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The Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) called for a generous and swift international response to the $2 billion appeal for aid for Pakistan flood victims, which was just 34 percent funded.

"I continue to urge the international community to respond generously and swiftly to urgent relief and recovery needs, as well as to reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts," Ki-moon recently told a ministerial meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan.

The $2 billion appeal, launched a month ago, is the largest-ever appeal made by the UN and its partners for a natural disaster. It  more than quadrupled the original $460 million sought in August as the full scope of the floods became clear.

Nearly $690 million has come in so far, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHE) spokesperson Elisabeth Byrs said at a news briefing in Geneva.

Byrs underscored that much remains to be received and warning that the crisis is far from being over. She noted that returns in the hard-hit southern Sindh province included some 386,000 people out of 1.4 million living in camps and informal settlements, but that many people remained trapped by stagnant flood waters and required urgent support.

She also drew attention to the situation in the northern Kyber Pakhtunkhwa province where a winter contingency plan is being developed under the leadership of provincial authorities with support from OCHA. An interagency security and rapid needs assessment mission is also underway in South Waziristan to ascertain the feasibility of returns.

Increasing numbers of acute respiratory infections cases have been seen in northern Pakistan, particularly in Kyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab, while concerns persists over malaria in Baluchistan, said UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesman Paul Garwood.

So far, WHO and health providers have treated more than 7 million patients since 29 July.

The floods that have devastated Pakistan since July have caused an estimated $9.7 billion in damage to the country's infrastructure, farms, homes, as well as other direct and indirect losses, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank (WB).

The disaster is believed to have left up to 2,000 people dead and has affected up to 20 million.

Reform needed for reconstruction efforts

In response to the extent of the flooding damage, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has admonished wealthy Pakistanis for not doing more to help their poorer countrymen. She also called on the Pakistani government to expand its tax base so more could be collected to help reconstruction efforts.

After a Friday meeting with European Union foreign affairs chief Baroness Ashton in Brussels, Belgium, Clinton said "it's absolutely unacceptable for those with means in Pakistan not to be doing their fair share to help their own people while taxpayers in Europe, the United States and other contributing countries are all chipping in."

Clinton further said: "The most important step Pakistan can take is to pass meaningful reforms to expand its tax base. The government must require that the economically affluent and elite support the government and people of Pakistan."

Pakistan has a abysmal tax-collection system, whereby many wealthy industrialists underpay of avoid paying entirely.

In his message to the Brussels meeting, Ban reaffirmed UN support for the Friends process, which provides a comprehensive framework for reviewing progress across the political, strategic and reform agenda.

"Reform is crucial for strengthening peace and stability in the border areas and in preventing future conflict," he said. "I continue to urge the international community to support Pakistan's efforts to implement the recommendations of the Post Crisis Needs Assessment exercise.

"The United Nations will also stand with Pakistan in facing the challenge of violent extremism and in furthering the democratic transformation of the country. Accountable, civilian-led democracy is critical for the stability of Pakistan, the region and the wider world."

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