Islamabad, 4 October 2022 (TDI): Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Raja Pervez Ashraf met with diplomats of the African Bloc Pakistan to seek support from Africa for the global climate fund of the Interparliamentary Union (IPU) at Parliament House in Islamabad.
Agenda for the meeting
The purpose of the meeting was to gain the support of the IPU’s African Member Parliaments for the National Assembly’s proposal to establish a global climate fund via the adoption of a resolution at the 145th IPU Assembly. The 145th IPU Assembly will be held in Rwanda from October 11-15, 2022.
The resolution in addition to the establishment of a global climate fund would also call for climate justice. The fund would be created for impoverished nations to address climate-induced disasters.
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Raja Parvez Ashraf highlighted that climate change had wreaked havoc in Pakistan, and millions of people have lost their lives and means of subsistence.
During the meeting, he stated that climate justice required timely distribution of climate funding to underdeveloped nations.
He emphasized the importance of educating the world about the existential risks faced by developing nations in Asia and Africa.
The National Assembly has sent letters to all African parliaments requesting their support for Assembly’s plan stating that the fund will equally benefit Pakistan and African states.
Furthermore, he asked the diplomats to fulfill their responsibilities in the fight for climate justice.
Remarks by African Diplomats
African Diplomats supported the Speaker’s suggestion and promised him to forward the word to the respective country’s leadership for further action.
In addition, the diplomats emphasized how rapid climate change in Africa, manifested by increasing temperatures, drought, shifting rainfall patterns, and greater climate unpredictability was hampering human progress.
The meeting concluded with a consensus that climate change is a global challenge that requires worldwide efforts to solve.
Delegates from Egypt, Kenya, Mauritius, Morocco, Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Africa, Somalia, and Libya attended the meeting.
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