Developing countries: Pakistan’s stance on climate finance acknowledged at COP28: PM

DUBAI: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar Ul Haq Kakar has said that Pakistan had been a strong voice and a proactive advocate for climate finance for developing countries that was fully acknowledged and accepted by the developed world in the United Nations’ 28th Conference of Parties (COP 28).

The prime minister said Loss and Damage Fund was advocated by Pakistan in COP27 to assist the developing countries in facing the climate challenges in terms of mitigation and risk reduction.

In an interview to Sky News Arabia here at the sidelines of COP28 on Sunday, PM Kakar said operationlization of the Loss and Damage Fund was a testament that developed countries had morally accepted the argument that world must support those countries that were not responsible for the climate damage.

“Pakistan has always been advocating that the countries who have not contributed to the carbon emissions but remained one of the worst affected by the climate disaster must be compensated in terms of mitigation, climate adaptation and receiving climate finance to address all those challenges”, he added.

He said the operationlization of Loss and Damage Fund by announcement of US$30 billion by UAE was a good start in the right direction.

Initially, he said the funding should be utilized through multi-lateral organization like the World Bank to swiftly start the implementation process.

Talking about the Israeli atrocities, the prime minister said Pakistan along with Saudi Arabia and other countries had been on the forefront on the platform of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) demanding immediate stopping of senseless violence and aggression against the Palestinians and creation of humanitarian corridor.

He said that sustainable peace was only possible through a two state solution of the Palestine issue according to the pre-1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.

Prime Minister Kakar said that Pakistan was cognizant of its obligations to the refugees whom the country had hosted for the last 50 years however it was our national duty to rationalize and regulate the movement of more than a million undocumented and illegal aliens.

He said that Kashmir issue remained unresolved for the last 7 decades.

“It is an integral part of Pakistan and it needs to be resolved according to the UNSC resolutions,” he said adding that Pakistan desired peace and resolution of the Kashmir issue however these feelings must be reciprocated by the Indian authorities.