FM Bilawal chairs Young Foreign Ministers' Conference in NY

NEW YORK: Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for global cooperation, conciliation and solidarity to overcome the challenges of economy, energy and climate catastrophe.

Addressing the high-level meeting of Young Foreign Ministers in New York, FM Bilawal said challenges of the future require building new, innovative and effective approaches to rebuild a world order that can prevent global catastrophe, preserve peace and security, promote equitable and inclusive development of all nations and peoples in harmony with nature.

The foreign minister outlined a six-point Agenda to envision a future international order which will guarantee security, peace and harmony for all.

He said the dangers of climate change have started mounting so rapidly that they are overwhelming the ability of both nature and humanity to adapt. The Foreign Minister said our country has been hit by one of the worst natural disasters in its history. More than 33 million people have been directly affected and we have lost more than 1,300 precious lives.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said effective climate action would require enhancement in the means of implementation, particularly climate finance, technology transfer and capacity building. The agreement reached at Glasgow can be the baseline on which to build a more ambitious plan for climate action.

He also stressed need to develop a mechanism to leverage the available public money in order to access private sector investments into adaptation and mitigation projects.

He said to respond to current international threats, it is critical that the root causes of conflicts, are addressed and they include foreign occupation, external intervention, xenophobia, Islamophobia, racist and fascist ideologies and the propagation of hate, as well as poverty, inequality, and exploitation.

FM Bilawal said learning from the COVID-19 challenge; we should develop coordinated global response to health emergencies.