Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 9 September 2025

UNIC & UNOCHA

PRESS RELEASE

United Nations Emergency Fund allocates USD $5 million to support flood response in Pakistan

Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher allocates funds to meet
the most critical humanitarian needs of flood-affected families

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 9 September 2025 - United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher has announced a USD $5 million allocation from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to support the Government-led flood response in Pakistan. The funds will enable UN agencies and partners to deliver immediate life-saving assistance to some of the 4 million people who have been affected by flooding so far, including more than 2 million who were forced out their homes in search for higher ground.

This includes the provision of safe drinking water, food, shelter, hygiene kits, and mosquito nets, while making health services, psychological support and emergency cash assistance available.

"The Government of Pakistan has done incredible work to evacuate people, saving countless lives, but the communities are struggling," said Mohamed Yahya, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan. "These funds will help the UN supplement the Government's efforts to provide flood-affected families with critical relief interventions, in coordination with local NGOs on the ground."

These $5 million will supplement the US$ 600,000 allocated by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to Pooled Funds that help local NGOs deliver essential lifesaving interventions.

More heavy rains are forecasted in the coming days, with high flood warnings as water levels continue to rise. The southern province of Sindh is now at high risk as flood waters flow down the Indus River, putting another 1.6 million people at risk of flooding and raising fears of "super floods."

Supercharged monsoon rains and cloudbursts have triggered widespread and exceptionally high flooding across Pakistan, ravaging swathes of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and leaving large parts of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, under water. With reports of water depths up to 10 meters, some communities have become inaccessible. Swelled rivers have submerged farmlands, roads, homes, schools, and health centers, leaving at least 892 people dead and causing increased numbers of waterborne diseases.

Pakistan is one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Scorching heatwaves trigger accelerated glacial melt and glacial lake outbursts, combined with increasingly erratic, extreme monsoon rains. In 2022, the country was ravaged by floods that affected 33 million people.

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About CERF
As an essential enabler of global humanitarian action, CERF's Rapid Response window allows country teams to kick-start relief efforts immediately in a coordinated and prioritized response when a new crisis emerges. CERF's window for Underfunded Emergencies helps scale-up and sustain protracted relief operations to avoid critical gaps when no other funding is available. Since its inception in 2006, 126 UN Member States and observers, as well as regional Governments, corporate donors, foundations and individuals, made it possible for humanitarian partners to deliver over $5.5 billion in life-saving assistance in over 100 countries and territories. Many recipient countries also become a donor to CERF and contribute, making CERF a fund for all, by all.

For more information, please contact:
OCHA Pakistan: Basma Farooq, +92 335 632 6909, [email protected]
UNIC Pakistan: Catherine Weibel, +92 300 854 0058, [email protected]

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