Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met UN Secretary-General Antonio Guetteres on the sidelines of the COP-27 Summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt on Monday.

Appreciating the Secretary-General for his solidarity and massive support to Pakistan in the wake of the devastating floods in the country, the Prime Minister reiterated that the unprecedented flood disaster in Pakistan is a clear manifestation of the challenge posed by climate change.

He endorsed the Secretary-General's call for climate justice and climate solidarity.

The Prime Minister highlighted that Post Disaster Needs Assessment has estimated the damage caused by the floods in Pakistan to over 32 billion dollars which is around ten percent of the country's GDP, therefore rehabilitation of flood hit areas would require substantial international support for Pakistan.

Referring to the adoption of UN General Assembly resolution expressing solidarity with Pakistan in the wake of flash floods, the Prime Minister said Pakistan looks forward to convening an international 'pledging conference' bringing together all development partners.              

Shehbaz Sharif appreciated the creation of a UN inter agency team, led by the Deputy Secretary General, to help Pakistan prepare a comprehensive rehabilitation and reconstruction Plan to be presented to the Conference.

About the COP-27 summit, the Prime Minister said it is a timely opportunity for the international community to catalyse concerted international action to mitigate the impact of climate change, and promote climate justice.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for creating a UN inter-agency team to prepare a comprehensive reconstruction plan for the flood affected areas.

In a tweet on Monday, he said that during a meeting with the UN Secretary General, they reviewed the task of rehabilitation of the flood affected people in Pakistan.

Shehbaz Sharif said the UN secretary general's empathetic leadership is key to addressing climate change.