LocationsBuilding Resilience: UNDP’s Response to Pakistan’s Recurring Floods
As Pakistan reels from yet another devastating monsoon, UNDP stands with communities, delivering urgent relief today while building resilience for tomorrow.
The devastating floods of 2022 in Pakistan affected over 33 million people, left more than a third of the country’s land submerged, and caused damages exceeding US$30 billion. Just three years later, Pakistan once again finds itself confronting the devastation of monsoon flooding.
According to the Preliminary Assessment of Flood Damages report by the Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, the floods this year have impacted 6.5 million people across the country, claimed 1,039 lives, destroyed 229,763 houses, and perished over 22,841 livestock.
These recurring disasters underline a sobering reality: without bold, coordinated action, climate change will continue to erode human security and development gains in Pakistan.
UNDP’s Immediate Response to the 2025 Floods
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) responded immediately to the unfolding disaster, focusing on urgent humanitarian needs in some of the hardest-hit regions, and has secured US$0.5 million from the Crisis Bureau to support early recovery in the flood affected communities
- In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), emergency relief items were delivered to flood-affected families in Nowshera, in coordination with the Provincial Disaster Management Authority and the KP Planning and Development Department
- In Punjab, Resident Representative Dr. Samuel Rizk visited Kasur District, one of the worst-hit areas in Punjab, to identify priority needs. Two devastated villages, Ganda Singh Wala and Talwar Check Post, were selected for emergency food relief targeting 160 flood-affected families, including members of the minority Christian community.
- In KP’s Swat, Buner, and Shangla, UNDP is distributing agricultural toolkits, solarizing public health facilities, providing heat efficient cooking stoves to women and conducting rapid damage assessments of schools, health facilities, water supply, roads, and energy infrastructure, leading to structured recovery planning.
This immediate response reflects UNDP’s commitment not just to humanitarian relief, but also to inclusive recovery, ensuring no one is left behind.
Lessons from 2022: Linking Relief to Recovery
UNDP’s response today is informed by hard-won lessons from the 2022 floods. In its aftermath, UNDP launched the Flood Recovery Programme (FRP), which continues to drive integrated support across multiple sectors in line with the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment and the Government of Pakistan’s Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework (4RF).
Key highlights of UNDP’s recovery work include:
- Climate-resilient housing: Construction of 800 safe, sustainable homes, benefiting more than 20,000 individuals.
- Livelihood restoration: Over 200,000 flood-affected people supported with hygiene kits, agricultural toolkits, enterprise kits, solar home systems, and water filtration units, restoring income generation and dignity.
By bridging humanitarian relief with sustainable development, UNDP is helping Pakistan recover stronger from the 2022 floods while preparing communities to face future climate shocks.
Supporting Pakistan’s Climate Battle
Beyond recovery, UNDP is a strategic partner in advancing Pakistan’s climate resilience agenda through its Resilience, Environment, and Climate Change portfolio. Ongoing initiatives include:
- NDC 3.0: Supporting the development and finalization of Pakistan’s updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), aligning federal and provincial priorities for mitigation, adaptation, and loss & damage, while mobilizing finance through climate funds and carbon markets.
- Climate finance & governance: Assisting the Ministry of Finance and provinces in operationalizing Climate Budget Tagging and accessing the Green Climate Fund to channel resources where they are needed most.
Disaster risk reduction: Installing 197 early warning systems in Gilgit-Baltistan and KP, conducting preparedness drills, and embedding risk-informed planning into local governance. - Nature-based solutions: Promoting eco-tourism, biodiversity protection, and community-led conservation for sustainable livelihoods.
- Just energy transition: Supporting clean energy solutions, from solar mini-grids to electric mobility, while ensuring inclusivity and fairness in the transition process.
A Call to Action
As Pakistan again confronts climate-induced devastation, solidarity and partnership are more critical than ever. The scale of need – from emergency relief to long-term resilience – demands robust donor support.
With the Government of Pakistan launching a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment for this year’s floods, UNDP, on behalf of the UN system, and along with the PDNA tripartite partners (European Union and World Bank), and the Asian Development Bank is providing support to assess damages, losses, and needs in the most critical sectors. This will ensure actionable outputs that can inform government policy, immediate recovery planning, contribute to long-term climate resilience building, and support resource identification and mobilization.
By partnering with UNDP, donors and development partners can:
- Provide immediate lifelines to flood-affected communities.
- Invest in recovery programmes that restore livelihoods and dignity.
- Support systemic reforms that build resilience against future climate shocks.
Together, we can help Pakistan move from crisis response to resilience, and from resilience to a sustainable future where no one is left behind.