COP30: Pakistan calls for grant-based climate finance for vulnerable nations

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan called on the international community on Sunday to ensure quick, grant-based and predictable financing for climate-vulnerable developing countries, Secretary for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Aisha Humera Moriani said.

Moriani spoke at a high-level side event titled "Operationalizing Loss and Damage: Financing Resilience and Recovery in Vulnerable Countries," warning that repeated extreme weather events were deepening debt distress and slowing development progress in nations least responsible for global emissions.

She stated that Pakistan was investing heavily in strengthening national climate resilience despite contributing less than 1% to global greenhouse gas emissions.

The devastating floods of 2022 and 2025 displaced millions, destroyed large-scale infrastructure, and caused multi-billion-dollar economic losses. 

"The scale and frequency of such disasters in developing countries underscore the disproportionate climate burden placed on nations that played almost no role in heating the planet," she said.

The Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Ministry and UNICEF organized the event at the Pakistan Pavilion during the UN climate summit. 

Representatives of the newly created Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage, government officials, development partners, and experts attended the event.

They discussed practical steps for operationalizing the global Loss and Damage architecture.

Panel speakers noted that repeated climate shocks had pushed many vulnerable economies into what they described as a "debt emergency." Countries are forced to borrow for recovery and reconstruction in the absence of adequate grant-based support.

New, additional, and concessional financing is essential if Loss and Damage assistance is to be transformative rather than short-term, they argued.

Speakers noted how the children bore the heaviest share of the crisis. Pakistan has nearly half of its population below the age of 18. 

Moriani warned that recurring disasters were undermining nutrition, health, schooling, and mental wellbeing. "Climate disasters are not only destroying infrastructure, they are also robbing a generation of its right to safety and opportunity," she said.

Speakers stated that the Barbados Implementation Modalities must be prioritized to ensure timely and equitable financing for countries with limited fiscal room. This includes simplified application procedures, faster disbursement mechanisms, and flexible financial windows.

They called for mechanisms that could respond effectively to slow-onset threats such as glacial melt, sea level rise, and desertification, in addition to sudden disasters.

The Spokesperson for the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Saleem Shaikh, said a major focus of the discussion was directing support toward the most vulnerable segments, particularly children and young people. He stated how non-economic losses, mainly trauma, cultural disruption, displacement, and the breakdown of community structure, remained under-addressed in global policy frameworks.

He said that Pakistan was ready to submit two proposals under the FRLD's initial funding cycle. The proposals aim at the reconstruction of critical social infrastructure and strengthening resilience in key sectors, including agriculture, community systems, and water resources.

He noted how, while Pakistan continued to mobilize domestic resources, the scale of loss far outstripped national capacity.

The country’s climate ministry called the Loss and Damage finance a matter of national survival rather than an environmental concern. Pakistan asked for adherence to the principles of climate justice and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

"Climate justice demands immediate access. Our people cannot wait," the ministerial statement said. It called on developed economies and multilateral institutions to move from political commitments to on-ground financial delivery.

Moriani stated that Pakistan was committed to working with the UN, international partners, and climate finance bodies to create a fair global framework for climate recovery. The aim is to ensure that vulnerable states receive the resources needed to recover, rebuild, and thrive in a world experiencing accelerating climate impacts.

"Climate justice demands immediate access. Our people cannot wait," she said. The secretary called on international partners to translate political commitments into concrete financial support for the most vulnerable.