Inam Haider Malik: Time to fulfill promises made at COP27, COP28

The COP29 climate conference, the largest event dedicated to global issues of climate, ecology and environmental protection, is concluding its work in Baku. Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik, chairman of Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority, told Report about the current global situation regarding climate change, international cooperation on this issue, and the main challenges in fighting climate change.

How do you assess the current situation with global natural disasters and efforts to prevent them?

In Pakistan, we view natural disaster management as a global issue that extends beyond a single region. A natural disaster occurring in one country is often connected to global processes such as temperature rise, glacier melting, and others. Therefore, these changes have similar impacts on many regions of the world. We see that disaster management is shifting from response to more active and preventive measures. Our task is to predict the development of natural disasters and track their trajectories to inform communities in advance and give them time to prepare. Pakistan has managed to learn how to forecast natural disasters 10 months before they occur, which helps minimize damage and human casualties.

What is the role of international cooperation in addressing climate change?

It's time to fulfill the promises made at previous COP27 and COP28 conferences. We must launch the Global Loss and Damage Fund, which will be directed towards climate financing. This fund should be distributed across various components, including public organization participation in regions and private sector engagement to stimulate innovation. A single source of funding cannot cover all needs in the context of climate change. We must motivate industry to participate in developing materials and technologies for disaster response. These products should take into account the cultural characteristics and needs of affected communities. Fifteen years have passed since the signing of the Paris Agreement, but achieving its goals remains a challenge. It is now important to expand the scale of our actions and provide specialists with an interim review to adjust policies. Goals for developing countries, emerging markets, and developed nations should differ, but the call to action must be global and universal. Climate financing should consider contributions not only from government structures but also from the private sector, which can play an important role in developing technologies and materials for disaster response. Time for action is running out. We have already covered almost half the distance to 2030, when the Sustainable Development Goals should be achieved. Now it is necessary to ensure large-scale response measures and review policies to meet previously defined tasks and goals.

How do Pakistan and Azerbaijan interact on climate change issues?

Pakistan actively cooperates with international organizations and countries, including Azerbaijan, European states, East Asian countries, and small island nations. We have approached our partners with a proposal to study the connection between disasters in Pakistan's northern cold regions with similar zones in other parts of the world. It promotes knowledge exchange and improvement of response measures based on historical data and modern early warning technologies. I would particularly like to highlight the productive interaction with Azerbaijani colleagues in preparation for the COP29 conference. Overall, I want to note the high-level organization of COP29 in Baku. Cooperation on this platform can become a key step towards solving global climate problems.