UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, today welcomed the announcement of €1,000,000 [One Million Euro] donation by the L’Oréal Group, the world’s leading beauty company, to provide emergency support for flood affected communities in Pakistan as well as help rebuild community infrastructure such as schools, hospitals and shelters. The donation, which comes as the people of Pakistan continue to grapple with the devastating effects of the 2022 floods, will contribute to UNHCR’s response for approximately 8.5 million people in the worst affected provinces of Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Key activities include the handover of emergency core relief items including blankets, emergency shelter, hygiene items, mosquito nets and solar-powered lanterns. UNHCR, in its leadership of protection activities is also working alongside partners to ensure that critical needs are identified and addressed through prevention, risk mitigation and other services by specialised actors. The grant will strengthen measures to address gender-based violence and child protection risks, to ensure timely aid for the most vulnerable and delivered in a safe and dignified manner. The funding will also assist in the early recovery process, including building up the resilience of refugees and their host communities and rehabilitating damaged public services such as schools, health, and water supplies. “The L’Oréal Group’s contribution demonstrates a firm commitment towards solidarity and responsibility sharing with Pakistan, which is among the world’s largest host of refugees,” said UNHCR Representative to Pakistan, Noriko Yoshida. “This contribution will support vulnerable families affected by flooding and help them to rebuild their homes, their lives and their communities.” Alexandra Palt, L’Oréal Chief Corporate Responsibility Officer and CEO Foundation L’Oréal said; “As the flood waters recede, every passing day is bringing more challenges for the communities as people continue to be displaced by the catastrophic floods and the scale of the destruction remains huge. The funding awarded to UNHCR by L’Oréal will be directed towards rehabilitation and humanitarian assistance in Sindh, Baluchistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.”