ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called on the international community to provide rapid, grant-based, and predictable climate financing for vulnerable developing countries, warning that recurring extreme weather events are intensifying debt distress and stalling development in nations least responsible for global emissions.
The appeal was made at a high-level side event titled “Operationalising Loss and Damage: Financing Resilience and Recovery in Vulnerable Countries” held at the Pakistan Pavilion during the UN climate summit (COP30) in Belém, Brazil. The session was jointly organised by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination and UNICEF.
In her keynote address, Secretary Aisha Humera Moriani said Pakistan continues to make significant investments to enhance national climate resilience, despite contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. She recalled the catastrophic floods of 2022 and 2025, which displaced millions, destroyed vast infrastructure, and inflicted multi-billion-dollar economic losses.
“The scale and frequency of such disasters highlight the disproportionate climate burden on countries that played virtually no role in warming the planet,” she said.
The event brought together representatives of the newly established Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), government officials, development partners, and climate experts to discuss practical pathways for operationalising the global Loss and Damage framework.
Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Saleem Shaikh said the discussion emphasised support for the most vulnerable populations, particularly children and young people. He noted that non-economic impacts—including trauma, cultural disruption, displacement, and community fragmentation—remain largely overlooked in global climate policies.
Shaikh added that Pakistan is preparing to submit two proposals under the FRLD’s initial funding cycle, focused on rebuilding critical social infrastructure and boosting resilience in priority sectors such as agriculture, water resources, and community systems. While Pakistan continues to mobilise domestic resources, he stressed that the magnitude of climate-induced loss far exceeds national capacity, reinforcing the urgency of international grant-based finance.
