Bilawal says Pakistan prioritises to meet serious economic challenges
NEW YORK
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has called for a united action to tackle the challenge of food security posed by Covid, climate change and conflicts.
Addressing the Global Food Security Call to Action Ministerial Meeting in New York on Thursday, the foreign minister said that recent geopolitical developments have aggravated the already difficult situation of food security.
The foreign minister said that Pakistan possesses the potential not only to meet its own food security needs but it can also play its part to feed the people of the region and world. He regretted that Pakistan remained unable to unlock its own agricultural and economic potential. Zardari said that Pakistan is facing existential threat of climate change, Covid pandemic and poverty. He said this situation has made Pakistan insecure in food, water and energy.
He said that Pakistan is playing a leadership role in advocating for humanitarian aid to people of Afghanistan. He said that Pakistan has provided humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and Ukraine. He said hunger has no nationality, poverty does not care for the colour of our skin and climate catastrophe does not recognize ethnicity.
Highlighting the intensity of the climate crisis, the foreign minister said that climate change has an ever-increasing direct threat to food security. He said Pakistan is facing an acute water shortage and the entire country is currently suffering from drought. He said that Pakistan’s agriculture and food security is at risk. He said the roadmap for global food security called to action is important and impressive and it will go a long way to address the imminent crisis.
Separately, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari told a gathering of ambassadors from friendly countries on Wednesday night that Pakistan’s new government’s immediate priority is to address the country’s serious economic challenges.
Speaking at a dinner hosted by Ambassador Munir Akram, he said that Pakistan hopes to meet those challenges through strengthening cooperation with all development partners and fraternal Islamic countries. Among those attending the dinner were ambassadors from Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Iran, Oman, Italy, Malta, Ecuador, Egypt, Indonesia, UAE, and Kuwait.
In his remarks, the foreign minister also outlined Pakistan’s foreign policy priorities on a wide range of global and regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Security Council reform, the Covid-19 pandemic, the related economic downturn, climate change, price inflation and food security.
The FM said that Pakistan looks forward to working closely with all friends and partners, including OIC countries, members of the Security Council, European Union, United States, China, and others on all issues of mutual concern.
