Statement by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the United Nations, at ECOSOC Humanitarian Affairs Segment (27 June 2016)

Mr. Chairman,

I would like to thank you and your team for guiding our work in the Humanitarian Affairs Segment of ECOSOC.

The Council this year will adopt a focused and comprehensive resolution, which addresses the entire range of issues in humanitarian assistance, and sets out the framework and principles for an effective and coordinated response to the pressing contemporary challenges around the world.

Pakistan associates itself with the statement delivered by the G-77 and China.

Mr. Chairman,

This year’s Humanitarian Affairs Segment is unique as well as immensely significant.

The humanitarian crisis we face is truly unprecedented. The global humanitarian landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. A record 130 million people in different parts of the world need humanitarian assistance. With armed conflicts raging in so many regions and the ever-increasing frequency and ferocity of natural disasters, the number of forcibly displaced people has also reached the record number of 65 million. (The number of people requiring protection and assistance has doubled since 2015).

While the inter-agency appeals for assistance have reached $20 billion, humanitarian financing is coming under increasing and severe strain. The funding gap has increased to a massive $ 10 billion a year.

The first ever World Humanitarian Summit that took place in Istanbul last month was a much needed and welcome step. Pakistan actively participated in all its major segments and activities.

In Istanbul we announced a number of commitments across the five areas of responsibility identified in the Secretary General’s report. These included several new commitments and initiatives in the areas of better response to natural disasters, reducing vulnerability and risk, building resilience of affected communities, and enhancing international support for countries in protracted refugee situations.

We welcome the renewed emphasis on addressing the root causes of displacement and forced migration. Unless we resolutely put out the fires of wars and conflicts which have caused so much suffering we will not be able to find a long-term solution to this crisis. Therefore, the international community’s commitment to resolve and prevent armed conflicts, strengthen disaster risk reduction in developing countries and enhance the level of financial assistance to bridge the widening gap in humanitarian funding are positive developments.

In this regard, we support the Secretary General’s call to double the volume of the Central Emergency Response Fund by 2018. CERF is one of the most effective tools of the global humanitarian response system, which has helped save countless lives since its inception in 2006.

Mr. Chairman,

As a country prone to recurring large-scale natural disasters, Pakistan faces a challenging humanitarian situation. We had a massive earthquake in 2005 and devastating floods in 2010 and 2011.

In addition, Pakistan has had to host over three million Afghan refugees for nearly four decades. Yet there is no light at the end of the tunnel. Our hospitality and our challenges in hosting the most protracted presence of refugees anywhere in the world need to be better appreciated and supported by the international community.

Given the tremendous strain on our socioeconomic fabric and the political and security landscape of the country, urge the international community to prioritize this issue and to help Pakistan and Afghanistan in the repatriation and resettlement of Afghan refugees in an honourable and sustainable manner.

Mr. Chairman,

Despite the daunting challenges, the successful adoption of several historic international agreements in 2015-16 has given us a unique opportunity to rebuild and energize the global humanitarian system. These include adoption of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the Addis Ababa Plan on Financing for Development, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, and the first ever Humanitarian Summit.

Looking ahead, the forthcoming September Summit on large-scale movement of refugees and migrants would be an opportunity to sustain this momentum and galvanize greater international support to effectively address the unprecedented humanitarian challenges of our times. It will also provide an opportunity to make an unequivocal pronouncement against all forms of xenophobia, especially when directed against those desperately seeking protection and asylum.

It is also imperative to address the most pressing humanitarian issue of recurring tragedies in the Mediterranean as a matter of utmost priority. The shockingly high number of 'fatalities in transit' has been the most chilling aspect of the current refugee crisis.

To address these multiple challenges, let me reiterate our support to the Secretary General's five point Agenda for Humanity.

Let us collectively work and summon the necessary political will to alleviate the suffering of those caught up in humanitarian crises around the world. There is no one-size fit all solution. But let us resolve that our response to the world’s weak and vulnerable is based on compassion and a spirit of brotherhood.

I thank you Mr. Chairman.