian leader, especially at a crucial time when Pakistan is grappling with the devastating consequences of floods and the looming threat of malnutrition among vulnerable communities.
He expressed confidence that her extensive expertise in humanitarian response and strategic management would greatly benefit the people of Pakistan. He highlighted the role of parliamentary diplomacy in fostering partnerships to address shared global challenges and achieve national development goals.
The Acting President drew attention to Pakistan’s acute vulnerabilities to climate change, noting that recent catastrophic floods have left millions homeless, hungry, and exposed to disease.
He pointed out that the destruction of crops, loss of livestock, and rising poverty, especially in South Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, require urgent and sustained international support.
He called for real-time assistance from global humanitarian organizations to ensure immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation of the affected communities.
Emphasizing the importance of strengthening collaboration between WFP and Parliament, the Acting President noted that joint coordination could help ensure well-informed decisions and targeted interventions for the most vulnerable groups at the grassroots level. He also underscored the importance of WFP programmes in Pakistan, including the Nashonuma initiative and the school nutrition programme, and stressed the need to expand these interventions, particularly in flood-hit areas.
Looking towards the future, the Acting President urged for broadening the scope of climate resilience projects, such as the Integrated Climate Risk Management programme supported by the WFP and Green Climate Fund, to cover flood-prone regions of southern Punjab. Such projects, he noted, would improve early warning systems, strengthen resilience, and mitigate the risks faced by vulnerable communities.
He expressed trust in WFP’s ability, in coordination with the Government of Pakistan and local representatives, to contribute to improved livelihoods, reduced hunger, and enhanced resilience of the people. He suggested establishing direct channels of communication between WFP and the Parliament to enable accurate needs assessment and ensure targeted interventions.
The Acting President reiterated Pakistan’s grave challenges due to climate-induced disasters, which have worsened food insecurity and increased the burden of disease. He appreciated WFP’s unwavering support in Pakistan’s fight against hunger and malnutrition and called for greater momentum in relief and rehabilitation efforts.
The World Food Program Country Director informed that the organisation is excited to work closely with Benazir Income Support programme to address the issue of stunting and work on the problem of malnutrition in children. She thanked the Acting President for his support.
She informed the Acting President about the emerging situation in the flood hit areas particularly the South Punjab. She also expressed her keen interest to work in close collaboration with Senate standing committees on health and national food security.
Acting President observed that people in the flood height areas need mosquito nets, blankets, quilts and other necessary items of daily use. He thanked the WFP for making all out efforts to provide relief to the people in the flood hit areas specially South Punjab and other parts of the country.