PM urges climate grants instead of more debt for vulnerable nations at COP31
Addressing the Antalya summit, the prime minister seeks increased adaptation funding, highlights Pakistan’s clean-energy ambitions and warns against putting downstream communities’ water security at risk.
ANTALYA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged world leaders to provide grant-based climate finance to vulnerable countries, warning that assistance must help them withstand increasingly destructive disasters without adding to their debt burden.
Delivering Pakistan’s national statement at the COP31 Leaders Summit in Antalya on Thursday, November 12, the prime minister called for a substantial increase in resilience and adaptation funding, describing it as essential to the survival of struggling economies.
His appeal placed the financial pressures facing disaster-hit countries at the centre of Pakistan’s message, stressing that domestic efforts alone could not substitute for a fair international response.
He called for grant-based financing alongside public-private partnerships and urged the international community to provide timely support when disasters strike. The address set out Pakistan’s demands rather than announcing a new funding allocation.
Pakistan’s Flood Experience Shapes Appeal
Recalling the 2022 floods, Shehbaz said the disaster had affected 33 million people, claimed more than 1,700 lives and submerged large parts of Pakistan.
An international post-disaster assessment led by Pakistan’s government estimated physical damage at more than $14.9 billion and economic losses at approximately $15.2 billion — a combined total exceeding $30 billion. Rehabilitation and resilient reconstruction needs were estimated at at least $16.3 billion.
The prime minister also recounted a tragedy from the August 2025 flash floods in Buner involving a young man whose wedding was only two days away when floodwaters struck his village.
According to the supplied APP dispatch, he described the incident as an illustration of the losses suffered by communities that had contributed little to climate change but faced some of its harshest consequences.
Referring to his warning at the United Nations four years earlier that Pakistan’s experience would not remain confined to its borders, Shehbaz urged a collective response.
“Climate change knows no borders. No nation can face it alone. Solidarity must mean action,” he said.
Solar Expansion and Emissions Target Highlighted
Setting out Pakistan’s energy transition efforts, the prime minister said the country had added more than 20 gigawatts of distributed solar capacity in two years.
He also stated that clean sources accounted for nearly 55 per cent of Pakistan’s energy mix. The figure was presented as a claim made in his address; the supplied dispatch did not specify its measurement period or whether it referred to electricity generation rather than total energy consumption.
Shehbaz highlighted the Chashma-5 Nuclear Power Plant, saying he had witnessed its dome placement before travelling to Antalya. Once commissioned, the project would add 1,200 megawatts of electricity capacity, he said.
He also pointed to efforts to expand electric mobility and a target of reducing projected emissions by up to 50 per cent by 2035. The target concerns projected emissions, rather than necessarily representing a halving of current emissions.
Water Security Forms Part of Pakistan’s Message
The prime minister said water must never be weaponised and argued that no country should be permitted to endanger the lives and livelihoods of downstream populations.
He urged respect for water-sharing agreements in both letter and spirit, linking reliable access to water with the protection of vulnerable communities.
Shehbaz thanked Türkiye, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, First Lady Emine Erdogan and the Turkish people for supporting Pakistan during the floods of 2010 and 2022.
He also acknowledged Türkiye’s role as host and Australia’s role in leading negotiations. According to the UN climate secretariat, COP31 runs from November 9 to 20 in Antalya under the Türkiye-Australia partnership arrangements.
Concluding his address, the prime minister urged leaders to judge the summit by practical results — assistance delivered, families protected and sustained action — rather than the number of promises made.
