Islamabad: On Monday, Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal met with Ambassador Munir Akram, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, to discuss Pakistan’s economic strategy, development plan, and preparations for participation in the COP29 summit.
Pakistan is dedicated to the UN Development Goals. Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan actively participates in this month’s COP29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, where environmental objectives will be highlighted.
He claimed that although Pakistan has the lowest carbon emissions globally, it is one of the nations most impacted by environmental and climatic change. He stated that there will be a panel discussion with foreign participants at the Pakistan Pavilion.
The Federal Minister mentioned Pakistan’s work on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN and stated that Pakistan is the first nation to formally incorporate these goals into its national development plan through Parliament.
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“All our development plans are aligned with these goals.”
Established inside the Ministry of Planning, the SDG Unit now has the status of a distinct unit that assesses the plans’ implementation and develops strategies for reaching the goals.
Ahsan Iqbal added that the Ministry of Planning will shortly create 17 task forces to oversee national and provincial initiatives and guarantee their implementation in relation to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the UN.
In addition, the Minister discussed the state of the Pakistani stock market, pointing out that only 70 of the country’s 530 companies export more than $10,000. “Every enterprise in Pakistan should set an export target of more than $ 10,000,” said Ahsan Iqbal, urging businesses to boost exports and strategically utilize their potential in the global market.
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The Federal Minister stated that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is offering a conducive environment for supporting investments and commercial possibilities, and he was pleased by the recent surge of investment under the SIFC.
According to the Federal Minister, Pakistan would achieve sustainable development if it continues to invest and implement economic reforms.