Actress Angelina Jolie urges assistance for Pakistan in aftermath of monsoon floods

United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and award-winning actress Angelina Jolie on Tuesday appealed to the public for further financial support to bring humanitarian relief to the millions of Pakistanis suffering as a result of the monsoon floods.

Jolie, who serves as the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), impressed the devastation of the disaster, which has left over a fifth of the country under water an affected 17 million people. “This is not just a humanitarian crisis – it is an economic and social catastrophe,” Jolie said in a public service announcement.

UNHCR is among many UN agencies that are providing aid on the ground in Pakistan, trying to provide relief. “The more support we can give, the greater number of tents, food, clean water and medicine will get to the people in need,” she said. Jolie has donated USD 100,000 to UNHCR for its work in Pakistan, aiding in the relief effort.

The USD 460 million that is needed by the UN and it NGO partners is 63 percent covered, with having received USD 291 in funds and an additional USD 20 million in pledges. UNHCR has revised its section of the wide appeal from USD 41 million to USD 120 million as the needs on the ground to aid the flood victims continue to grow at a pace that outdoes current funding allotments.

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on Sep 1 2010. Filed under World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.