PM Shehbaz to join other world leaders at COP31 today, will outline Pakistan’s climate priorities

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Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is attending the COP31 leaders’ summit in Antalya, where he plans to call for stronger climate action and predictable climate finance for developing countries. He is also expected to highlight Pakistan’s solar and renewable-energy expansion, disaster preparedness, and early-warning systems, and hold bilateral talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to highlight Pakistan’s climate priorities at the COP31 Antalya Leaders’ Summit in Turkiye today, with other world leaders joining him in setting out their climate priorities. Delegates from nearly 200 countries are meeting in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya as global greenhouse gas emissions show little sign of falling and wars, inflation and other crises compete for political attention. The world leaders will begin their speeches in the afternoon and continue through the day on Thursday, according to the COP31 schedule. Wednesday’s speakers are also expected to include Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was re-elected at the end of ​October, and whose country hosted last year’s climate talks. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng, and Marshall Islands ​President Hilda Heine will also speak on Wednesday. The United States, the world’s largest historical emitter, has skipped the talks for the second year in a ‌row after ⁠President Donald Trump — who has called global warming a hoax — withdrew the US from climate cooperation following his return to office in 2025. For his part, PM Shehbaz will highlight Pakistan’s climate priorities and emphasise the urgent need for enhanced global climate action and strengthened international cooperation to mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said following the premier’s arrival in Turkiye on Tuesday night. The Foreign Office (FO) has said the prime minister will also highlight “Pakistan’s steps towards rapid solarisation and expansion of its renewable energy capacity, as part of its transition towards a cleaner and more resilient economy, along with its efforts to strengthen disaster preparedness and early-warning systems”. He will call for predictable, adequate and accessible climate finance for developing countries to strengthen their resilience and pursue sustainable development, it added. PM Shehbaz will also address a high-level dialogue on clean energy transition and electrification convened by the COP31 presidency, titled “35 by 35: Powering the Future” and scheduled for 3pm local time. On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other world leaders attending COP31 to discuss matters of mutual interest and explore avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation. According to PMO, a “Pakistan Pavilion” has been established at the COP31 venue where 54 events will be hosted on various themes. ‘Difficult start’ Ahead of the conference, negotiators had been locked in discussions late on Sunday over demands by developing nations to include items on climate finance in the official agenda. “This has already been a difficult start for COP31,” said Jasper Inventor, head of Greenpeace’s COP31 delegation. Under UN climate agreements, developed countries, which are historically responsible for most greenhouse gas emissions, have provided financial support to help developing nations adapt to climate impacts and transition to cleaner energy. But poorer countries say the sums remain insufficient. Inventor said developed countries were “taking a hard line” over whether to include a platform, agreed at COP30 in Brazil last year, aimed at discussing how wealthy nations should provide funds to developing nations. African countries are also pushing for the agenda to include discussions on the tripling of adaptation finance, which aims to help poorer nations pay for measures such as building sea walls or planting drought-resistant crops. Observers say few major breakthroughs are expected at COP31 as countries grapple with an oil price shock and geopolitical tensions fuelled by the US war on Iran and Russia’s conflict in Ukraine. As negotiators tussled in Antalya, the UN’s World Meteorological Organisation released a report indicating that 2026 has continued a streak of exceptional global temperatures, melting ice and rising sea levels. The EU’s climate monitor warned last week that 2026 would most likely be the second-hottest year ever recorded, while scientists say 2027 could top the chart, fuelled by El Nino.