Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif departed from Antalya for Pakistan on Thursday after attending the COP31 World Leaders’ Summit, concluding a three-day visit to Turkiye focused on climate action and Pakistan’s case for support for vulnerable countries.
Turkish Deputy Minister of Environment Hasan Suver saw off the prime minister at Antalya Airport, according to reports from the Turkish city.
Prime Minister Sharif arrived in Antalya on Tuesday for the Leaders’ Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties (COP31) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where he represented Pakistan alongside world leaders gathered in the Mediterranean city.
Pakistan’s call for climate finance
Addressing the summit, the prime minister called for grant-based climate financing for climate-vulnerable countries, urging the international community to turn solidarity into tangible action during climate disasters.
“When climate disasters strike, vulnerable countries need timely help and finance that does not deepen their debt,” he said, according to reports of his address.
He also called for a significant enhancement of resilience and adaptation funds for climate-vulnerable countries and struggling economies, underlining that developing nations cannot meet the cost of a crisis they did little to cause.
The prime minister recalled the devastating floods that struck Pakistan in 2022, submerging a third of the country and affecting around 33 million people. He noted that Pakistan was responsible for less than one per cent of global carbon emissions, yet faced some of the harshest consequences of climate change.
He also acknowledged Turkiye’s support during the floods, saying the country had stood shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan during the crisis.
During the summit, the prime minister also highlighted Pakistan’s rapid shift towards solar energy, pointing to the country’s growing use of clean energy as part of its response to climate change. He took part in a high-level dialogue on clean energy transition titled “35 by 35: Powering the Future”, where he pressed for greater international cooperation, affordable technology and climate financing to speed up the global clean energy transition.
Bilateral meetings on the sidelines
On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Sharif held important bilateral meetings with world leaders, including the Turkish leadership, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. He also attended a high-level roundtable convened by the COP31 presidency and joined fellow leaders for a group photograph before the formal proceedings began.
He was accompanied during the visit by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi and Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Sherry Rehman.
The Leaders’ Summit was held on 11 and 12 November as part of COP31, which continues in Antalya until 20 November, with governments under pressure to make progress on climate finance and the transition away from fossil fuels.
