Baku [Azerbaijan], November 13 : Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif called for USD 6.8 trillion in climate funding for developing nations by 2030 while speaking at a climate finance roundtable organised by Pakistan during the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) on Tuesday, The Express Tribune reported.
Sharif stressed that while these countries are facing significant climate challenges, they often lack the resources needed to address them. He urged developed countries to honour their commitments, which have largely gone unmet, and provide the necessary funding to help developing nations manage the impacts of climate change, The Express Tribune reported.
"We need urgent climate finance to tackle issues brought by environmental changes," Sharif said.
"Developing countries require USD 6.8 trillion in financing by 2030 to manage the impacts of climate change effectively," he added.
The Prime Minister also highlighted Pakistan's recent devastating floods, which have left the country struggling to rebuild, and called for developed nations to allocate resources in line with the UN climate framework.
Sharif pointed out that while a goal of USD 100 billion in annual climate finance was established in 2009, it is now critical to increase this target, given the growing global impacts of climate change, as reported by The Express Tribune.
Meanwhile, during his visit to the summit, PM Sharif participated at the "World Leaders' Climate Action Summit" and met with several world leaders at the COP29 opening plenary, including Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who welcomed him warmly, ARY News reported.
He engaged in informal discussions with leaders such as UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on bilateral climate cooperation and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, with whom he discussed ways to address climate change and environmental pollution internationally.
Sharif also met with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss strengthening Pakistan-UK relations and with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon to talk about protecting glaciers and water resources in both Pakistan and Central Asia, as well as enhancing regional connectivity, as reported by ARY News.
In addition, the Prime Minister spoke with Nepalese President Ram Chandra Poudel and Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus about the rising temperatures in South Asia, the risks posed by rising sea levels, and forest conservation, as well as bilateral relations.
Pakistan Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar, along with Romina Khurshid Alam, the Prime Minister's Coordinator on Climate Change, accompanied Sharif during his trip.