Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif convened the first meeting of the Pakistan Climate Change Council (PCCC), today at PM house. Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman, discussed Pakistan's position on key issues in COP27. The agenda of the meeting included briefing on the functions and mandate of PCCC, briefing on COP27 and presentation on the Living Indus Initiative.
The Council is composed of 26 official and 20 non-official members, including federal ministers such as Minister for National Food Security & Research, Minister for Planning and Development, Minister for Science and Technology, Minister for Water Resources, Minister for Energy and Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Talking about bringing the Climate Financing agenda at the forefront of the COP27 event, Minister Rehman said, “COP27 must capitalize the adaptation fund and introduce agility and speed in countries that need to build resilience. Simplified, long-term climate financing instruments are needed to plug severe capacity deficits in the developing countries right now as the protracted periods of pipelining funds lose potency when resilience needs change faster than the speed of resource dispersion. We need climate funds that are easy to access, predictable transfers. We must reduce the delays in funds mobilization; the needs end up changing on the ground by the time the funds arrive.”
Minister Rehman brought to light the lack of financial and technical resources that the country is facing in the flood response efforts, “The Government of Pakistan has repurposed all its existing budgetary envelopes, including all climate adaptation and resilience funds, to continue to provide ex-gratia compensations to flood-affected households, as the toll of fatalities and loss and damage keep rising. To secure climate resilience funds for building capacity and national action plans and strategies, as part of climate finance, we must go through a lengthy process of 2 to 3 years to activate these funds.”
The Federal Minister highlighted that the ministry will be raising the “Loss and Damage” agenda at COP27, “The bargain between the Global North and the South is not working and it needs to be fixed for the Global South to survive the oncoming train of climate change. Loss and damage must be put on the climate finance agenda formally. It has always been the stepchild of the larger discourse, but that needs to change now. The gap lies in the undertaking of responsibility by the rich countries to not only fulfill their pledges but also provide compensations for the carbon-intensive lifestyles and investments that continue to increase emissions. We will be advocating for 'Loss and Damage’ at the upcoming COP. The Global South should not bear the brunt of the actions of the rich North.”
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