PM Shehbaz departs for Turkiye to attend COP31 summit

• PM to stress global measures to combat climate change: FO.
• Premier to hold bilateral meetings with Turkish leadership: FO.
• PM to attend roundtable convened by COP31 presidency: FO.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has departed for Turkiye to attend the Leaders' Summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the PM Office said on Tuesday.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Senator Sherry Rehman and PM's Adviser, Tariq Fatemi, are also accompanying the premier, the PMO said in a statement.

The prime minister, during his November 10-12 visit, is scheduled to address the Leaders' Summit on November 11 and call on the global community to take practical measures to combat climate change, the FO had said in an earlier statement.

According to the FO, PM Shehbaz will 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.

The prime minister will also call for predictable, adequate and accessible climate finance for developing countries to strengthen their resilience and pursue sustainable development, the FO said.

During the visit, PM Shehbaz will also attend a high-level roundtable convened by the presidency of the COP31 on the sidelines of the Leaders' Summit, and hold bilateral meetings with the Turkish leadership as well as several other world leaders.

"Prime Minister's participation in the COP31 Leaders' Summit is an expression of Pakistan's strong support for the climate agenda, and will provide Pakistan with an opportunity to reaffirm its commitment towards working closely with the international community to address the climate crisis," the FO said.

The COP31 climate talks kicked off Monday with an early fight over money as the UN's chief urged world leaders to "get serious" about tackling the crisis after a year of devastating weather extremes.

Antonio Guterres made his plea as thousands of participants descended on a sprawling expo centre in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya for the UN's annual two-week climate conference.

The summit comes after a year of punishing heatwaves in Europe, major wildfires in Indonesia and catastrophic floods in Nepal, with an exceptionally strong El Nino weather phenomenon fuelling more climate chaos.

Observers expect few major breakthroughs at COP31 as countries grapple with an oil price shock and geopolitical tensions fuelled by the US war with Iran and Russia's conflict in Ukraine.

— With additional input from AFP