Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to address the COP31 leaders’ summit in Antalya today, 11 November, where he will press the international community to take concrete action on climate change and to deliver finance that developing countries can actually use.

Mr Sharif arrived in the Turkish city on Tuesday for a visit running from 10 to 12 November to attend the leaders’ summit of the 31st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. He was welcomed at the airport by Türkiye’s Deputy Minister for Culture and Tourism, Gokhan Yazgi, and Pakistan’s ambassador-designate to Türkiye, Amna Baloch.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Senator Sherry Rehman and the prime minister’s adviser Tariq Fatemi are travelling with him, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

What Pakistan will argue at COP31

According to the Foreign Office, the prime minister will highlight Pakistan’s steps towards rapid solarisation and the expansion of its renewable energy capacity, as part of a move towards a cleaner and more resilient economy. He will also set out Pakistan’s work to strengthen disaster preparedness and early-warning systems.

He is expected to call for climate finance for developing countries that is predictable, adequate and accessible, so that vulnerable states can build resilience and pursue sustainable development. Pakistan has consistently argued that countries which contribute least to global emissions often bear a disproportionate share of the consequences, including floods, extreme heat and water scarcity.

During the visit, Mr Sharif will also attend a high-level roundtable convened by the COP31 presidency on the sidelines of the leaders’ summit, and hold bilateral meetings with the Turkish leadership and other world leaders.

Finance at the centre of the talks

The COP31 climate talks, hosted by Türkiye in Antalya from 9 to 20 November, began on Monday, with climate finance, adaptation and the delivery of existing commitments expected to dominate the negotiations. The United Nations chief has urged world leaders to get serious about tackling the crisis after a year of devastating weather extremes.

For Pakistan, the summit is a chance to work with other climate-vulnerable developing countries to press for funding that reaches the people and places facing the greatest risk, rather than promises that arrive too slowly or not at all.