Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Attend One Water Summit in Saudi Arabia
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Islamabad, December 3 (NationPress) Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan is set to make an official trip to Saudi Arabia on December 3-4 to engage in the One Water Summit, according to information from the Foreign Ministry.
The summit, a collaborative effort involving Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan, and the World Bank, aims to foster international collaboration and a unified approach to managing water resources through high-level political commitments, as indicated in a statement from the Foreign Ministry on Monday.
During the summit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at a roundtable focusing on the themes of restoration, preservation, and adaptation regarding freshwater resources and wetlands, as mentioned in the statement.
Furthermore, he will emphasize the initiatives being undertaken by Pakistan to enhance water conservation, bolster climate resilience, improve water quality, generate livelihoods, and protect biodiversity, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Pakistan will also stress the significance of global cooperation in addressing the challenges posed by climate-induced floods, unpredictable and extreme weather patterns, and heat stress on water resources and ecosystems, advocating for impactful international collaboration for sustainable water resource management.
Additionally, Sharif is anticipated to engage in bilateral meetings and discussions on the sidelines of the summit.
This summit is being conducted in conjunction with the upcoming high-level session of the 16th session of COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It aims to contribute to ongoing United Nations dialogues and initiatives to improve global water governance, accelerate progress on SDG6 concerning water and sanitation, and build upon the momentum generated by the UN Water Conference in 2023.
The forum will also serve as a platform for developing solutions in anticipation of the next UN Water Conference in 2026 and will integrate its agenda with existing water processes and initiatives such as the World Water Forum, the Dushanbe Conference, and World Water Week.
The One Water Summit aspires to expand projects by fostering partnerships among nations, international organizations, local authorities, development and private banks, businesses, philanthropic entities, scientific experts, NGOs, and civil society, in alignment with prior One Planet Summits, as outlined on the forum's website.
