Guterres says Pakistan’s post-flood reconstruction his ‘top priority’

New York: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reaffirmed the full support and cooperation to Pakistan for its post-flood humanitarian relief work as well as for long-term recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction.

The UN Secretary-General in a meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the success of the conference and Pakistan’s resilient reconstruction was his “top priority”.

The meeting took place in New York on the margins of the G-77 Ministerial Conference

Guterres appreciated the foreign minister’s timely initiative to convene a special ministerial conference of the G-77 and China to build a unified and comprehensive strategy to overcome immediate challenges facing developing countries.

The foreign minister conveyed his appreciation to the Secretary-General for his solidarity with and call for massive support to Pakistan in the wake of the devastating floods in the country, and for co-hosting the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva on January 9, 2023.

He sought the Secretary-General’s continued cooperation to secure the participation of key donors, development institutions and the private sector in the pledging conference and to encourage them to support Pakistan’s comprehensive Plan and specific project proposals.