ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Tuesday that over $9 billion in pledges made by the countries and development partners showed their confidence in Pakistan’s coalition government. “As a Team Pakistan, this success is an achievement for the coalition government and the nation,” the prime minister said in a statement a day after he co-hosted a day-long conference on the reconstruction and rehabilitation in the wake of the country’s summer floods in Geneva. Shehbaz Sharif lauded the contribution of all concerned ministries and departments in making Geneva’s Resilient Pakistan Confer ence a success. He acknowledged the role played by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb. He assured that as a trust, the financial assistance would be provided to the deserving through a third-party audit. Shehbaz Sharif mentioned the special financial support extended by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman besides the pledges of the conference. He also highlighted the support of the leadership of China, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the European Union, the United States, Germany, Japan, France, and other countries to help Pakistan overcome the post-flood challenges. He lauded the support of the Islamic Development Bank, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United States Agency for International Development, Department for International Development, and other aid agencies. The prime minister earlier in a tweet said the climate crisis had severely threatened nations’ capacity to achieve Sustainable Development Goals as a return to business-as-usual was out of the question. “World needs to employ vision and solidarity for transition to a sustainable future of hope. The darkness of disasters should be replaced by the light of opportunity,” he said. He mentioned that in his address at Resilient Pakistan Conference, he outlined the recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction requirements of the country over medium to long terms. “I explained how flood ravages have caused learning, health, and infrastructure losses. I alerted the world to spectre of food insecurity,” he said. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari yesterday thanked the international community for supporting Pakistan to rebuild flood affected areas. In a video message on Twitter, he said the international community and the global financial institutions had pledged more than $10 billion for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the flood affected areas of Pakistan and expressed the hope that the process would now be expedited. The FM termed the co-hosting of the ‘Resilient Pakistan’ conference in Geneva as a huge success for Pakistan as they had received pledges more than their expectations. Expressing gratitude to the international community, the foreign minister said that with this financial support, they would be able to commence work on the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the flood-affected areas, repairing of damaged infrastructure, agricultural, and poverty alleviation. Separately, the FM posted on his video message “Good news, Resilient Pakistan conference has exceeded expectations. The international community has united in solidarity with Pakistan’s flood victims & pledged 9 billion dollars for recon, rehab & relief. We are particularly grateful to Antonio Guterres for his leadership.” Meanwhile,Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a two-day official visit to the United Arab Emirates on January 12-13. The prime minister will visit UAE on the invitation of President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release on Tuesday. The prime minister will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including key members of the cabinet. This would be the prime minister’s third visit to the UAE after assuming office. During the visit, the prime minister will meet the UAE president with particular focus on advancing economic, trade and investment ties between the two brotherly countries and creating increased opportunities for the Pakistani workforce in the UAE. The two leaders will also exchange views on a range of regional and global issues of mutual interest. The prime minister will meet with the UAE Prime Minister and Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Muhammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum. During the visit, the prime minister will hold meetings with the Emirati businessmen and investors to discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment. The UAE is home to around 1.7 million Pakistanis who have been playing a pivotal role in the success story of the UAE, for the last five decades, contributing to the progress, prosperity and economic development of the two brotherly countries. “Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates enjoy close and fraternal ties based on common faith and traditions, shared history and heritage; deep-rooted cultural affinities, geographic proximity and identity of view on several regional and global issues. Regular high-level exchanges and visits are a key feature of this relationship,” it was further added.