Estonia allocates €50,000 to help Pakistan flood victims
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is allocating €50,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) for relief efforts in Pakistan in the humanitarian crisis caused by the greatest floods in 30 years.
Since June, Pakistan has been hit with monsoons three times above the 30-year average, killing more than 1000 people.
"More than 5.7 million people need assistance due to the floods in Pakistan and for Estonia, it is crucial to help them," Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said in a statement on Tuesday.
Reinsalu said the situation is particularly critical in flood-affected areas that have not yet recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and are suffering from food shortages.
People are in urgent need of temporary shelter, food, drinking water and toiletries, he said: "With the money earmarked for the IFRC, we are directly contributing to aid reaching those in need."
According to the UN, South Asia is a climate change hotspot. People living in these hotspots are 15 times more likely to die because of climate change. Estonia aims to provide humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable groups.
The IFRC unites 192 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies across the world.
In late August, the IFRC forwarded Pakistan's call for aid to raise more than €25 million in the humanitarian crisis and ensure essential aid to nearly 324,000 people.
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Editor: Helen Wright
