Tharoor briefs UN agencies in Geneva on Kerala flood situation

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has briefed the senior leadership of the WHO, the United Nations and the International Red Cross here on the humanitarian crisis in Kerala which has been devastated by unprecedented floods, his office said in a statement.

Tharoor, a Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram and Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs, discussed with them the possibilities for assisting Kerala which is struggling to find its feet after the devastating deluge that left 231 dead in a fortnight and displaced over 14 lakh people.

The meetings were also aimed at identifying avenues through which international organisations can support relief, rehabilitation and rebuilding operations in the state, the statement said.

"Tharoor held a series of high-level discussions in Geneva with the senior leadership of the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations and the International Red Cross to brief them on the devastating humanitarian crisis of flooding in the southern Indian state of Kerala and explore possibilities for assistance," it said.

Tharoor travelled in his individual capacity and at his own expense as an MP from Kerala and as a former UN Under-Secretary-General, the statement said.

This reach was primarily due to a moral responsibility he felt as a Keralite to explore possibilities of international assistance and support to alleviate the sufferings of fellow Keralites, it said.

Tharoor has also written to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on the impressions gained from his briefings with the UN agencies in Geneva and the possible course of actions for the state, if required, the statement said.

Tharoor also briefed the Indian Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador Rajiv Chander, in detail on both August 20 and 21 about his meetings.