AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION
ISLAMABAD
 

Press Release

FURTHER AUSTRALIAN ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN FOLLOWING DEVASTATING FLOODS

The Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Mr Stephen Smith, has announced Australia will provide an additional A$5 million (approximately PKR375 million) in assistance to help the people of Pakistan adversely affected by the devastation and destruction caused by recent flooding.

This brings Australia’s total humanitarian contribution as a result of the floods to A$10 million (approximately PKR750 million) since 2 August.

Of this additional assistance, Australia will provide $4 million to the World Food Programme to support the distribution of food to people displaced by the flooding. The remaining $1 million will be provided to the United Nations-managed Pakistan Emergency Response Fund to support the provision of emergency food relief, shelter and basic health and sanitation services by local non-government organisations already active in affected areas.

An Australian official is also participating in the United Nations Disaster Assessment mission currently underway in Pakistan.

Australia has now contributed more than A$38 million in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan since September 2008, including to communities affected by fighting in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is also in addition to doubling of development assistance to Pakistan to A$120 million over two years, announced by Foreign Minister Smith at the Tokyo Donors Conference in April 2009.
 

9 August 2010

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