Queen Noor of Jordan has paired up with Hollywood star Matt Dillon to raise awareness of the plight of Pakistanis displaced by last summer's devastating floods.
"In late July of this year, torrential rains caused flash floods that tore through the Swat Valley killing more that 1,000 people and ripping away homes, buildings, roads and bridges. Thousands have been left homeless," Her Majesty reminded those in attendance at a special reception and fundraiser for Refugees International, on whose board the Queen sits.
An estimated 20 million Pakistanis were affected by the deluge that swamped about a fifth of the country, more than the Asian Tsunami, the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti combined.
"Refugees International's advocates met with people who spoke of fleeing from their homes in the middle of the night with only the clothes on their backs carrying only what possessions they could carry. Many are now returning to find homes that are damaged or completely destroyed, and crops that have been ruined. Unfortunately, as you heard, climate change is anticipated to make matters worse," she added.
The primary focus of the Washington-based non-governmental organization, which started in 1979 to help protect Indochinese refugees, has been to help alleviate the situation of those displaced by conflicts and persecution through advocacy and lobbying at the steps of world government.
But with Pakistan, Refugees International has begun to discuss those 'refugees' impacted by climate displacement, where the cause of their movements and the direness of their situation was caused, not in broad terms by conflict, but by natural disaster.
"This is something that's really exciting and new, because RI's [Refugees International] now drawing attention to climate displacement, as opposed to conflict displacement, which is typically what RI's always been about," explained Dillon, who became involved with the organization through a friend and produced a short film on South Sudan after a Refugee International mission there.
As the causes of refugees and displaced persons become more complex, and boundaries and definitions overlap, Queen Noor is convinced in calling for more support for Pakistan that how the international community handles the ongoing crisis caused by the floods there will lead to better practices and emergency response to future challenges.
