At UN, Pakistan reaffirms commitment to reduce disaster risk, build resilience.

Reaffirming its commitment to reduce disaster risk, Pakistan told the UN General Assembly Thursday of the government's "outstanding" efforts in responding to last year's devastating floods across the country, with swift rescue and relief operations to get some 30 million affected people out of immediate risk.

In spite of huge financial challenges, Lt. General Inam Haider Malik, Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said the government demonstrated its resolve and commitment for the urgent needs of the affected people.

"Pakistan's military, especially the Army, led rescue and relief operations and helped stabilizing initial phases of rescue, resulting in great control on damage and impacts," Gen. Malik told the 193-member Assembly which began a two-day, high-level meeting at UN Headquarters in New York to review the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 and its seven global targets at the halfway point,

The climate-induced flooding cost over 1700 Pakistani lives and covered as much as one-third of the country at one point, resulting in over $30 billion in damages.

Pakistan, the NADMA chief said, was thus facing a daunting challenge in executing its plans for recovery and reconstruction.

In his remarks, Gen.Malik proposed a global Disaster Risk Reduction (DDR) fund to finance regional DRR gap needs -- separate from the climate-focused financing window.

While still recovering from floods and being in a state of distress, he told delegates that Pakistan extended a helping hand to the earthquake-hit Turkiye and Syria, dispatching over 10,000 tons of relief articles moved via air bridge, and by land and sea cargo routes -- a rare global example.

The Government of Pakistan, the NDMA chief said was fully committed to implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction -- the landmark 2015 agreement to reduce damage, losses and deaths from natural and man-made hazards by the end of the decade--

and called for shared knowledge and technology, to help vulnerable countries have early-warning capabilities from global tech sources.

Climate threats, he said, were global and need global response -- "No one is safe, until everyone is".

"We acknowledge all global partners and supporters who have helped Pakistan to stand in the disaster and look forward for early recovery from last year's floods," Gen.Malik said. Recovery plans need to focus on greater participation from the developed world to carry all...