Economy

Geneva pledges — 1.5 years later, how much money has Pakistan received?

International institutions and countries had pledged to give more than $11 billion to Pakistan for flood recovery.

Geneva pledges — 1.5 years later, how much money has Pakistan received?

A closeup of banknotes from various countries around the world

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Following the devastating floods in 2022 that affected more than 33 million citizens, Pakistan had reached out to the international community for assistance. With a $16.3 billion recovery bill, Pakistan had held a conference in Geneva attended by representatives from over 40 countries, international financial institutions and private donors.

Led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the conference had resulted in pledges of $11 billion although most of them were a part of existing financing pipelines.

But 1.5 years from the Jan 2023 conference, how much of that amount has actually materialized?

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Pakistan has only received $1.8 billion.

It has also received around $1.4 billion on account of non-flood-related loans, mainly given as oil financing and budgetary support.

The highest amount of the pledged loans — $4.2 billion — had been committed by the Islamic Development Bank. However, so far, the IDB has disbursed $65 million in project financing and $200 million for the oil facility.

The Asian Development Bank had committed $500 million, of which $498 million has been disbursed. Pakistan also received a $400 million loan from ADB in July 2024.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank had promised $1 billion but has so far given $250 million in non-flood budget support.

The World Bank had committed $2 billion and has so far released nearly $1.1 billion — the highest disbursement by any lender.

The Saudi Development Fund had pledged $1 billion in loan, which it has given in the shape of oil financing.

The Paris Club and the European Union have also released $65 million, mostly in the shape of the grants. The United States has also given $61 million in grants.

Other pledges include $1 billion from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and $100 million from China, with only $250 million disbursed and no further disbursements projected by the end of the current financial year.

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