UN may run out of food for Pakistan flood victims due to lack of funds

The UN World Food Programme will run out of funds to feed 2.7 million people by Jan. 15, Chris Kaye, the agency's representative in Pakistan said

The United Nations said the global community has not provided enough funds after the devastating floods in Pakistan and that may lead to suspension of its food support program next month.
 

The UN World Food Programme will run out of funds to feed 2.7 million people by Jan. 15, Chris Kaye, the agency’s representative in Pakistan, told reporters in Islamabad. UN and Pakistan’s joint garnered only about 30% of the $816 million funds requested, according to Julien Harneis, UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan.   

“We aren’t getting financing. That’s deeply worried us,” said Harneis in Islamabad at an event after unveiling a UN report on the floods. “International capitals lack understanding of the situation on the ground.”

Pakistan’s unprecedented floods in the summer killed more than 1,700 people, inundated third of the nation and reduced the nation’s growth by half. The floods have left about $32 billion in damages and losses to the nation’s economy. 

As many as 9.1 million people can be pushed below the poverty line as more funding is needed to restore livelihood activities, according to the UN report. About 1.1 million more people would be added to the affected population that needs critical life-saving food support and seven million people also need nutrition assistance, said the report. 

“We have a major, very serious crisis ahead of us,” said Kaye.