Pakistan floods test global solidarity, UN chief says

United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon appealed to UN member states on Thursday to deliver promised aid to help Pakistan recover from devastating floods, saying the disaster was a key test of global solidarity. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also announced US aid would increase to 150 million dollars.

Reuters

"Make no mistake: this is a global disaster, a global challenge," he told the UN General Assembly in New York.

Ban welcomed that half the 460 million dollars in aid the UN called for 11 August had been delivered, but added the full extent of member states' resources was needed.

Clinton also announced US aid for Pakistan will rise by 60 million dollars to a total of 150 million, and called for an "expression of common humanity".

Pakistani foreign minster Shah Mehmood Qureshi said "terrorists" must not be allowed to exploit the disaster, which he said has caused losses exceeding 43 billion dollars.

He said the disaster, which has claimed nearly 1500 lives and affected 20 million people, "hit us hard at a time, and in areas, where we are in the midst of fighting a war against extremists and terrorists."

Qureshi said that if the international community failed to assist his government, "it could undermine the hard won gains made by the government in our difficult and painful war against terrorism."

About 4.6 million people are still without shelter in the wave of destruction caused by the worst flooding in the country's history, the UN said.