https://arab.news/puvhb
- Summit is a joint initiative of Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan and the World Bank
- Sharif expected to hold bilateral meetings and engagements on forum’s sidelines
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will leave for Riyadh tomorrow, Tuesday, to attend the One Water Summit from Dec. 3-4, the premier’s office said in a statement on Monday.
A joint initiative of Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan and the World Bank, the summit aims for high-level political commitments to promote global cooperation and a coherent international approach toward water resource management.
“At the Summit, the Prime Minister will deliver a keynote address at a roundtable focusing on restoration, preservation, and adaptation in the context of fresh water resources and wetlands,” Sharif’s office said.
“He will also highlight steps being taken by Pakistan to promote water conservation, strengthen climate resilience, improve water quality, create livelihoods, and conserve biodiversity.
“The prime minister will underline the importance of international cooperation to tackle the impact of climate-induced floods, erratic and extreme weather patterns, and heat stress on water resources and ecosystems. He will also call for meaningful international collaboration for sustainable water resource management.”
Sharif is also expected to hold bilateral meetings and engagements on the forum’s sidelines.
The summit is being held on the margins of the next high-level session of the sixteenth session of COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It aims to contribute to ongoing United Nations discussions and processes to enhance global water governance, accelerate action on SDG6 on water and sanitation, and build on the momentum of the UN Water Conference in 2023.
The forum will also act as an incubator for solutions in preparation for the next UN Water Conference in 2026, and integrate its agenda into the other existing water processes and initiatives such as the World Water Forum, the Dushanbe Conference and the World Water Week.
“The One Water Summit’s ambition is to scale-up projects by stimulating partnerships between states, international organizations, local authorities, development and private banks, businesses, philanthropies, scientific experts, NGOs and civil society, in line with previous One Planet Summits,” the forum’s website said.