Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday departed Egypt to take part in the “Sharm El-Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit” being held on November 7-8.
The delegation left for Egypt with Prime Minister Shehbaz including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, cabinet members, and other senior officials.
This conference is part of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-27).
At the invitation of the Egyptian Presidency of COP-27, the prime minister and his Norwegian counterpart will co-chair a high-level roundtable discussion on “Climate Change and the Sustainability of Vulnerable Communities” on November 8th, according to a news statement from the PM Office Media Wing.
The prime minister will also participate in other high-level events as a speaker, including the UN Secretary General’s roundtable to launch the ‘Early Warning Systems for Executive Action Plan’, and the ‘Middle East Green Initiative Summit on November 7, being hosted by the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman.
The prime minister is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the margins of the summit.
COP-27 is taking place at a time when millions of people in Pakistan, and millions more in other parts of the world, are facing severe adverse impacts of climate change, the Foreign Office Spokesperson said in a related press release.
As a developing country most affected by this phenomenon, Pakistan would make a robust call, inter alia, for the urgency of climate solidarity and climate justice, based on the established principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
“In its capacity as the incumbent Chair of the Group of 77 & China, which is the largest negotiating bloc of developing countries within the UN system, Pakistan would also lead the Group in the climate change negotiations; including in thematic areas such as climate finance, adaptation, mitigation, and capacity building,” it was added.
The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the top decision-making body under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), meeting annually to evaluate and develop collective efforts to combat climate change.
Pakistan, as the primary stakeholder, will continue to make proactive, positive contributions to the global climate change debate, talks, and collective action, according to the spokesperson.
