UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called on the international community to expand financial support for developing countries, particularly those struggling with debt servicing, so they can meet the essential needs of their populations and advance clean energy transitions.
Speaking at a UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) panel reviewing progress on Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) – which seeks universal access to affordable and clean energy – Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said Islamabad represents both the urgency and the opportunity of the global shift towards sustainable energy.
“Pakistan exemplifies the challenges and potential of this transition,” he told the forum, which operates under the Economic and Social Council and provides countries with a platform to report on their SDG achievements.
Ambassador Asim noted that despite significant progress, around 40 million people in Pakistan still lack access to electricity in 2024. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to its clean energy targets, highlighting that the country has set an ambitious goal of generating 60% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.
Outlining the national roadmap, he said Pakistan plans to add 13 gigawatts of new hydropower capacity in the coming years, while nuclear energy remains a crucial part of its low-carbon baseload supply.
He further pointed to what he described as a “silent solar revolution” underway in Pakistan, driven by favourable import tariffs, accessible technology, and effective net-metering policies. “Recent estimates suggest that solar accounted for roughly 25% of utility electricity generation in early 2025,” he added.
Pakistan co-chairs the Group of Friends of Sustainable Energy at the UN, aligning its clean energy ambitions with national development goals and global sustainability priorities.
