On Tuesday, British High Commissioner Jane Marriott OBE announced a doubling of the UK’s investment in Pakistan to address climate change, enhance climate resilience, and promote adaptation.
The commitment aligns with the UK’s advocacy for a ‘Loss and Damage’ fund at COP 28 to support climate-vulnerable countries. The investment announcement was made during an event organized by the British High Commission to celebrate King Charles’s 76th birthday.
At the event, attendees enjoyed a performance by the Band of the Artillery Company, the oldest regiment in the British Army, established by King Henry VIII in 1537. Despite its traditional roots, the band’s modern cover version of ‘Pasoori’ was approved by King Charles, adding humor to the occasion. The event focused on environmental sustainability and climate change, causes championed by King Charles for the past 50 years.
High Commissioner Jane Marriott emphasized the urgency of addressing climate vulnerabilities in Pakistan, recalling the devastating floods last year that affected a third of the country and around 33 million people. She mentioned the UK’s push for a more substantial, greener, and fairer international financial response to climate change.
Marriott also announced the UK’s collaboration with the Global System for Mobile Communications to expand the AI-based ‘Early Warning Forest Fire Detection System’ project, aiming to minimize the risk of forest fires in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federal Capital Territory.
Additionally, she highlighted collaborative initiatives such as expanding the Chevening scholarship program through new private partnerships and establishing the online ‘Pakistan Museum of Food’ in collaboration with Google and the Save and Observe Children’s Health (SOCH) Foundation.
Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani expressed gratitude for the positive trajectory in Pakistan-UK relations. He acknowledged the strong economic, trade, political, and defense partnerships between the two countries and commended King Charles for his advocacy of environmental sustainability and innovations. Jilani also expressed gratitude for the British government’s generous assistance in the aftermath of massive floods in Pakistan last year.
