Pakistan to co-chair Geneva climate conference next week

ISLAMABAD

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will co-host together with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva on Jan. 9, Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

"The conference will serve as a platform to marshal international support for the people and government of Pakistan to build back better in a resilient manner after the recent devastating floods as the country transitions from the rescue-and-relief phase towards the monumental task of recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction," the ministry said in a statement.

Pakistan will present the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework (4RF) at the conference and seek international support and long-term partnerships for its implementation, it said.

The 4RF document outlines a prioritized and sequential plan defined at the federal and provincial levels and includes the financial mechanism and institutional arrangements for its execution in an open, transparent and collaborative manner.

The conference program will feature a high-level opening segment to be co-chaired by the prime minister and UN Secretary-General followed by the official launch of the 4RF document and partner support announcements.

Heads of state and government, ministers and high-level representatives from several countries and international financial institutions, foundations and funds as well as from international development organizations, the private sector, civil society and international non-governmental organizations are expected to participate in the conference, according to the statement.

Torrential rains and devastating floods have left a third of Pakistan under water aside from killing nearly 1,700 people since mid-June last year.

Over 33 million people, mainly in Sindh and Balochistan provinces, were affected by the biblical floods, with hundreds of thousands of homes, buildings, bridges, schools and roads washed away.

A post-disaster needs assessment conducted by the government and development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, estimated that total damage and losses are at more than $30 billion and recovery and reconstruction needs are at $16.3 billion.