Shehbaz Sharif Fosters Climate Diplomacy to Mobilize Support for Building Back Pakistan

• Shehbaz Fosters Climate Diplomacy to Mobilize Support for Building Back Pakistan
• Pakistan team optimist about reconstruction needs over US$ 16 billion.
• Pakistan uses bilateral, multilateral platforms for the recovery processes

Islamabad: Pakistan government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif makes necessary preparations for the upcoming International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan aimed at engaging the international community to mobilise support for Pakistan’s post-flood recovery.

On the international engagement level, the UN Secretary-General has announced that the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan opens in new window, and will be held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, on 9 January 2023.

Pakistan government has made numerous endeavors to engage cooperation partners.  In the Middle East region, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has apprised King of the Kingdom of Bahrain Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa regarding the ‘International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan’, and requested a high-level participation from Bahrain.

Similarly, in a telephonic conversation, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also invited the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al Thani to participate in the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan.

The Prime Minister thanked the Amir for the generous humanitarian assistance provided by Qatar in the wake of the devastating climate-induced floods in Pakistan earlier this year. He recalled that Pakistan now faced the enormous challenge of rehabilitation and reconstruction in a climate-resilient manner.

In the south Asia, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister H.E. Mr. Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia on Tuesday and discussed the devastating climate-induced floods in Pakistan and the upcoming International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan wherein the international community will come together to support Pakistan’s recovery and rehabilitation efforts.

At the home front, Pakistani Prime Minister Office has launched the Resilient, Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) report, a document that is an action plan for rehabilitation and reconstruction over the damages caused by the climate-induced floods, containing short, medium and long-term climate resilient strategy, said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

Explaining the agenda of conference, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that Pakistan will present the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Recovery and Resilience Framework (4RF) at the conference, adding that the 4RF document is based on the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), launched on 28 October 2022, which estimated flood damages exceeding US$ 14.9 billion, and reconstruction needs over US$ 16 billion.

She further added that they will engage the international community to mobilize support towards building back better after the devastating floods. “It will also be an opportunity to hold an informed dialogue on climate adaptation and resilience, and to discuss supportive arrangements for the recovery processes,” she added.

Highlighting the efforts for engaging the international community, the spokesperson further said that the prime minister and the UN secretary general have jointly addressed an invitation letter to donor countries, international financial institutions, and other development partners for this conference.

Responding to a query about the Climate Change Conference (COP27), she said that a number of important decisions were taken at the conference and one major outcome from Pakistan’s perspective was the agreement by consensus that a “Loss and Damage Fund” will be established.

For that purpose, she added that a transition committee has been established, which is negotiating the various aspects and discussing the TORs of the fund. “Pakistan has high hopes that once it is operationalised, climate change would receive the attention that it deserves at the international level,” she added.

Though Pakistan is among the top polluters but she stands in the lists of “climate change vulnerability” which is evident from the serious water shortages, susceptibility to floods, severe droughts and short agricultural production, leading food insecurity in the country.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, elaborating the scale of the devastation during a visit to district Dadu in Sindh-the worst affected province, said Pakistan team would share plans of rebuilding a ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’, adding that they were looking forward to working with the international community to take the people of Pakistan out of this distressing situation.

Pakistan is ranked as one of the world’s 10 most climate-vulnerable nations. With a population of 220 million – the world’s fifth largest – there are immense human dimensions to this vulnerability and fragility. The scale of this challenge is enormous which needs attention, engagement and support of international community towards building back better Pakistan after the devastating floods.

By: M.A

Email: VOW2025@Gmail.com