Rome, March 5, 2026: Federal Minister for Climate Change Musadik Masood Malik has warned that Pakistan remains among the countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, urging stronger global cooperation and science-based solutions to address the accelerating effects of melting glaciers and extreme weather.
Addressing the plenary session titled “View from Pakistan: Climate & Poles” at the Arctic Circle Rome Forum, the minister highlighted Pakistan’s growing exposure to climate-induced disasters, including glacier melt, rising sea levels and increasingly frequent extreme weather events.
Malik also took part in a panel discussion on “Science Diplomacy for the Third Pole,” where he stressed the need for closer collaboration between scientists and policymakers. He called on the international community to advance climate justice and expand shared research initiatives to tackle environmental risks affecting mountain and polar regions.
On the sidelines of the forum, the Embassy of Pakistan in Rome arranged a series of meetings for the minister with international leaders and officials, including Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson, chairman of the Arctic Circle and former president of Iceland; Katrín Jakobsdóttir, chair of the Polar Dialogue and former Icelandic prime minister; Greenland’s Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt; Canadian Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mona Fortier; Norwegian State Secretary Eivind Vad Petersson; and former European Union ambassador for Arctic affairs Marie Anne Coninsx.
During the visit, Malik also held talks with Anna Maria Bernini, Italy’s minister for universities and research, and Marco Rusconi, director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The minister further engaged with academia at Sapienza University of Rome, where discussions with senior faculty focused on expanding research collaboration and strengthening academic linkages with Pakistani institutions.
In his remarks and meetings, Malik proposed several initiatives aimed at strengthening international climate cooperation. These included the creation of a “Virtual Green University” to connect researchers and students worldwide, a “Climate Risk Capital Fund” to support climate-tech entrepreneurs, and the concept of “Green Intellectual Property” to ensure equitable access to climate innovations.
He also visited the Italian National Research Council, where he met its president Andrea Lenzi and held discussions with scientists on biodiversity, cryosphere research and environmental sustainability.
During a media interaction with Sky TG24, the minister outlined Pakistan’s climate diplomacy priorities and called for enhanced international collaboration to address the cascading impacts of global warming.
According to the Pakistani embassy, Pakistan has also been invited to deliver a keynote address at the Arctic Circle Assembly 2026, scheduled to take place in Reykjavík, Iceland from October 8 to 10, 2026.
Pakistan’s participation in the Rome Forum marked the country’s first engagement with the Arctic Circle platform, following a special invitation extended to Islamabad.
