Angelina Jolie is currently in Pakistan with the International Rescue Committee for their emergency response operations to provide aid to flood victims across the country. The actress has always been actively involved in humanitarian aid and had previously visited Pakistan in 2005 and 2010 to meet with the earthquake victims.
During her recent visit, she was invited to the National Flood Response Coordination Centre where she spoke about the devastation she saw due to floods and the urgent need for humanitarian aid.
Here are 5 things she spoke about during her visit to the National Flood Response Coordination Centre.
1. “I am absolutely with you in pushing the international community to do more. I feel like we say that often, we speak of aid appeals, and reliefs and support but this is something very, very different.”
Angelina Jolie was vocal about the need for us to push the international community to aid Pakistan. It needs to do more, more than aid appeals and relief.
2. “I think this is a wake-up call to the world about where we are at. Climate change is not only real and it’s not only coming, it’s very much here…”
…And even as somebody who has been a part of humanitarian aid for years, we often look at crises and we look of how to solve and what we can do, what to rebuild or how to help the children or food. And now we are in a situation like this where the needs are so great and truly every effort is either a life or death for so many people,” she added.
She stated that the catastrophe in Pakistan is a wake-up call for the world about the reality of climate change. It is no longer a matter of it coming, it is very much here and we all can witness it in the form of the floods in Pakistan.
3. “I’ve been speaking to people and thinking if enough aid doesn’t come, they won’t be here in the next few weeks , they won’t make it, too many children, so malnourished…I’m overwhelmed but I don’t even feel it’s fair to say that because I’m not living this”
The actress lamented over the current scenario in flood-stricken areas, where enough aid has still not been reached. Children are malnourished and they may not be able to make it if aid doesn’t reach on time.
4. “I have never seen anything like this and I have been to Pakistan many times. I came first because of the generosity the Pakistani people have shown to the people of Afghanistan over the years and as a host country. “
It is the generosity of the Pakistani people that has brought her to Pakistan several times, Angelina Jolie stated.
5. It is often the countries that don’t have much that give more than so many other countries & now this time we see it’s the countries that cause less damage to the environment that are now bearing the brunt of the disaster and the pain and the death.”
Pakistan emits less than 1% of carbon emissions but somehow is bearing the brunt of climate change whereas it is the rich countries that contribute a major chunk of the carbon emissions that are responsible for climate change.
Angelina Jolie’s visit to Pakistan sets a great example for world leaders to come together and aid Pakistan during the current climate crisis. It’s Pakistan today but it can be one of the rich countries tomorrow that can suffer at the hands of climate change. So let’s act responsibly and do our part in any little way we can.
