Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged grant-based financing for countries affected by climate change, while also warning against "weaponizing water."
"National effort cannot replace a fair and just global response when climate disaster strikes. Vulnerable countries need timely help and finance that does not deepen their debt. We call for grant-based finance, including public-private partnership, alongside significant enhancement of resilience and adaptation funds, which amount to survival funds, especially for struggling economies," he told the COP31 summit in the Turkish city of Antalya.
He said that water "must never be weaponized" and that no nation should be allowed to put the lives and livelihoods of people downstream at risk.
"Water sharing agreements must be honored," he said.
His remarks came after India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and stopped sharing water data with Pakistan last year following an attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people.
The South Asian nation has suffered several severe floods in recent years, resulting in loss of life and damage worth billions of dollars.
Sharif said that devastating flash floods in 2022 submerged one-third of Pakistan and affected 33 million people.
