COP28 Summit: PM Kakar commends UAE’s $30 billion climate fund as historic

COP28 Summit: Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar – the Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan – has appreciated the UAE’s groundbreaking announcement of a 30 billion dollar fund, aimed at addressing the adverse impacts of climate change, particularly in the Global South.

According to the details, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar expressed his views during an exclusive interview. He underscored the significance of this bold and historic initiative and emphasized that Pakistan perceives climate change not only as a national security challenge but also as a collective global concern.

The Prime Minister emphasized the issue’s universality, adding that climate change poses a common threat to all states, regardless of size. He remarked on the dynamic aspect of climate change, observing how it affects locations all around the world. He described the climate fund proposal as promising and stated that it would be transformed into practical projects, with Pakistan positioned to be one of the fund’s beneficiaries. In a call to action, he asked vulnerable countries and big polluters to work together to define the terms of reference for dialogue, highlighting the importance of addressing the critical issue of climate change as a whole.

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The Prime Minister expressed optimism for continuing collaboration, highlighting the UAE and Pakistan’s long-standing and sustainable engagement, particularly in climate mitigation, adaptation, and finance. He stated that new investments are deliberately focused on addressing the social and economic components of climate change, building a long-term collaboration with mutual interests.

The Prime Minister noted that the recently signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the two countries represent the beginning of a new chapter of bilateral collaboration.  In the future decades, he hopes to see an increase in joint ventures with an emphasis on delivering practical and measurable results.

PM Kakar identified agriculture, food security, mining, information technology, and the industry and manufacturing sectors as viable topics for cooperative ventures. With 65% of Pakistan’s 14 million inhabitants under the age of 25, he underlined the youth-driven demographic advantage as a vital asset for joint endeavors.

The Prime Minister congratulated President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the UAE government on organizing an outstanding COP28 summit. According to Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, such incidents highlight the UAE’s moral, political, and societal obligation to address the grave issue of climate change.