PM calls for sustainable uplift, justice

VIENNA: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif warned that the world has become a “powder keg” due to unresolved political conflicts and escalating global crises.

Addressing a United Nations conference on “Sustainable Development: Pathway for Global Peace and Prosperity” in Vienna, the Pakistani Prime Minister has stressed that sustainable development and justice are essential for achieving lasting global peace. He called for renewed global commitment to sustainable and inclusive development, terming it the only viable pathway to durable peace and shared prosperity in a world facing intertwined crises.

The prime minister said the world stood at a crossroads where geopolitical hostility, climate stress and technological disruption were converging into a single destabilizing force.

“The defining danger of our time is not any single threat, but the combination of many,” he said, warning that poverty, debt distress, mass displacement and unresolved political conflicts were intensifying global instability.

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The prime minister emphasized that sustainable development must be inclusive and equitable, leaving no one behind. “Development cannot be called sustainable if it excludes millions from the promise of a better life,” he added.

Highlighting the disproportionate burden borne by developing countries, he said nations contributing least to global emissions were paying the heaviest price in terms of climate change, economic volatility and debt distress.

The prime minister said the country contributed less than one percent to global emissions but remained among the most vulnerable to climate-induced disasters. He also recalled the devastating floods of 2022 that claimed thousands of lives, destroyed crops and infrastructure, and displaced millions, adding that subsequent floods had compounded the challenges.

“These disasters erode human security at its core,” he said, stressing that sustainable development must be anchored in equity, justice and fair play.

Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the prime minister said the government had integrated them into national development planning, focusing on human development, education, healthcare, food security and social protection, particularly for women and youth. He noted that Pakistan’s large youth population presented both a challenge and an opportunity, underscoring the need for investment in skills, digital transformation and institutional strengthening to harness their potential.

The prime minister reiterated Pakistan’s consistent advocacy for dialogue, diplomacy and multilateralism as the only viable means to resolve disputes and prevent conflict, despite facing aggression and violations of international commitments. He stressed the need to reinforce and reform the United Nations system to enable it to effectively serve as a pillar of global peace and cooperation.

Highlighting Vienna’s unique role within the UN system, he said the city hosted key institutions dealing with counter-terrorism, crime prevention, industrial development and the peaceful uses of nuclear technology and outer space.

Pakistan, he said, greatly valued its constructive engagement with IAEA, UNIDO, UNODC and other Vienna-based entities and remained committed to supporting their mandates. He also underscored the importance of capacity building, knowledge sharing and technology transfer to ensure that emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology benefited all humanity rather than a privileged few.

“Unaddressed digital divides will soon become entrenched development divides,” he warned, urging the international community to address root causes.