BONN, GERMANY: In a high-level ministerial event held in Bonn on Tuesday, Federal Minister for Climate Change Senator Mushahidullah Khan insisted on delivering a written speech for the COP23 meet, whereas the ministers were expected to answer questions put forward by the moderator.
The event ‘Champions for Climate Action: The NDC Partnership’ and was attended by ministers from over 30 countries.
NDCs are voluntary national plans to cut carbon emissions that have been submitted by each country to the UNFCC under the Paris Agreement of 2015.
Much to the dismay of the moderator, the Pakistani minister could not answer a straightforward question regarding the relevance of NDCs to Pakistan, instead insisted upon delivering a written speech.
Khan who had been allowed two minutes to deliver his written speech ended up taking more than double the allotted time. Ministers in attendance at the event who could not understand English well ended up having their comments translated instead.
Although the incident became a point of amusement for the audience including the global media, ministers’ entourages and heads from the Asian Development Bank and the Global Environment Facility, it was indeed an embarrassing moment for Pakistan.
The event in Bonn was an initiative for ministers and heads of organisations from NDC Partnership member countries to collaborate and share their ideas to achieve sustainable climate and development targets.
