*Statement by Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad,*
*Permanent Representative of Pakistan,*
*At the UN Security Council Briefing on “Environmental Impact of Armed Conflict and Climate-Driven Security Risks”*
(6 November 2025)
*******
Madam President,
We are glad to see you preside over this meeting and I thank you for your important statement. I would also like thank the distinguished briefers for their thorough and insightful remarks.
Madam President,
2. The human and environmental toll of armed conflict is evident. Warfare destroys not only infrastructure and lives; it tears apart the natural systems that sustain societies.
3. The impacts of widespread damage, millions of tonnes of rubble, explosive remnants of war, contaminated water, degraded soils, deforestation, scorched earth policies and ecosystem destruction linger long after the guns fall silent. Such harm erodes governance, fuels displacement, and deepens humanitarian crises, particularly in regions already under climate stress. We also recognise that beyond armed conflict, climate change impacts, particularly sea level rise, pose a serious existential threat to many countries, particularly small island developing states.
4. Of even greater concern is the deliberate weaponisation of shared natural resources. A textbook example is the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty by India earlier this year.
5. For more than six decades, this Treaty has stood as a model of cooperation, ensuring equitable and predictable sharing of the Indus Basin’s waters between Pakistan and India, even in times of war. India’s unlawful unilateral decision to suspend this framework undermines the letter and spirit of the Treaty, threatens ecosystems, disrupts data-sharing, and endangers the lives of millions who depend on the Indus river water system for food and energy security, for their survival.
6. Such acts do not just harm one country; they weaken confidence in international water law and set a precedent for resource-based and driven coercion elsewhere. This should be of grave concern for every member of this Council and for the international community as a whole.
Madam President,
7. Pakistan has consistently maintained that no provision of the Indus Waters Treaty permits unilateral suspension or modification. The Court of Arbitration’s 2025 award reaffirmed the continuing validity of the Treaty and its dispute-settlement mechanisms, upholding Pakistan’s position that all issues must be resolved within its legal framework. We therefore expect full respect for the Treaty and an early return to compliance and normal functioning through the established channels.
Madam President,
8. In order to address the environmental impacts of armed conflict and climate driven security risks, we must
First, focus on prevention and early resolution of conflicts. The Security Council must fulfil its Charter responsibility to address threats to international peace and security at their inception.
Second, environmental considerations could be integrated into UN peace operations and political missions, where relevant. Pakistan has done so in practice: in UNMISS, our engineering contingents have built 80 kilometres of life-saving dykes in Bentiu, protecting hundreds of thousands from floodwaters. In MINUSCA, our peacekeepers have facilitated transhumance dialogues to prevent resource-based tensions. We welcome growing attention to making peacekeeping greener. These actions should be embedded in planning, budgeting, and mandate design.-
Third, uphold international law, especially international humanitarian law. This includes the obligations for parties to distinguish between civilian and military objectives, to take constant care to spare the civilian population, and to avoid methods of warfare expected to cause widespread, long-term, and severe damage to the natural environment.
Fourth, promote UN system coherence. Greater coordination among UN Country Teams, DPO, and DPPA, together with regional organisations and international financial institutions, is essential to align activities for environmental recovery and post-conflict stabilisation, ensuring that financing, technical assistance, and field operations are mutually reinforcing.
Fifth, provide climate and biodiversity finance that is new, additional, predictable, and grant-based. COP-30 in Belém offers an opportunity to deliver on this, including by adequately capitalising the Loss and Damage Fund, scaling up adaptation finance, and agreeing on a clear path toward implementing the new collective quantified goal on climate finance. However, we stress that such finance must not be debt-creating, nor should it be double counted with development, humanitarian, or peace-and-security finance.
Madam President,
9. While recognising that environmental damage in conflict is not just collateral damage, but can be a multiplier of insecurity, it is Pakistan’s firm belief that comprehensive measures to address and combat the pernicious phenomenon of climate change can be best pursued through universal platforms under a cooperative approach based on the cardinal principle of common but differentiated responsibility and the legal obligations and commitments of parties.
10. Pakistan stands ready to work with all partners, at all relevant forums, to uphold international law, advance environmental recovery in conflict-affected areas, and ensure that shared natural resources serve as avenues for cooperation, not contention.
I thank you.