Baku: COP29, the 29th United Nations climate conference, is being attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Shehbaz is scheduled to speak at the two-day “World Leaders Climate Action Summit” tomorrow (Wednesday).
According to the 2021 Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is among the 10 most climate-vulnerable nations.
Rapid glacial melting, terrible heat waves, extreme monsoon rains, epic floods, and glacial lake outburst floods are just a few extreme weather phenomena that have become more common and severe.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev welcomed PM Shehbaz at the summit site today, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. Statements by different heads of state will be made on the first day of the Climate Action Summit starting at 3 p.m. Pakistan time.
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Speakers include President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom.
In addition to PM Shehbaz, speakers at tomorrow’s high-level gathering include Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin and Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus.
PM to draw attention to developing countries climate change problems
The Foreign Office reports that the Pakistan Pavilion would host several roundtable discussions and high-level activities during COP29.
It added that at COP29, Pakistan will call for “balanced and ambitious progress on all issues such as loss and damage, adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation.”
“It will seek predictable financing to address developing countries’ climate goals. Pakistan will also underscore the historical responsibility and the principle of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and call on developed nations to undertake deeper emission cuts.”
PM Shehbaz will host the Climate Finance Round Table Conference, which is being organized by Pakistan and will be attended by many foreign leaders, according to Radio Pakistan.
At the meeting, the premier will discuss the difficulties encountered by developing nations, especially Pakistan, which has the lowest emissions of hazardous and polluting gases but is most affected by the negative effects of climate change.
At Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon’s high-level event on glacier protection, “Glaciers 2025: Actions for Glaciers,” the prime minister will also take part.
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Climate change caused disastrous floods in Pakistan during the 2022 monsoon season, which claimed at least 1,700 people.
An estimated $30 billion was lost due to the disaster, which affected 33 million people and wiped away large areas of agricultural land.
A heat wave that hit record-high temperatures in June 2024 hurt agriculture and public health.
