LAHORE, Nov 12 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met with Valerie Hickey, Global Director of the World Bank’s Climate Change Group, on the sidelines of the COP-30 Conference in Belem, Brazil. The meeting centered on enhancing collaboration for environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and green growth initiatives in Punjab, said a handout issued here on Wednesday. Valerie Hickey commended Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s environmental vision and described her as …
CM meets World Bank Global Director at COP-30 conference in Brazil
LAHORE, Nov 12 (APP):Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif met with Valerie Hickey, Global Director of the World Bank’s Climate Change Group, on the sidelines of the COP-30 Conference in Belem, Brazil.
The meeting centered on enhancing collaboration for environmental sustainability, climate resilience, and green growth initiatives in Punjab, said a handout issued here on Wednesday.
Valerie Hickey commended Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s environmental vision and described her as a “Climate Change Warrior” and “Climate Leader.” She appreciated Punjab’s initiatives for improving air quality, clean energy transition, and natural resource conservation, offering full support from the World Bank to strengthen these efforts.
The World Bank extended an invitation to Punjab government to participate in the Global Carbon Market and expressed readiness to assist in projects related to Clean Punjab, Air Quality Index (AQI) enhancement, transport, forestry, and wildlife conservation.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif invited Ms. Hickey to visit Punjab, which she graciously accepted.
Ms. Hickey also praised the Chief Minister’s address at COP-30, highlighting three excerpts that deeply impressed her, “COP-30 Conference should be remembered not as a gathering of words but as a pledge of purpose and commitment,” “The Global South has emerged not as a voice of protest, but as a voice of purpose,” and “Environmental sustainability is not charity, it is justice.”
She remarked, “Maryam Nawaz Sharif has emerged as a Climate Change Warrior from South Asia. As a woman Chief Minister, she embodies determination, creativity, and courage in addressing climate challenges.”
CM Maryam Nawaz thanked Ms. Hickey for her appreciation and reaffirmed her resolve to make Punjab a model of environmental excellence globally.
Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Provincial Ministers Rana Sikandar Hayat and Zeeshan Rafique, Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman, Chairman P&D Naeem Rauf, and DG EPA Imran Hamid were present.
