- Advertisement -
ISLAMABAD, Jan 16 (APP):Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry on Friday informed the Senate that more than 80 percent of international pledges made during the 2022 floods were in the form of soft loans rather than grants.
Replying to questions during the Question Hour, the minister said Pakistan ultimately received less than 50 percent of the total pledged amount, with most commitments tied to conditions and staggered disbursement frameworks.
The government under the direction of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif decided that the losses caused by the recent natural disasters would be covered domestically, he said.
He said the federal and Punjab governments compensated the affected families from national resources.
The minister said that Pakistan had entered into 16 international climate-related agreements since 1990. These arrangements covered global commitments on climate adaptation, mitigation, environmental protection and resilience-building, he said.
Regarding international funding mechanisms, he said Pakistan currently engaged with three major programmes including Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), and adaptation Fund Projects.
Responding to another question, he said that climate change was a global crisis requiring global attention and Pakistan would continue to highlight its vulnerabilities on every diplomatic forum.
Regarding Pakistan’s glaciers, he said scientific data indicated that the country was already witnessing the effects of climate change, with a 23% reduction in annual snowfall in glaciated regions due to rising global temperatures and changing weather patterns.
He said indicators showed that around 3% glacial degradation had already been recorded, which was alarming and required long-term, science-based adaptation planning.
“Climate change is a severe and escalating threat. We should focus on practical measures rather than debating its existence. The signs are clear, and the impacts are already visible,” he said.