Finland grants additional support to Pakistan

By decision of Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen, Finland has granted an additional 3.2 million euros in aid of flood victims in Pakistan. Because the situation in Pakistan is difficult, the distribution of humanitarian aid by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to take place later in autumn was partially pushed forward for this.

With the additional support now granted, Finland’s aid for the flood victims in Pakistan rises to a total of 4.4 million euros.

The abnormally heavy rains of July and August have brought about a severe humanitarian crisis in Pakistan. The region affected by the floods in the past two weeks has increased and now extends to southern areas of the country. More than 700,000 dwellings have been destroyed and 20 million Pakistanis are thought to suffer from the damage caused by the flood.

Some of the humanitarian aid now granted will consist of shelters and relief goods, including blankets, kitchen supplies and mosquito nets, while the rest is assistance for health care, food aid, water and sanitation. It also includes support for the logistic services required to deliver aid to its destination as well as support for flood aftercare. The aid is directed through the World Food Programme (WFP, 1 million euros), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR, 600,000 euros), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF, 500,000 euros), the Finnish Red Cross (900,000 euros) and Finn Church Aid (200,000 euros).

Additional information: Counsellor Anna Gebremedhin, tel. +358 9 1605 6286 or mobile tel. +358 40 583 0149, and Päivi Nevala, Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, tel. +358 9 160 56171 or mobile tel. +358 40 753 4375.