Climate action becomes battle to save our present: Sherry Rehman

Minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman has said that Climate action has become a battle to save our present.

She was speaking at a high-level side event at the UNFCCC Pavilion titled ‘Gearing towards carbon neutrality in the Asia-Pacific Region’ in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

The Minister said that COP27 must help unlock private and public financing for adaptation and mitigation, which will need 125 trillion US Dollars to reach net-zero by 2050.

She recommended that COP27 should enable mechanisms that review mitigation, alongside how regions will cope with the onset of accelerated climate stress, leading to constant climate emergencies.

The Minister while appreciating the role of the UN Secretary General said that he is advancing the cause of Climate Justice along with the UNFCCC and it is time for developed countries to also acknowledge this call.

Source: Radio Pakistan

BISP so far disbursed over Rs67b among 2.682mln flood affected families

Benazir Income Support Programme has so far disbursed over 67 billion rupees among 2.682 million flood affected families under Prime Minister’s Cash Relief.

According to official sources, BISP is in process to complete the disbursement of 70 billion rupees among 2.7 million families.

Under the programme, financial assistance of twenty five thousand rupees is provided to each flood affected family in Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Gilgit Baltistan.

Source: Radio Pakistan

China to continue its fundamental policy of providing new opportunities to Pakistan: Envoy

China says its unique bond of mutual trust with Pakistan will further thrive as the close coordination between the two countries has gone beyond the bilateral level to the multilateral and international arena.

In an article, Chinese ambassador to Pakistan Nong Rong said both countries are heading to jointly promote the implementation of Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative to make global governance more just and equitable.

Alluding to the recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China, the ambassador wrote that the Chinese President vowed that China will continue its fundamental policy of providing new opportunities to Pakistan and the rest of the world through continuous development.

The Chinese ambassador said Shehbaz Sharif was the first head of government to visit China after the 20th National Congress of Communist Party of China and met Prescient Xi twice in less than two months which well demonstrates the matchlessness of Pak-China ties.

Nong Rong said the uniqueness of Pak-China iron-clad bond lies at the highest levels of strategic coordination and mutual trust as they support each other's core interests and their bilateral ties are cornerstone of their foreign policies.

He said that China views its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective and considers it as a priority in its neighbourhood diplomacy.

He mentioned how two countries helped each other in natural calamities and continuing their cooperation in defense, security and socio-economic development and prosperity.

Alluding to the flagship China Pakistan Economic Corridor project, Nong Rong said 47 projects under this corridor have already been started or completed while in the next phase the two countries are stepping up cooperation in industry, agriculture, health, science and technology sectors.

He said Pakistan's agricultural trade surplus with China reached 640 million dollars last year and is expected to exceed 4 billion dollars this year.

He said Pakistan's efforts to strengthen security guarantees for Chinese investors will further encourage Chinese investors to start businesses in Pakistan and unleash a broader potential for business cooperation.

Highlighting the close cooperation and trust between the armed forces of the two countries, the ambassador said the bilateral military and security cooperation will be further advanced in future.

About cultural ties, Nong Rong said 2023 will be Year of Tourism and Exchange, and the Gandhara Art Exhibition will be held in Beijing showcasing Pakistan's historical and cultural diversity.

He said China will continue to work closely with the Pakistani side to fully implement the outcomes of Prime Minister Shehbaz's visit by accelerating a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future and injecting a new impetus in their All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.

Source: Radio Pakistan

Pakistan abstains from voting on UNGA resolution on situation in Afghanistan

At the United Nations, Pakistan abstained from voting on a General Assembly resolution expressing deep concern over the volatility in Afghanistan since the 2021 takeover of Taliban.

The 193-member Assembly passed the resolution by vote of 116 in favour, none against and 10 abstentions.

Besides Pakistan, China, Russia, Belarus, Burundi, North Korea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe were the other which abstained.

Explaining his position on the resolution, Pakistan's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Aamir Khan said the resolution was unbalanced and in several respects, unrealistic.

He said it neither acknowledged the de-facto new government in Kabul nor delineated any process to promote normalization in Afghanistan through a process of engagement with the de-facto government.

The Pakistani envoy said there was also no commitment in the resolution to unfreeze Afghanistan’s national reserves, and to help Afghanistan in economic recovery beyond humanitarian assistance.

Source: Radio Pakistan