Caretaker PM to visit three countries next month

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has been invited by the Kenyan government for the Africa Climate Summit (ACS), which will take place from 4-6 September.

Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will represent Pakistan and meet about a dozen world leaders on the sidelines of the summit, including United Nations Secretary General (UNSG) Antonio Guterres, former US Secretary of State John Kerry, special presidential envoy for climate, and a few other leaders.

Caretaker federal ministers Ahmad Irfan Aslam, Jaleel Abbas Jilani, Murtaza Solangi, Sami Saeed and Foreign Secretary Dr Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi will be part of the entourage of the prime minister. It is likely Prime Minister Kakar would undertake a brief visit to Saudi Arabia before going to Nairobi. He will visit the United States to attend the UN General Assembly summit in New York from September 18 to 22.

Well-placed diplomatic sources told The News here Wednesday that during the ACS, African leaders will be called upon making ambitious pledges and commitments towards the adoption of a “Pledging and Commitment Framework.” The ACS is to be held under the theme “Driving Green Growth and Climate Finance Solutions for Africa and the World”.

The inaugural Africa Climate Summit is organised by the African Union Commission in collaboration with Kenya.

The sources said that the summit would be a pathway to a new global financial deal that includes “at scale” and fit-for-purpose financing instruments/products to serve specific growth goals. The summit will be attended by African heads of state and government, global leaders, development partners, civil society organisations, researchers, academia and relevant stakeholders, among others.