ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States have agreed to form a joint working group to address challenges related to climate change, the Pakistani ministry of climate change said late Monday.
The statement comes after Special Assistant to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Climate Change, Malik Amin Aslam, met US Special Envoy for Climate John Kerry in London, where both were attending a Pre-COP26 Ministerial meeting from 25-26 July 2021.
The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th United Nations Climate Change conference, scheduled to be held in the city of Glasgow from October 31 to November 12, 2021 under the presidency of the United Kingdom.
Aslam thanked the United States government for reigniting its leadership role on climate change under the Biden administration, and assured that Pakistan believed in a low carbon development pathway and on nature-based solutions to climate change.
“On its part Pakistan is focussed on shifting 60 percent of its energy mix to clean energy by 2030 and for shifting 30 percent of its transport toward electric vehicles by 2030,” the PM’s aide said.
“It will be truly great working with Pakistan to support its green initiatives launched as a part of global climate action and restoration of degraded ecosystems and attainment of overall environmental sustainability and climate resilience,” the statement said, quoting Kerry.
Kerry also “assured Pakistan of full support from United States on climate change including providing access to best available technologies in renewable energy transition, technical support on climate smart agriculture and availability of climate finance.”
A German think tank, Germanwatch, in January this year described Pakistan as the eighth most vulnerable country to climate change, having witnessed 173 extreme weather events and suffered an estimated loss of $3.8 billion as a consequence between 2000 and 2019.
Pakistan, US to form joint working group to address climate change
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Pakistan, US to form joint working group to address climate change
- Pakistan plans to shift 60 percent energy mix to clean energy, 30 percent of transport toward electric vehicles by 2030
- Germanwatch in January described Pakistan as eighth most vulnerable country to climate change
Pakistan, China agree to step up counterterrorism coordination, hold regular security talks
- The interior ministers of both countries agree on quarterly working-group meetings, annual high-level talks
- Islamabad says Beijing expressed satisfaction over protection of Chinese citizens and projects in Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China agreed on Wednesday to institutionalize closer collaboration on counterterrorism and internal security, committing to regular meetings and expanded coordination amid efforts by both countries to safeguard Chinese nationals and projects amid persistent militant threats in the region.
The agreement was reached during talks between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart Wang Xiaohong at the headquarters of China’s Ministry of Public Security in Beijing, according to an official statement circulated in Islamabad.
China has raised concerns in the past over attacks targeting its citizens working on infrastructure and energy projects in Pakistan. Islamabad has stepped up security deployments and intelligence coordination in response, while Beijing has pushed for more structured and predictable security engagement.
“The two sides discussed joint counterterrorism measures, police training exchange programs and ways to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest,” Pakistan’s interior ministry said in a statement, adding that the two officials agreed to hold working-level meetings every three months and annual talks at the interior ministers’ level.
Wang expressed satisfaction over Pakistan’s steps to protect Chinese citizens and projects, the statement added, praising Pakistan’s counterterrorism measures and internal security initiatives.
China also acknowledged Pakistan’s sacrifices in its fight against militancy, according to the statement.
Naqvi and Wang stressed the need to further improve coordination mechanisms to enhance operational cooperation between the two countries’ security agencies.
His meeting with his Chinese counterpart lasted for over three years.
