The Estonian foreign ministry is allocating €50,000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for relief efforts in Pakistan in the humanitarian crisis caused by the greatest floods in 30 years.
Since June, Pakistan has been hit with monsoons three times above the 30-year average, killing more than 1,000 people. “More than 5.7 million people need assistance due to the floods in Pakistan and for Estonia, it is crucial to help them,” the country’s foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said in a statement.
Reinsalu noted that the situation was particularly critical in flood-affected areas that had not yet recovered from the coronavirus pandemic and were suffering from food shortages. “Due to the circumstances caused by the floods, the people in Pakistan are in urgent need of temporary shelter, food, drinking water and toiletries, and with the money earmarked for the International Federation of Red Cross, we are directly contributing to aid reaching those in need.”
The ministry added that according to the United Nations, South Asia is a climate change hotspot. “People living in these hotspots are 15 times more likely to die because of climate change. Estonia aims to provide humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable groups.”
The International Federation of Red Cross unites 192 national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies across the world. In late August, the Red Cross forwarded Pakistan’s call for aid to raise more than €25 million in the humanitarian crisis and ensure essential aid to nearly 324,000 people.
By contrast, while the Estonian foreign ministry is allocating €50,000 to Pakistan flood victims, it has allocated over a million euros to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
