Robust plan must to showcase Pakistan’s resilience-building initiatives at COP29

Islamabad: Coordinator to Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam said that all-out efforts would be taken to project Pakistan’s climate vulnerability and resilience-building measures in different socio-economic sectors, particularly agriculture, water, energy, health, education and gender.

Chairing a first meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on the 29the session of the Conference of Parties (COP 29) here on Monday, she urged the meeting participants to come with a concrete plan in close coordination with relevant federal and provincial departments to showcase Pakistan’s resilience-building initiatives being implemented by federal government and provinces. The meeting focused on preparations for the country’s active participation in the upcoming COP29, a UN-led annual global climate summit, which is scheduled to kick off from 11 to 22 November 2024 at Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital.

“We must come up with a well-thought out plan to showcase the country’s resilience-building measures with own resources and highlight the finance, technology and capacity-building needs to strengthen further the country’s resilience against myriad climate risks through adaptation and mitigation measures,” she urged the meeting participants

She pointed out that global community is very much cognisant of the fact that Pakistan is among the few countries most affected by climate change, facing climate change-caused challenges like recurring and intensifying flooding, heatwaves and shifting monsoon patterns. “But, there is pressing need for the country to emphasise the need for financial and technical support needed to cope with these vulnerabilities, protect lives and livelihoods of the communities and socio-economic sectors,” Romina Khurshid Alam suggested.

She emphasized that Pakistan has been vocal about the importance of adaptation strategies in resilience building against various fallouts of the climate change. Given the reason, the country has put forward proposals for increased support to enhance resilience in vulnerable communities and sectors, such as agriculture and water management with increased focus on adaptation measures in the resource-poor countries like Pakistan.

While highlighting the country’s mitigation measures, the PM’s climate aide said that the country would also apprise the global community at the COP29 that while Pakistan's carbon footprint is relatively small compared to some other countries, it is already making efforts to cut its climate altering carbon emissions as a responsible nation by increasing its use of renewable energy, promoting e-vehicles and mass transit system, increasing forest cover, adopting smart farming techniques.

She also pressed on need for highlighting that the country would also advocate for greater international cooperation and fair climate finance. The country stresses the need for developed nations to fulfil their financial commitments to support developing countries in their climate action efforts. Earlier, PM’s climate aide said that the follow-up COP29 preparation committee meetings will held weekly for consultative sessions with sector experts, including representatives from various relevant ministries, organizations and provinces.

Secretaries from ministries of climate change, Finance Division, Planning Development and Special Initiatives, Economic Affairs Division, Foreign Affairs Division, Executive Director of SDPI Abid Suleri, Salman Ahmed of Mckinsey & Company, Additional Secretary Ministry of climate change, Joint Secretary from PM's office and other members of the committee from different government and non-governmental organizations attended the meeting.