On Thursday, Pakistan and South Korea virtually held the first round of the Korea-Pakistan director-general-level consultation on climate change and science. The meeting was led by South Korean Director-General for Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Scientific Affairs Chung Keeyong in collaboration with Pakistani Director-General of the United Nations Division Usman Iqbal Jadoon and Director General of the Arms Control and Disarmament Division Mohammad Kamran Akhtar, who represented the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Also in attendance were Pakistani Ambassador to South Korea Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, Korean Ambassador to Pakistan Suh Sang-pyo as well as Pakistani Director-General for Environment and Climate Change Irfan Tariq.
In the meeting, both sides exchanged views on the implementation of the Paris Agreement, “negotiations on climate change, and policies on science diplomacy”. In this regard, the two agreed on the “significance of green recovery” as a necessity to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed responses to climate change. The two also shared progress made towards the Conference of Parties (COP-26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which will be held in Scotland in November this year.
Moreover, Seoul also shared the Korean government’s strategies for implementing policies related to carbon neutrality, which includes the Green New Deal. The Korean representatives also spoke about the progress that has been made in the preparation for the 2nd Partnering for Green Growth and Global Goals 2030 (P4G) Summit, which will be held in Seoul in May this year. The event will bring together government, business, civil society and academic leaders and strive to “advance sustainable growth through innovative partnerships”. Further, Korean officials highlighted the importance of the international community’s solidarity in tackling the shared problem of climate change.
In response, The Pakistani delegation mentioned that as “a country vulnerable to climate change”, it is striving to achieve “a balanced approach to greenhouse gas reductions, adaptation and climate finance”. It also highlighted key initiatives that it was achieving this through, which include the ‘Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project’, Alternate and Renewable Energy Policy, and Electric Vehicle Policy, among others. Islamabad further stressed that climate change negotiations must be “guided by the principles of Equity” and “common but differentiated responsibilities”. In this regard, it expressed hope to coordinate closely with South Korea with respect to climate change.
The countries also took note of the progress made other areas of cooperation since the signing of the “Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan regarding Scientific and Technical Cooperation” in 1985 and concluded by agreeing to hold the consultation “on a regular basis as necessary”.
Ties between the two Asian countries have been periodically strengthened since the 1980s. Earlier this month, the two held the third round of Joint Trade Committee (JTC) wherein both delegations emphasised the need to expand the bilateral trade and investment linkages and agreed to work towards “extending the validity” of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Trade and Investment Cooperation, which was signed between the Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan and Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Furthermore, last February, Pakistani President Dr Arif Alvi underscored the importance of strengthening bilateral relations with South Korea in diverse sectors, including trade and economy. The recent meeting is an effort to further this goal.
South Korea and Pakistan Hold Consultation on Climate Change and Science
In a director-level meet, Pakistan and South Korea agreed on the importance of green recovery to overcome the COVID-19 crisis and discussed responses to climate change.
January 29, 2021
SOURCE: TECH JUICE