Pakistani PM to demand "climate justice" at COP28 Kakar

In two summit talks held in New York on the margins of the 78th UN General Assembly, which got underway on Tuesday, the prime minister emphasized Pakistan's complaints.

He stated during a summit on the UN's sustainable development goals (SDGs) that Pakistan will demand the fulfillment of a $100 billion annual climate financing pledge, the allocation of half of this to climate adaptation, and the prompt establishment of a fund for "loss and damage" at the upcoming CoP28.

He applauded the SDG Summit for including a number of ideas put forth by Pakistan and other poor nations, such as the political declaration, early capitalization of multilateral development banks, and rerouting Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) for development.

World leaders issued a political statement at the end of the two-day SDG Summit to speed up the process of achieving the 17 objectives, which are in danger of falling behind because of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and other global issues. All of the objectives that deal with issues like poverty, pollution, strong institutions, biodiversity, and peaceful communities are misguided.

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A firm commitment to financing for developing nations is made in the 10-page document, which also supports the idea of an effective debt-relief system and an annual SDG stimulus of at least $500 billion.

Additionally, it calls for a change in the business strategy of multilateral development banks in order to provide private financing to developing nations at more affordable rates. It also promotes reform of the global financial system, which has been dubbed "outdated, dysfunctional, and unfair."

The most important meeting of the day, according to Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi, was between Foreign Minister Jilani and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan.The potential of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman's upcoming trip to Islamabad was also brought up, and both parties agreed that the visit would take place as soon as possible.

The foreign secretary responded, "Every visit does not produce tangible results," when asked what the focus of the prime minister's trip to New York was. An chance to interact with global leaders and discuss Pakistan's perspectives on pressing international issues is presented by a visit to the UN General Assembly.

Adaptation is important

Meanwhile, caretaker PM Anwaarul Haq Kakar urged the world to provide financial and technical support to developing nations like Pakistan in his speech at the Climate Ambition Summit, saying that all countries should raise their climate ambitions, regardless of their statuses and geographical locations.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Kakar informed the world that the negative effects of climate change were becoming more frequent and intense while still disproportionately hitting developing nations.

Pakistan is a good illustration. We are one of the 10 most vulnerable nations despite having less than 1% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The extreme floods of last year demonstrated this susceptibility, but if global warming continues, "these may only be the tip of the iceberg," he said.

He expressed gratitude to Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the UN, for his active solidarity and mobilization of international aid in the wake of the floods.

The adaptation was a "critical" priority for Pakistan, according to the prime, because of the country's "well-established" climate sensitivity.

According to him, Pakistan decided to be a part of the solution even if it did not contribute to global warming by committing to convert 60% of its energy resources to alternative energy by 2030, which would cost the nation about $100 billion.