PM Shehbaz arrives in Egypt to attend climate change summit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Egypt on Sunday to participate in the Sharm El Sheikh Climate Implementation Summit (SCIS).

PM Shehbaz was received at the international airport of Sharm El Sheikh by Egypt’s senior officials and the officers of the Pakistani embassy. The prime minister was accompanied by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, cabinet members and other senior officials.

Before departing, PM Shehbaz warned that turning a blind eye to climate change’s lethal effects would be “criminal”.

He also asked for “climate justice”, urging the world to financially support “developing countries” so that they could reduce the “multifarious threats of climate change”.

The premier added that according to the country’s Post-Disaster Needs Assessment, Pakistan’s recovery from flood devastation can be held back by “public debt, rising international energy and food prices, and lack of access to adaption funds”.

This two-day summit, which begins on Monday, is a part of the 27th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27).

At the invitation of the Egyptian presidency of COP27, the prime minister will co-chair — along with his Norwegian counterpart — a high-level roundtable discussion on “Climate change and the sustainability of vulnerable communities” on Nov 8, said a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The premier 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 Nov 7, being hosted by Saudi Arabia Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammad bin Salman.

PM Shehbaz is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with several world leaders on the margins of the summit.

COP27 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, said a press release from the Foreign Office (FO).

It added that as a developing country most affected by this phenomenon, Pakistan would make a robust call for the urgency of climate solidarity and climate justice, based on the established principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

It further said that Pakistan would lead the Group of 77 (G-77) in the climate change negotiations as the incumbent chair of the G-77, including in thematic areas such as “climate finance, adaptation, mitigation and capacity building”.

The FO also said that as a main stakeholder, Pakistan would continue to make positive contributions to the global climate change debate, negotiations and collective action.

The Conference of the Parties is the supreme decision-making body under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, which meets on annual basis to review and advance collective efforts to address climate change.