ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkiye have agreed to deepen cooperation on climate resilience, flood management, and water security as both countries prepare for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), scheduled to be held in Antalya in November this year.
The agreement marks a strengthened bilateral push to address climate vulnerabilities at a time when both countries are facing increasing exposure to extreme weather events and are seeking greater access to global adaptation finance and technical support ahead of the high-level summit.
The understanding was reached during talks between a Turkish delegation and senior Pakistani officials at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The Turkish delegation, was led by Maruf Aras, while the Pakistani side was headed by Aisha Humera Moriani. Officials from Turkiye’s State Hydraulic Works and General Directorate for Water Management also participated in the discussions.
The two sides focused on integrated flood and river basin management, glacier and avalanche risk reduction, early warning systems, combating desertification, and developing climate-resilient infrastructure.
Cooperation in watershed management, circular economy initiatives, zero-waste systems, joint research programmes and technical capacity-building was also explored.
Speaking during the meeting, Moriani said climate change had become a pressing economic and security challenge requiring coordinated global action. She said Pakistan valued Turkiye’s technical expertise in strengthening disaster preparedness and protecting vulnerable ecosystems.
Aras reaffirmed Turkiye’s commitment to expanding cooperation with Pakistan in sustainable land management, water governance and climate adaptation, noting that both countries could jointly develop practical solutions to climate-induced risks.
“Turkiye considers Pakistan a trusted partner in regional climate action. By combining technical knowledge, innovation and institutional collaboration, both countries can develop sustainable solutions to confront floods, droughts, desertification and other climate-induced risks,” he said.
A spokesperson for the ministry, Mohammad Saleem Shaikh, said both sides stressed the urgency of scaling up regional collaboration as climate-related disasters intensify across Asia. He added that preparations for COP31 would focus on adaptation finance, disaster risk reduction and climate-resilient development strategies.
Both countries agreed to maintain close coordination in the lead-up to COP31 to advance shared priorities on climate action.
