Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar will lead Pakistan's delegation at the upcoming Conference of Parties (COP) 28 in Dubai next month, highlighting the country's efforts to mitigate climate impact and what it suffers from due to emissions by others.
This was decided as Caretaker Prime Minister Kakar chaired an inter-ministerial review meeting in Islamabad the other day to look into the agenda of COP-28. Caretaker federal ministers for finance, foreign affairs, climate change and planning, and other relevant officials were present, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's office.
Kakar said climate change was a national security issue for a country like Pakistan. He reiterated that Pakistan was among the lowest carbon-producing countries in the world. Yet, it is among the top-most affected countries.
He said Pakistan is playing a positive role in the global climate debate through climate diplomacy. He directed the relevant institutions to complete their groundwork for presentations on Pakistan in the context of climate finance and other related issues at COP-28.
Kakar is expected to represent Pakistan during the high-level segment of COP-28, scheduled for December 1 and 2. World leaders are expected to issue national statements during this segment and highlight their respective nations' climate priorities, ambitions and tangible commitments. They are expected to outline the actions they are undertaking domestically and internationally, including their response to the Global Stocktake, to put the world on track to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius and achieve the other Paris goals.
Meanwhile, in Islamabad, the federal climate ministry said the final list of participants and agenda for COP-28 has yet to be decided.
The UFCCC secretariat previously announced that Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAE Minister for Industry and Advanced Technologies and the country's special envoy for climate change, will serve as the president of COP-28, which will take place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.