John Kerry reiterates the U.S. administration’s ongoing assistance in overcoming
obstacles brought on by the floods.
NEW YORK: Prime Minister Main Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, on the sidelines of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif acknowledged that “the terrible floods have put Pakistan ground zero of climate change” and thanked John Kerry for his personal leadership in bringing attention to the issue and looking for solutions. He acknowledged the crucial part the Biden Administration is playing in addressing climate change.
In the wake of Pakistan’s disastrous floods, the Prime Minister expressed gratitude for the U.S. government’s prompt help. He stressed the requirement for ongoing assistance from the international community, both during the subsequent phase of reconstruction and rehabilitation as well as in the immediate recovery and relief efforts.
Pakistan, according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, ranks among the 10 nations that are most vulnerable to climate change despite producing less than 1% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. Pakistan was experiencing an unprecedented natural disaster, with more than 1400 fatalities; 33 million people forced to flee their homes as a result of the climate, including over 600,000 pregnant women; four million acres of crops destroyed; entire villages and ways of life wiped out.
The Prime Minister emphasised the significance of American leadership in supplying developing nations with the necessary resources in the form of Climate Finance, Technology Transfer, and Capacity Building Assistance to enable them to fulfil their climate action commitments under the Paris Agreement, including Pakistan.
Assuring the Pakistani people and government of continuous help from the U.S. Administration in overcoming the flood-related issues, Special Envoy Kerry emphasised his sympathy with them. According to him, the United States was prepared to work with Pakistan to restore resilient infrastructure and provide other types of support that would help prevent similar crises in the future.
Both sides agreed to continue to closely focus on climate change and energy dialogue.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has stressed for a collective action to deal with climate change.
The Prime Minister claimed he informed them of the flood calamity in Pakistan in a tweet on Wednesday discussing his encounters with world leaders in New York on the fringes of the UN General Assembly session.
They were also informed, according to Shehbaz Sharif, that Pakistan is eager to form alliances in the areas of trade and the economy.
“I informed the world leaders of the flood calamity and emphasised the necessity for a concerted effort to cope with climate change in my encounters with them on the margins of the #UNGA Session. PM Shehbaz Sharif tweeted, “I also reminded them Pakistan is eager to create ties in the fields of trade & economy.
In a different tweet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif noted that his brother, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, stressed the importance of continuing international aid to help Pakistan deal with the terrible floods. We appreciate the President’s steadfast stance in favour of IIOJK Kashmiris’ rights.
Meanwhile, in a different tweet, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude to UN Secretary General António Guterres for his steadfast support of the misery of flood victims and for bringing global attention to the most urgently addressable problem, climate change. He argued that instead of only talking about climate change, the world community should take coordinated action.
