Islamabad, Oct 28: Romina Advocates for Respecting Regional Norms in Climate Diplomacy. Romina Khurshid Alam, Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, on Friday that Pakistan must lead the global effort to provide climate funding for vulnerable, less developed nations while concentrating on climate diplomacy that respects regional norms and values.
The Pak-German Climate and Energy Partnership (PGCEP) and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) organized the Pre-COP29 Summit on “Pakistan’s Climate Resilience: Road to COP29.” In view of the impending COP29 negotiations, this event brought together important players to address the country’s climate concerns and policies.
The event’s main speaker, Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Climate Change Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, emphasized the importance of Pakistan giving regional contexts and vulnerabilities top priority when developing climate adaptation plans. She reaffirmed Pakistan’s position as a strong voice for countries at risk from climate change.
Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director of SDPI, stressed the need for climate action in his keynote speech, pointing out that the United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement’s pledges had undermined international climate agendas. He praised the EU’s and China’s combined efforts to keep climate issues front and center in spite of obstacles.
According to him, there is still debate on the Loss and Damage Fund. Nevertheless, there is a chance to use oil-producing nations as a means of addressing climate change and raising funds for climate action. As the host of COP29, Baku can support the trade of carbon credits and carbon markets despite numerous difficult obstacles, such as green washing. But many of those concerns have been simplified during the COP29 chairmanship,” he remarked.
He claimed that Pakistan is a proactive participant in the global community and was instrumental in the Loss and Damage Fund’s operationalization. “Pakistan must continue to be a proactive voice for the 220 million strong individuals who resisted the negative effects of climate change,” he continued.
Mr. Wolfgang Hesse, Cluster Coordinator Energy & Climate Change, GIZ Pakistan, welcomed the summit attendees and emphasized Germany’s strong commitment to Pakistan’s energy and climate projects. The €500 million Pakistan-German Climate & Energy Partnership is a well planned technical and financial collaboration to support Pakistan’s climate goals. Our financial partnership is essential to enabling a fair energy transition that supports Agenda 2030 and the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
The SDPI’s deputy executive director, Dr. Shafqat Munir, expressed grave worries about the developed world’s lack of support for a comprehensive Loss and Damage Fund, pointing to a concerning financial shortfall. In addition to arguing for equitable contributions from wealthier countries to assist areas suffering greatly from climate-related problems, Dr. Munir underlined the pressing need to operationalize and sufficiently fund this project.
Head of Cooperation for Development, During the pre-COP29 discussion, experts emphasized the substantial financial gaps in climate spending. Although the worldwide goal of raising $100 billion in climate finance was accomplished in 2022, affluent countries still failed to meet their obligations, according to Dr. Fahad Saeed of Climate Analytics. He called for stronger business sector participation in climate finance.
While highlighting Pakistan’s potential in green finance, Mr. Sohail Malik of the Climate Resourcing Coordination Center emphasized the need for more precise frameworks for climate finance. The Prime Minister’s Committee’s Ahsan Kamran underlined how crucial it is to improve Article 6 compliance in order to facilitate efficient emissions trading.
In order to address the significant effects of climate change on communities, Dr. Bilal Anwar, CEO of NDRMF, emphasized the growing complexity of climate finance terminology and the urgent need for the loss and damage fund to be implemented effectively.
Aisha Khan from CSCCC argued for a comprehensive approach to the National Adaptation Plan, emphasizing the necessity of integrated ecosystem restoration, while Anam Zeb from the German Red Cross emphasized the significance of differentiating between response and adaptation funding during the discussions.
Germany’s substantial climate financing contributions to global programs were highlighted by Dr. Sebastian Paust, Head of Development Cooperation at the German Embassy. In addition to financial tools to manage climate risk and unlock carbon funding, it highlighted Germany’s €6 billion contribution to the New Collective Quantified Goal.
Germany’s bilateral development cooperation places a strong emphasis on information, skills, and technology transfer in order to genuinely boost ambition and facilitate action, acknowledging that resources alone are insufficient without the necessary skills and solutions.
The pre-COP29 summit emphasized the urgent need for a coordinated worldwide effort to combat climate change as COP29 draws near, with Pakistan hoping to demonstrate its adaptability and proactive methods internationally.
