PM Shehbaz Sharif to highlight climate catastrophe at UNGA session

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will highlight the climate-induced catastrophic floods in the country at 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York from 19th-23rd September, ARY News reported on Sunday.

In a statement, Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said the Prime Minister will be accompanied by the Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, other members of the Cabinet and senior officials.

PM Shehbaz Sharif will address the UN General Assembly on 23rd September in which he will focus on the challenge faced by Pakistan in wake of the recent climate-induced catastrophic floods in the country.

The Prime Minister will outline concrete proposals for collectively tackling the existential threat posed by climate change. He will also share Pakistan’s position and perspective on regional and global issues of concern including Jammu and Kashmir, which is one of the long-standing unresolved disputes on the UN agenda.

On the sidelines of the UNGA session, the Prime Minister will participate in the Global Food Security Summit jointly organised by the African Union, European Union and the United States, and a Closed-door Leaders Gathering on COP-27 bringing together select world leaders to discuss climate change.

PM Shehbaz Sharif will hold a number of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from various countries, President of the General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General as well as heads of International Organisations, IFIs and philanthropic organisations.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will also have an extensive program attending various high-level meetings and events, bilateral meetings with a number of his counterparts, media and think-tank interactions, besides chairing G-77 and China Annual Meeting of Foreign Ministers, OIC Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers, and participation in the meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.

Earlier on September 16, the Prime Minister concluded his two-day visit to Samarkand on a ‘satisfactory note’ where he attended the Council of Heads of State (CHS) meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Taking to Twitter from his personal handle, PM Shehbaz Sharif while announcing the conclusion of the visit said that he was leaving Samarkand on a satisfactory note.

“There is now a renewed awareness about the potent threat of climate change,” he said as the country suffers from devastating floods which have not only resulted in loss of lives and infrastructure but also caused damage to multiple crops.