OSLO: Norway said Sunday it would nearly quadruple its aid to Pakistan to 400 million kroner to help millions of victims of the country's devastating floods.
"The situation is still highly critical for nine million people. We must now show our solidarity with the flood victims," said Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, who was set to take part in a United Nations-hosted meeting in New York later in the day aimed at securing more aid to Pakistan.
"The Norwegian government is therefore providing additional emergency relief to Pakistan," he added in a statement, pointing out that the Scandinavian country had already provided 115 million kroner (14.5 million euros/19 million dollars) in aid to the flood-stricken country.
On Friday, the international community appealed for a record two billion dollars in aid for the flood victims.
The Pakistan floods are "the worst natural disaster the United Nations has responded to in its 65-year history", UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said at the launch of the appeal.
The floods caused by weeks of torrential rain have left less than 2,000 dead, according to an official toll, but the UN said they had exposed more than 20 million people to homelessness, malnutrition, risks of epidemics and loss of livelihood.
The Norwegian government said Sunday its additional aid to the flood victims would be channelled through "the UN's humanitarian organisations, the Red Cross movement and other NGOs that have experience working in Pakistan".
"It is especially difficult to reach the most vulnerable groups. Women and children are particularly at risk in this chaotic situation. It is important that we provide the protection they need," Norwegian Environment and International Development Minister Erik Solheim said in the statement.
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