Pakistani PM in Riyadh to attend One Water Summit

Motorists drive alongside the Riyadh Metro tracks on a road in Riyadh on December 3, 2024. (AFP)

• 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 has left for Riyadh today, Tuesday, his office said, to attend the One Water Summit from Dec. 3-4, 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.
“The Prime Minister will address the summit on the restoration, protection and innovation of clean water resources,” Sharif’s office said about his expected keynote speech. “The Prime Minister will highlight the steps taken by Pakistan to protect water resources, prepare for climate change, improve drinking water quality, provide employment and protect aquatic life.”
Sharif will also use the platform to highlight the importance of international cooperation to overcome the impact of climate change on water resources and aquatic life due to floods, untimely changes in weather and rising temperatures.
“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.