Country’s humanitarian response reached affected areas, met population’s urgent needs, said the UAE’s climate change minister UAE is committed to advancing international efforts in addressing climate challenges, minister said GENEVA: The UAE supports all international efforts to enhance emergency relief, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention in the aftermath of Pakistan’s unprecedented floods, said a top Emirati official. The country’s humanitarian response reached affected areas and met the urgent needs of the population to improve their living conditions, Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the UAE’s minister of climate change and the environment, told a high-level international conference held in Geneva. She headed the Emirati delegation participating in the high-level meeting, which was organized by the Pakistani government and the UN, reported the Emirates News Agency on Tuesday. Held in the presence of Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the conference aimed to discuss efforts to rebuild infrastructure and review mechanisms for mobilizing international support for those affected by the devastating floods that swept Pakistan last year. The minister said: “Extending a helping hand to those affected and ensuring that food, medical supplies and basic goods are sent has been an essential component of the UAE’s foreign policy since its formation as a nation.” The UAE was one of the first countries to respond to the crisis, according to Almheiri, as it deployed an air and sea bridge that included the dispatch of 71 aircraft and six ships carrying over 8,000 tons of food, medicine, and shelter supplies at a value of more than $80 million, benefiting over 6.5 million families — mostly women, children and the elderly. “Over the past five years, the UAE has provided more than $2.4 billion in relief and development supplies to Pakistan, which included providing more than 647 million doses of polio vaccines to 119 million children from 2014 to 2022. Moreover, $53 million has been allocated for the 2023-2026 period to continue the vaccination campaign as part of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative,” she added. Almheiri said the UAE is committed to advancing international efforts in addressing climate challenges, reflecting its readiness to host the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP28, this year. She noted that her country regards this as an opportunity to work closely with the international community to seek effective and sustainable solutions to mitigate climate change and prioritize economic growth. The UAE will work to accomplish this, Almheiri stated, through a comprehensive approach that takes into account the interests of developing countries that suffer from the impact of climate change, including Pakistan, to achieve faster recovery and enhance resilience in facing future challenges.