Geneva: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif along with United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Geneva on Sunday night to co-host an international conference on the theme of ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’.
An international conference, aimed at helping Pakistan rebuild after the historic floods, is scheduled to be held today to launch the ‘Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework’ (4RF). will
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman and Information and Broadcasting Minister Maryam Aurangzeb also accompanied Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The framework outlines a vision for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-affected areas and will emphasize the need for global cooperation and long-term partnerships for its implementation.
At the inaugural high-level opening, the official document will be unveiled and include announcements of partner support.
The Prime Minister and the Secretary General of the United Nations will also hold a joint press stakeout.
Leaders and high-level representatives of several countries and international financial institutions, foundations and funds are expected to attend the conference, in person and in virtual format.
Flood affected Pakistan
Pakistan and the United Nations are organizing the conference to mobilize international support to help the country recover more effectively from the recent flood disaster.
Last September, record monsoon rains and melting glaciers displaced nearly 8 million people and killed at least 1,700 in a disaster blamed on climate change.
Most of the water has now receded, but reconstruction work, estimated to cost around $16.3 billion, has only just begun to rebuild millions of homes and thousands of kilometers of roads and railways, and millions more could slide into poverty.
Islamabad, whose delegation is led by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, will present a “framework” for recovery at the meeting, which will also be addressed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Guterres, who visited Pakistan in September, has previously described the destruction in the country as a “climatic massacre”.
“This is an important moment for the international community to stand with Pakistan and commit to a resilient and comprehensive recovery from these devastating floods,” said Nat Ostby, the United Nations Development Program’s Pakistan representative.
Additional funding is critical for Pakistan amid growing concerns about its ability to pay for imports such as energy and food and meet sovereign debt obligations abroad.
However, it is unclear where the reconstruction money will come from, particularly because of difficulties in raising funds for the emergency humanitarian response, which accounts for about half, according to UN figures.
At the COP27 meeting in Egypt in November, Pakistan was at the forefront of efforts that led to the establishment of a “Loss and Damages” fund to offset climate catastrophe for countries that contributed to global warming. Contributed less than the bad ones.
However, it is not yet known whether Pakistan with a $350 billion economy will be eligible to benefit from this funding in the future.
Organizers say around 250 people are expected to attend the event, including high-level government officials, private donors and international financial institutions.
Khalil Hashmi, Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, said that Islamabad is ready to foot about half of the bill but hopes for donor support for the rest. He said that we will mobilize international support through various means. “We look forward to working with our partners.”
