Islamabad, Pakistan, September 22, 2022 — The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and its local partner received Ms. Angelina Jolie in Pakistan while she was visiting flood-stricken areas in Sindh.
For three days, Ms. Jolie met with flood-affected communities and witnessed their lives being devastated by the sustained rains. She spoke to women and children, many of whom remain trapped in areas inaccessible to humanitarian aid and at increased risk of violence and abuse. Elsewhere, families continue to sleep in camps or temporary shelters while awaiting additional support and basic life-saving services.
The IRC and our partner organizations are on the ground in Pakistan, closely monitoring the situation and assessing humanitarian needs. We have been providing life-saving services to flood-affected communities since early July and have reached nearly 100,000 people with support so far including the distribution of non-food emergency items, dignity and hygiene kits, food baskets and the establishment of medical camps and safe rooms.
About her visit, Angelina Jolie said:
“The devastation in Sindh was shocking; I’ve never seen anything like it in my whole life. Families sleep under the open sky and have lost everything in these floods.
“Climate change is not only real and not only coming – it is very much there. The real tragedy is that Pakistan accounts for less than 1% of the world’s carbon footprint and yet millions of people have been displaced or lost loved ones. It is time for the world to wake up to this crisis and take action on climate change – we can no longer ignore the consequences.”
Shabnam Baloch, Director of International Rescue Committee Pakistan said:
“We were delighted to have the opportunity to host Ms. Angelina Jolie and assist her in witnessing firsthand the impact the floods are having on the lives of the people of Pakistan. IRC hopes their visit will shed a spotlight on the current situation and prompt world leaders to take decisive action to halt climate change and support countries bearing the brunt of the crisis.”
Note to the editor
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) began operating in Pakistan in 1980 in response to the growing number of Afghan refugees. Our teams provided food, shelter, security, basic health care, education, job training, water supply systems, sanitation and other essential services to Afghan refugees and host communities. Since then, the IRC now serves a broad group of marginalized, vulnerable and impoverished groups across the country with public health, environmental health, education, disaster risk reduction, community services and livelihood support. In 2020, our teams met the needs of 43 million people as part of the COVID-19 emergency response.
