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Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad. photo: file
UNITED NATIONS:
Amid dwindling resources, intensifying conflicts and climate crises, Pakistan has urged the international community to focus on preventing and resolving outstanding disputes, asserting that peace is not just a moral imperative – it is a humanitarian necessity.
“Unless conflicts are prevented and resolved, appeals will continue to increase and the humanitarian response will continue to be overstretched,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s permanent representative to the UN, told the General Assembly.
Speaking at a debate on Humanitarian Assistance, he called for harnessing renewed solidarity and strengthened multilateralism for peace to address the alarming rise in global humanitarian needs, emphasizing that unresolved conflicts remain the main driver of humanitarian needs.
In this sense, the Pakistani envoy reiterated that humanitarian assistance cannot replace political solutions.
“Mechanisms for the peaceful resolution of disputes, including preventive diplomacy, mediation and the good offices of the Secretary-General, must be strengthened to resolve long-standing conflicts and disputes,” added Ambassador Asim Ahmad.
He highlighted the findings of the UN’s Global Humanitarian Overview 2026, noting that 293 million people will need humanitarian support in 2026, while current resources allow aid to reach only 135 million.
This growing gap, he stressed, is not an abstract deficit but a matter of “lost lives, avoidable suffering and increasing instability.”
Ambassador Asim Ahmad stressed that the humanitarian system is under “unprecedented stress”, driven by entrenched conflicts, record displacements, declining respect for international humanitarian law, rising casualties of aid workers and escalating climate crises.
The year’s record heat, droughts and floods have pushed millions of people into hunger and displacement, he noted.
The Pakistani envoy emphasized the urgent need to fully respect international humanitarian and human rights law, protection of civilians and infrastructure, and unimpeded humanitarian access.
He denounced the use of famines, sieges and attacks on health care, and called for “zero tolerance” for such violations and greater accountability.
In endorsing the proposed humanitarian reset, he stressed that any reforms must be determined by the ownership of Member States and not by technocratic processes. He added that the reformed system must be efficient, flexible and predictable, focusing on building capacity, simplifying coordination and improving accountability and oversight.
Calling the current funding model unsustainable, Ambassador Ahmad called for predictable, multi-year funding and fair burden-sharing. He reiterated Pakistan’s support for expanding pooling mechanisms such as the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and promoting innovative financial tools, including debt-for-climate or debt-for-development swaps.
Ambassador Asim Ahmad emphasized the importance of strong national systems, disaster risk reduction, crisis-responsive social protection and early warning mechanisms.
He stressed that the commitment to triple adaptation finance by 2035 must be met through new, additional, predictable and grant-based climate finance, particularly for countries on the frontlines of climate change, such as Pakistan.
Reaffirming Pakistan’s continued focus on human dignity, he called for priority to be given to the protection of women, children, persons with disabilities and displaced populations. He also highlighted the need to ensure security and support for humanitarian personnel facing unprecedented risks on the ground.
As the United Nations approaches its 80th anniversary, Pakistan urged Member States to seize this moment as a turning point.
“We cannot accept a future where humanitarian appeals double, conflicts remain unresolved and climate crises overwhelm communities.”
In conclusion, he called for a new global humanitarian architecture built on the basis of international law, multilateral cooperation and collective commitment, an architecture that is capable of responding to urgent needs.
