Pakistan thanked the world for opening its wallets and said more than 20 million flood victims now knew that nations and people around the globe were standing with them during the worst disaster the country has ever faced.

Wrapping up a hurriedly called two-day meeting of the UN General Assembly to spotlight the immediate need for aid, Pakistan’s UN ambassador Abdullah Haroon said the initial outpouring from around 70 countries was “indeed heartening” and “a good beginning”.

But he stressed the country would need much more help in the months and years to come.

At the start of the meeting last Thursday, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said donors had given just half of the $460 million the UN had appealed for to provide food, shelter and clean water for to up to eight million flood victims over the next three months. He insisted all the money was needed now.

Pakistani foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said at the end of last Thursday’s session that he was assured the $460 million goal “is going to be easily met”.

But UN humanitarian chief John Holmes said after the session that the UN appeal was not yet fully funded.

“At the moment, we’re about 70 per cent funded, about $350 million,” he said. “The situation in the last few days has improved very significantly in terms of funding ... I think (the appeal) will be funded soon.”

During the general assembly meeting, Mr Holmes said, countries also announced contributions directly to the Pakistani government, UN agencies and humanitarian organisations.

“My guess is that there’s a couple of hundred million outside the appeal” that will go to helping flood victims, he said.

Aid groups and UN officials had worried about a slow response to the flooding, theorising that donors who had spent heavily on a string of huge disasters in recent years were reluctant to open their wallets yet again.