Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Masood Malik warned that Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to climate change as he addressed the Arctic Circle Rome Forum, calling for stronger global cooperation and science-based solutions to tackle the accelerating impacts of melting glaciers and extreme weather.
Speaking at the forum’s plenary session titled “View from Pakistan: Climate & Poles,” the minister highlighted the country’s exposure to climate-induced disasters, including glacier melt, rising sea levels and increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Musasik Malik also participated in a panel discussion on “Science Diplomacy for the Third Pole,” where he stressed the need for closer collaboration between scientists and policymakers and urged the international community to advance climate justice and shared research initiatives to address environmental risks affecting mountain and polar regions.
On the sidelines of the forum, Pakistan’s embassy in Rome arranged meetings for the minister with a number of international leaders and officials, including Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, chairman of the Arctic Circle and former president of Iceland; Katrín Jakobsdóttir, chair of the Polar Dialogue and former Icelandic prime minister; Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt; Canadian Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mona Fortier; Norwegian State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson; and former EU ambassador for Arctic affairs Marie Anne Coninsx.
The minister also met Italy’s Minister for Universities and Research Anna Maria Bernini and Marco Rusconi, director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
During his visit, Musadik Malik held academic engagements at Sapienza University of Rome, where discussions with senior faculty focused on expanding research collaboration and academic linkages with Pakistani institutions.
In his remarks and meetings, the minister proposed several initiatives aimed at strengthening international climate cooperation, including the creation of a “Virtual Green University” to connect researchers and students worldwide, a “Climate Risk Capital Fund” to support climate-tech entrepreneurs, and the concept of “Green Intellectual Property” to promote equitable access to climate innovation.
Musadik Malik also visited the Italian National Research Council (CNR), where he met President Andrea Lenzi and held discussions with scientists on biodiversity, cryosphere research and environmental sustainability.
During a media interaction with SkyTg24 TV, the minister outlined Pakistan’s climate diplomacy priorities and called for enhanced international collaboration to address the cascading impacts of global warming. According to the Pakistani embassy, Pakistan has been invited to participate as a keynote speaker at the Arctic Circle Assembly scheduled to take place in Reykjavik, Iceland, from October 8 to 10, 2026.
Pakistan’s participation in the Rome Forum marked its first engagement with the Arctic Circle platform, following a special invitation extended to the country.