GGGI offers support to help Pakistan access climate finance

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik met Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) Country Representative Laura Jalosjoki to discuss climate financing and strategic planning, according to an official statement issued on Monday.

During the meeting, Jalosjoki briefed the minister on the ways in which GGGI could assist Pakistan in developing institutional and financial mechanisms needed to access climate finance. She also outlined the organisation’s international experience in helping countries connect sustainable development goals with economic growth.

The two sides also reviewed the Pakistan Country Programme 2024-2028 and discussed a set of priority areas identified under it. These included private sector engagement for climate finance, agriculture value chains, AI-enabled monitoring systems, and startup ecosystems.

Programme areas discussed

The meeting further took up the Global Clean Hydrogen Programme, which is currently under consideration in Pakistan. According to the statement, the initiative is intended to support Pakistan’s transition towards net-zero emissions by building capacity related to hydrogen.

The programme is already operational in nine countries and is estimated to cut around 2.3 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Malik said policy design should reflect domestic conditions and practical requirements. He emphasised that all policies must be grounded in Pakistan’s realities and stressed the need for locally relevant solutions that are practical and aligned with national development needs.

The discussion focused on how international support and planning frameworks could be tailored to Pakistan’s climate and development priorities. The statement said the engagement covered both financing access and broader strategic planning linked to climate-related initiatives.

Jalosjoki’s briefing highlighted GGGI’s role in supporting countries as they build systems that can help unlock climate funding while also advancing development objectives. The review of the country programme and the hydrogen initiative formed part of the broader exchange on possible areas of cooperation between Pakistan and the institute.

The official statement did not indicate any further decisions beyond the discussions held during the meeting, but it outlined the areas examined by both sides as Pakistan looks at climate finance, private sector participation, agriculture-linked interventions, technology-based monitoring, and clean energy transition measures.