Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday for a two-day trip to attend the One Water Summit being held from December 3 to 4.
The One Water Summit, part of the One Planet Summit initiative, was announced during the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference. It is being co-hosted by Saudi Arabia, France, Kazakhstan and the World Bank.
The summit aims to address the deteriorating state of global water quality, increasing water scarcity and the rising frequency of water-related natural disasters. The summit will convene alongside the 16th session of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
PM Shehbaz was received by Riyadh Deputy Governor Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Rehman bin Abdul Aziz. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi also accompanied the premier.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ahmed Farooq, Pakistani and Saudi officials were also present.
In a post on X, PM Shehbaz termed the summit a “timely event to deliberate upon collective strategies to tackle water security challenges.
“Together, we aim to accelerate action to combat desertification, address water pollution, and advocate for local, regional and global action. Let’s unite in our pursuit for water sustainability!”
During his two-day stay in Saudi Arabia, PM Shehbaz will deliver a keynote address at a roundtable, where he will spotlight Pakistan’s efforts to combat water scarcity, improve climate resilience, and promote biodiversity. On the sidelines of the summit, he will engage in bilateral meetings with international leaders to further Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement.
This marks PM Shehbaz’s third visit to Saudi Arabia within the past few months. In November 2024, he attended the Arab-Islamic Summit. In October, he participated in the 8th edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII), a premier forum for economic cooperation and innovation.
