ISLAMABAD: Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Senator Sherry Rehman held bilateral meeting with delegation from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), led by Federal Minister Svenja Schulze at sidelines of Petersberg Climate Dialogue happening in Berlin, Germany.

During meeting, two sides engaged in discussions aimed at exploring and enhancing bilateral cooperation between two countries on climate adaptation and mitigation measures, news release said.

Focus of meeting was on three main areas, better protection against flooding, enhancing Pakistan’s renewable energy infrastructure, and expanding social safety support programmes to assist vulnerable communities facing climate shocks.

Minister Schulze pledged that Germany would provide Pakistan with € 120 million in assistance to support these initiatives. Minister Rehman expressed her gratitude to Germany for supporting Pakistan through Climate Energy initiative. This initiative has supported range of activities, including climate risk assessments, sub-national climate risk profiling, mainstreaming climate education into higher education, and capacity building for finance mobilisation.

Minister Rehman recognised Germany’s contribution to these initiatives as being critical in enabling Pakistan to adapt to impacts of climate change and build more resilient future.

Minister Schulze emphasised importance of continuing to mobilise resources for preventive and corrective measures, as well as improving Pakistan’s capacity for climate mitigation and adaptation.

She highlighted that while technical solutions were critical for mitigating climate change, it was equally important to prepare societies to better cope with extreme weather in future by incorporating social solutions into system.

Minister Schulze reaffirmed Germany’s commitment to supporting Pakistan in these efforts and expressed optimism about progress that can be made through continued cooperation between two countries. Ministers also explored opportunities for collaboration under umbrella of Global Shield against Climate Risks initiative.

Published in The Daily National Courier, May, 04 2023

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