Daily Times

NEW YORK: The signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement on climate change was held at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York where leaders of over 175 countries, including Pakistan, signed the landmark Paris Agreement, giving a strong push to the international efforts against global warming.

Representing Pakistan, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that Pakistan was boosting its capacity to address adverse impacts of climate change and become part of efforts at the global level. He emphasised that adequate resources were critical for climate actions in developing countries.

The interior minister termed the Paris climate agreement a milestone, saying the UN should take sincere and concerted efforts for its full implementation. He said though Pakistan is not a major contributor to global warming but still it is facing effects of climate change. Nisar said that Pakistan has prepared a plan of action to meet the challenges, adding the issue can be tackled through collaborative efforts. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said the next critical step was to ensure that the landmark accord for global action on climate change enters into force as soon as possible.

“Today is an historic day,” Ban told reporters at a press conference following the opening ceremony of the signing event. “This is by far the largest number of countries ever to sign an international agreement on a single day.”

According to the UN chief, the participation by so many countries and the attendance by so many world leaders leaves no doubt that the international community is determined to take climate action. He also welcomed the strong presence of the private sector and civil society, saying they are “crucial to realising the great promise of the Paris Agreement.”

Adopted in Paris by the 196 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) at a conference known as (COP21) last December, the agreement’s objective is to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius, and to strive for 1.5 degrees Celsius. It will enter into force 30 days after at least 55 countries, accounting for 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, deposit their instruments of ratification.

“If all the countries that have signed today take the next step at the national level and join the agreement, the world will have met the requirement needed for the Paris Agreement to enter into force,” Ban highlighted while congratulating the 15 parties that have already deposited their instruments for ratification.

These parties include Barbados, Belize, Fiji, Grenada, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Nauru, Palau, Palestine, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Samoa, Somalia and Tuvalu.

Speaking alongside the UN secretary general, French President François Hollande applauded all those who made it possible to reach the second stage of the process – the signing of the document.