he Santiago network was set up at COP 25 in December 2019 to play a crucial role in addressing climate change impacts in developing countries. The United Nations Projects Services and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction are coordinating and hosting the secretariat on this network in Geneva to technically assist these countries.

The network focuses on catalysing technical assistance from various organisations, bodies, networks and experts to support developing countries in averting, minimising, and addressing loss and damage caused by climate change.

At COP 28 when a Loss and Damage Fund was set up it was also linked to the Santiago network hosting UN organisations for technical assistance. At the COP 28, in Dubai, delegates agreed to formally establish a fund to support especially vulnerable countries dealing with the effects of climate change.

The network will operate in coordination with the Loss and Damage Fund – to deliver the necessary policy, finance and technical assistance for vulnerable developing countries to enhance their capacity to manage climate-related loss and damage.

Pakistan, facing serious climate change patterns including heat waves and floods, lacks a detailed study and research on this recurring situation. “A detailed study will benefit Pakistan to seek technical assistance to get more benefit from the loss and damage fund,” a senior official in the Climate Change Ministry says.

In 2022, Pakistan sought assistance from the world after the devastating floods. Pakistan doesn’t contribute much to carbon emissions but is significantly affected by climate change. The official says that Pakistan needs an effective strategy and technical assistance to create opportunities for it to benefit from the Loss and Damage Fund pledges.

At the previous COP the United Arab Emirates pledged $100 million for the Fund; Germany $100 million; European Union $245.39 million; Britain $51 million; the United States $17.5 million and Japan $10 million. Governments and the private sector were also encouraged to contribute to the fund.

Following the adoption of a UN General Assembly decision to formalise the implementation of the Santiago network, partner entities have agreed on the next step in getting the network up and running. This represents a major step towards enhancing capacities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage.

“A detailed study will benefit Pakistan to seek technical assistance to get more benefit from the loss and damage fund”.

The functions of the Santiago network include contributing to the effective implementation of the functions of the Warsaw International Mechanism and catalysing demand-driven technical assistance including of relevant organisations, bodies, networks and experts, for the implementation of relevant approaches to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change by assisting in identifying, prioritising and communicating technical assistance needs and priorities; identifying types of relevant technical assistance; actively connecting those seeking technical assistance with best suited organisations, bodies, networks and experts; accessing technical assistance available including from such organisations, bodies, networks and experts.

This also includes facilitating the consideration of a wide range of topics relevant to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage approaches; facilitating and catalysing collaboration, coordination, coherence and synergies to accelerate action by organisations, bodies, networks and experts, across communities of practices, and for them to deliver effective and efficient technical assistance to developing countries; facilitating the development, provision and dissemination of, and access to, knowledge and information on averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage, including comprehensive risk management approaches, at the regional, national and local level. Facilitating, through catalysing technical assistance, of organisations, bodies, networks and experts, access to action and support (finance, technology and capacity building) under and outside the Convention and the Paris Agreement, relevant to averting, minimising and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including urgent and timely responses to the impacts of climate change.

Pakistan was elected to the founding Board of the Loss and Damage Fund and four important committees of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: the Technology Executive Committee; the Paris Committee on Capacity-Building; the Advisory Board of the Santiago Network; and the Standing Committee on Finance. These committees are to address various aspects of climate change, including technology, innovation and finance, to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The writer is a staff member. He can be reached at vaqargillanigmail.com. He tweets at @waqargillani