An Important Visit.

At a time when the international community has not done enough to take the threat of climate change seriously, United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' concern for the issue, particularly in highlighting the role of developed countries in contributing to climate change, is appreciable. A few weeks ago, when the floods were mainly being viewed internationally as only a Pakistan-centric problem, and the country was largely left to deal with flood relief alone, the UN Secretary-General acknowledged that the problem went far beyond just Pakistan, calling the floods a 'climate catastrophe', and saying South Asia was one of the world's climate crisis hotspots. The UN also had been one of the first organisations to issue a flash appeal, for $160 million; and that appeal may have been the reason that millions in donations from WHO, the US, Europe and China came through later.

Now the UN Secretary-General is currently on a two-day visit to Pakistan to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and visit the National Flood Response and Coordination Centre (NFRCC), in response to the devastating floods witnessed by the country. The visit is also intended to serve as part of an...

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