PRIME MINISTER Shehbaz Sharif and a delegation of senior ministers are scheduled to attend an important conference in Geneva early next week. Jointly hosted by the UN and Pakistan, the International Conference on Climate-Resilient Pakistan is a platform where this country will make its case to the international community for donations towards flood rehabilitation. Sadly, despite the continuing hardship of millions of displaced and affected citizens, the setting in of donor fatigue means that aid and support to vulnerable people, and a roadmap for long-term rehabilitation, remains out of reach. For an economy heavily dependent on agriculture, the floods have been a huge setback. Some estimates put the damage to infrastructure and the economy at $30bn. A World Bank assessment following the floods said the need for resilient rehabilitation and reconstruction would require $16.3bn, which doesn’t include new investments to support the country on its path of climate change adaptation and building overall resilience to climate shocks.

Though the devastation has been at a frightening scale and unprecedented, there is a lull in support from the international community. This conference is an opportunity for donor countries to make good on their pledges that climate change is a global problem, and not one that can be tackled alone. Pakistan is not on the list of the world’s highest emitters, but it is one of the most vulnerable countries when it comes to the impact of shifting climate patterns. At the conference, Mr Sharif will present a roadmap for future long-term partnerships titled the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Framework. While it is important for the international community to step up and support Pakistan given its economic vulnerability, it is also crucial for our policymakers to face some harsh truths. Pakistan’s trajectory when it comes to climate awareness has been poor in the past, with successive governments failing to tackle high deforestation, continuing their reliance on dirty fuel and ignoring air pollution. To make a compelling case for support, Pakistan’s political leaders must treat the climate crisis and its consequences as a national security issue. Any help and investment for building back must be sustained, despite the lack of political continuity. Pakistan’s perpetual political crises don’t inspire confidence about how these investments will be used, therefore our leaders must show the world they are committed to restructuring climate policy and creating plans that can withstand the partisanship that is so entrenched in our politics.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2023