ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday called for transfer of technology, financing and international cooperation to ensure sustainable management of water for all as he addressed the One Water Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The summit, a joint initiative of Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan and the World Bank, aimed for high-level political commitments to promote global cooperation and a coherent international approach toward water resource management.
Addressing the summit, Sharif said water was lifeblood of the planet, which transcended political boundaries, connected nations and fostered shared ecosystem, which was why his country attached great importance to transboundary cooperation.
“At the global level, I would submit for your kind consideration a number of steps to overcome water-related challenges. First, we need international cooperation and collaboration to ensure availability, sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” he told attendees at the summit.
“Second, exchange of knowledge and expertise as well as transfer of technologies on innovative water management must be prioritized. Third, adequate funding for climate-resilient infrastructure and overcoming financing gap remains critical for climate-vulnerable countries.”
He appreciated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan and the World Bank for the initiative, saying the world required “strong political will and global leadership to overcome the water crisis.”
“We must also focus on framework for transparency, data-sharing and regional cooperation to avoid conflicts and promote water-sharing,” the Pakistan premier said.
“We must invest in skills development, research and institutional strengthening to tackle water challenges at national and global levels.”
Sharif detailed steps taken by his government to ensure water security and climate-resilience, saying Pakistan was proud of joining this initiative and looked forward to providing all possible support in achieving its goals.
“As leaders, policymakers and custodians of the future, it is our duty to ensure that these rivers, lakes and aquifers that have nourished civilizations for centuries must not be reduced to tales of the past,” he added.
The One Water Summit is being held on Dec. 3-4 on the margins of the next high-level session of the COP16 of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). It aims to contribute to ongoing United Nations discussions and processes to enhance global water governance, accelerate action on SDG6 on water and sanitation, and build on the momentum of the UN Water Conference in 2023.
The summit aims to scale up projects by stimulating partnerships between states, international organizations, local authorities, development and private banks, businesses, philanthropies, scientific experts, NGOs and civil society, in line with previous One Planet Summits, according to the forum’s website.
The forum will also act as an incubator for solutions in preparation for the next UN Water Conference in 2026, and integrate its agenda into the other existing water processes and initiatives such as the World Water Forum, the Dushanbe Conference and the World Water Week.

ISLAMABAD: The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on Tuesday named two Pakistanis, Mahrang Baloch and Hadiqa Kiani, among a list of 100 most inspiring and influential women in 2024.

Women have had to dig deep and find new levels of resilience from facing deadly conflicts and humanitarian crises in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine and Sudan, to witnessing the polarisation in societies that followed a record number of elections around the world, according to the broadcaster.

'BBC 100 Women' acknowledged the toll this year took on women by celebrating those who pushed for change as the world changed around them. The list also remained committed to exploring the impact of the climate emergency, highlighting climate pioneers who worked to help their communities tackle its impacts.

Baloch, a Pakistani medical doctor and political activist, was among hundreds of women across Pakistan taking part in demonstrations against alleged enforced disappearances in the southwestern Balochistan province. In late 2023, she led a 1,600-kilometer march to Islamabad to demand information on whereabouts of their family members, and was twice arrested during the journey.

"The medical doctor has since then become a prominent activist, under the banner of her own human rights group Baloch Yakjehti (Unity) Committee," the BBC wrote. "Her work in the field of human rights was recognised in the TIME100 Next 2024 list of emerging leaders."

Protesters from Pakistan's most impoverished Balochistan province, which has been the scene of a long-running insurgency, say their loved ones have been taken and killed by Pakistani security forces, amid a counterinsurgency operation. The authorities deny the accusations.

Pakistani singer and songwriter Kiani, known for her contributions to humanitarian causes, was the other Pakistani on the list. Rising to fame in the 1990s, she became a celebrated force in South Asian female pop music as well as a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) goodwill ambassador.

"In response to the devastating 2022 floods in Pakistan, Kiani launched her Vaseela-e-Raah project, dedicated to aiding victims in the regions of Balochistan and South Punjab," the broadcaster said.

"She urged the public to assist displaced families and last year, the project announced it had built 370 homes and other facilities in the affected areas."

The BBC's list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world also included stranded astronaut Sunita Williams, rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot, actress Sharon Stone, Olympic athletes Rebeca Andrade and Allyson Felix, singer Raye, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, visual artist Tracey Emin, climate campaigner Adenike Oladosu and writer Cristina Rivera Garza.