UNITED NATIONS: Citing the recent destruction wrought Hurricane Sandy in New York and much of the US East Coast, Pakistan on Friday called for moving ahead on the steps to combat the adverse effects of climate change.
"Climate Change is the biggest development emergency," Ambassador Masood khan, the permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the General Assembly's Second Committee, which deals with economic and financial matters.
"The most recent natural disaster that struck this very city underlines the need for high level of coordination and a sophisticated early warning system to ensure we can save life and property from these man made and natural disasters," he said in the course of a debate on Sustainable Development.
As an energy-deficient country particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change, Pakistan was interested in forging international approaches and processes promoting sustainable energy and modern energy services for all, Masood Khan said.
Pakistan, he said, was also deeply conscious and sympathetic to the small island developing States, especially in the wake of the difficult global economic environment, compounded by the growing threat of climate change.
For most of the developing world, early-warning systems remained a challenge and they were often inoperable before or during crisis and disasters, Masood Khan said. "We are deeply conscious of the need for upgrading and further strengthening the role of early warning system in the Disaster Risk reduction strategy both at the national and international level."
The Pakistani diplomat urged the relevant UN agencies to continue to review their operational and procedural modalities in the wake of fast changing global environment where frequency and intensity of such disasters are becoming more challenging than ever.
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