UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on governments and private donors to give generously to help millions of Pakistanis rebuild lives and homes destroyed by last month's devastating earthquake.
Despite killing 73,000 people in Pakistan and about 1,300 in India, the disaster has failed to elicit the same outpouring of support from the world community as the Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina did earlier this year.
"We received some resources but need much, much more to be able to help the people," Mr Annan said on arrival in Pakistan for an international donors' conference.
The World Bank, Asian Development Bank and other lenders, representatives from foreign governments, including India, as well as corporate leaders, will attend the conference.
The meeting will focus on the long-term task of reconstruction and rehabilitation.
The estimated cost for rebuilding roads, housing, schools, hospitals and the civil administration, and restoring people's livelihoods in Pakistan is put at $5.2 billion. Yet, so far, Pakistan has had just over $300 million pledged toward these tasks.
"I would expect the world, those with capacity, to give generously and give willingly, and I'm not just speaking to the governments but also to the private sector and individuals who can contribute," Mr Annan said.
President Bush promised President Pervez Musharraf that he would help raise awareness of Pakistan's plight in a phone call from South Korea.
The devastation affected 3.3 million people and left hundreds of thousands homeless, with winter fast approaching in the Himalayan region. There are also fears of disease spreading in squalid tent settlements that have sprouted in the towns.