ANTALYA – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told world leaders at the COP31 climate summit that tackling climate change requires concrete action rather than pledges, and that climate damage knows no borders.
Addressing the high-level segment in Antalya, the prime minister noted that Pakistan is responsible for less than one percent of global carbon emissions, yet remains among the countries worst affected by climate change.
He recalled the 2022 floods, when one-third of Pakistan was submerged and 33 million people were affected. He said Türkiye stood shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan throughout the catastrophe.
The prime minister said Pakistan is committed to environmentally friendly measures, and that meeting the climate challenge will require practical steps at the global level.
Climate finance and renewables
Ahead of the speech, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said Sharif would urge world leaders to increase climate financing for developing countries. He was also expected to stress the need for stable, adequate and easily accessible international financial assistance, and to highlight Pakistan’s efforts to accelerate solarisation and expand renewable energy capacity.
Pakistan has pressed this line before. At COP29 in 2024, Sharif said climate finance must be grant-based and not add to the debt burden of vulnerable developing countries. Pakistan’s earlier climate diplomacy also helped lead to the Loss and Damage Fund at COP27.
Arrival and sideline meetings
The prime minister left for Antalya on Tuesday for a two-day visit. On arrival at the summit venue, he was welcomed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.
On Wednesday, Sharif met several international leaders on the sidelines, including senior representatives from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, Palestine and Syria. He also met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
About COP31
COP31 is being held in Antalya from 9 to 20 November, with the leaders’ meeting scheduled for 11 and 12 November. Negotiations began on Monday, and climate financing has emerged as an early point of contention between developed and developing nations.