SHARM EL-SHEIKH/ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman on Sunday, while representing G-77 plus China group statement at the concluding plenary of the international climate change conference termed the establishment of Loss and Damage Fund a landmark achievement and the international moot as an implementation conference by fulfilling the long-standing goal.
Addressing the 27th meeting of the conference of the parties (COP-27) concluding plenary, Senator Sherry Rehman said,”Mr President (SamehShoukry) you promised us an implementation COP and you delivered an implementation COP. Our all congratulations to you.”
The minister said the ultimate test of the COP was that it responded to the voices of the vulnerable.
“We have struggled for thirty years for this path and achieved it. This fund is clearly the down payment in our joined futures and investment in our coming generations. The establishment of Fund is not about dispensing charity but rather an investment in our joint future.”
She also commended the global partners especially the UN Secretary-General for responding to the flood victims of Pakistan in an overwhelming response as the cataclysmic floods impacted 33 million population and inflicted cumulative damages of $30 billion.
Senator Rehman said, “We (G77 plus China) are also encouraged by the decision of operationalizing of the Santiago Network on Loss and Damage.”
Through constructive engagement all parties were able to arrive at a consensus that puts the network on a firm institutional footing with an advisory board and a Secretariat with the host to be selected through a robust process, she added.
The minister as chair of G-77 plus China mentioned that the group looked forward to enhancing the catalyzation of technical assistance to all developing countries to equip themselves with knowledge and technology for better management of climate change.
While highlighting the observations of the Group on various significant observations, she said first, the Group regretted that for the new collective unified goal it could not get substantive guidance for 2023-24 but will get a workplan in the next moot.
Second, she said the Group noted the progress on the GGA framework program but the GGA substantive portions were not explained and elaborated on despite many partners’ requests.
Third, the group emphasized the work of KCI and KCI Report but it had concern over the lack of progress on the midterm review of the report. However, it looked forward to the KCI to help develop understanding of the response measures among the developing countries.
Fund a ‘major win’ for Pakistan, developing world: Bilawal
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday said that the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund and financial arrangements to address the issue of climate justice, was a “major win” for Pakistan and all of the developing world.
The foreign minister, in a statement, said, “In monumental achievement for climate justice & G77 led by Pakistan, the COP27 has successfully concluded with loss and damage as part of the agenda including a fund and financial arrangements to address this issue.”
He congratulated Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry for hosting a historic COP27.
The foreign minister said that having experienced first-hand scale and devastation of Pakistan floods, they traveled to the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for climate justice.
He recalled that the Group of 77, chaired by him at the UN, unanimously adopted Pakistan’s proposal to demand loss and damage be part of the COP27 agenda.
Bilawal Bhutto said that in Egypt too, Pakistan’s proposal as chair of G77 to include language ‘loss and damage fund’ on the agenda had achieved consensus.
Upon conclusion of negotiations, we have sustained that consensus and also included necessary language on fund and financial arrangement, he added.
The foreign minister also mentioned his interactions with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry both in Egypt and over the phone in which he appreciated the leadership on climate, requested support for G77, and demanded the inclusion of financial arrangements to tackle loss and damage which led to a compromise.
