Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Pakistan Dr Reena Kivinka has stated that the EU and Pakistan are advancing their cooperation to address issues relating to climate change, particularly in the wake of the recent floods that caused havoc in the country, and to remove obstacles to gender equality.

Speaking to the media, she said that the EU has shown support for Pakistan's flood victims and cited climate change as the disaster's primary cause. She also emphasised the actions the EU is taking to lessen the consequences of climate change.

Dr Reena noted that as women are disproportionately affected by natural disasters, 85% of all new EU programmes would put a specific emphasis on promoting gender equality in Pakistan. This is because women are generally underrepresented in domestic and communal decision-making.

She emphasised the necessity of empowering rural women to increase their resilience and successfully mitigate the effects of natural disasters. She also underlined that climate change is a global issue that requires international cooperation.

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) must be attained, she continued, and the EU thinks that addressing non-traditional security issues like climate change and fostering international collaboration are essential steps in that direction.

She responded to a question by stating that climate change is our top priority area and that a joint commission has been established to offer people a chance to discuss all possible areas of collaboration between the two countries.

In response to another question, Dr. Reena said that the EU and the Pakistani government had worked together to develop a policy for workable solutions to meet the requirements of women and children in the flood-affected areas, including their educational needs.

She reaffirmed the EU's commitment to promoting women's rights and empowerment and said that the key principles of EU policy in Europe and other partner countries are gender equality and the fight against violence against women.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk