General Assembly to Meet in Emergency Session to Discussion Pakistani Floods

Having just returned from a personal inspection of the disastrous situation in Pakistan, where the devastation caused by massive flooding seems to be getting even worse, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called the General Assembly into an emergency session to discuss the situation. This follows rising criticism that the flow of international aid to Pakistan wasn't arriving quickly enough, and that a sizable majority of the eight million of people displaced by the floors have yet to receive any help at all.

The U.N. has issued an emergency appeal for $460 million in emergency aid. This amount is less than one quarter of the price of a single American B-2 bomber, but the money has simply not been flowing as well as should be expected. The world needs to be moving much more quickly to deal with this crisis.

In an op-ed piece published yesterday, the Secretary General made a moving personal plea to the international community to help the people of Pakistan:

If we act now, a second wave of deaths caused by waterborne diseases can still be prevented. It is not easy to mount relief operations in such difficult and sometimes perilous places. But I have seen it happen around the world, from the most remote and dangerous parts of Africa to Haiti’s shattered cities. And I saw it in Pakistan this week.

Global Citizens should do their part by contributing whatever they can to the relief agencies and organizations that are operating in Pakistan. Every dollar you can provide will help save lives.