Pakistan has renewed its call for fast, predictable and grant based climate financing for vulnerable developing countries, warning that recurring climate disasters are intensifying debt pressures and eroding hard won development gains. The appeal was issued during a high level side event titled Operationalising Loss and Damage at the Pakistan Pavilion during the COP30 summit in Belem, Brazil.
Climate Change Secretary Aisha Humera Moriani said Pakistan is investing heavily in national resilience despite contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions. She recalled the devastating floods of 2022 and 2025 which displaced millions of people, damaged critical infrastructure and caused multi billion dollar economic losses. She stressed that the increasing scale of such disasters highlights the unfair climate burden placed on nations that have played almost no role in global warming.
The session brought together representatives of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, government officials, development partners and climate experts to discuss ways to operationalise the international Loss and Damage mechanism. Panelists noted that repeated climate shocks have pushed several vulnerable economies into a debt emergency, forcing them to borrow for reconstruction when grant based support remains insufficient.
Experts warned that without new and additional concessional financing, support will remain short lived instead of transformative. They emphasised that children are bearing the greatest burden of climate stress with nearly half of Pakistan’s population under the age of eighteen. Repeated disasters are disrupting health, education, nutrition and mental wellbeing, creating long term risks for an entire generation.
Participants also highlighted the importance of implementing the Barbados Implementation Modalities which call for simplified access procedures, faster disbursement and flexible financial windows for countries with limited fiscal space. They underscored the need for financing mechanisms that also address slow onset impacts such as glacial melt, sea level rise and desertification. Moriani reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working closely with the United Nations and global partners to build an equitable climate recovery framework.
Climate Change Ministry spokesperson Muhammad Saleem Shaikh said the discussion placed strong focus on support for vulnerable groups, especially children and young people. He added that Pakistan plans to submit two proposals under the initial funding cycle of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to rebuild social infrastructure and strengthen resilience in agriculture, water resources and community systems. Calling Loss and Damage financing a matter of national survival, he urged developed nations to translate climate commitments into real financial delivery, asserting that Pakistan’s people cannot afford further delays.
