ISLAMABAD – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres engaged with Pakistan’s globally educated talent, joining high-level roundtable hosted by Pakistan Global Alumni Network (PGAN) in Islamabad that brought the country’s international alumni community into a candid conversation on Pakistan’s place in a rapidly changing world.
The meeting, held during Guterres’ official visit to Pakistan from October 6 to 8, brought together a 20-member PGAN delegation representing a wider community of more than 6,000 Pakistani-rooted alumni from universities across the world.
The discussion focused on some of the most consequential issues facing Pakistan and the international community, from the future of the United Nations and global geopolitics to climate change, population growth, artificial intelligence and the changing nature of work.
Guterres sheds light on Pakistan’s longstanding contribution to United Nations, particularly its role in international peacekeeping, its decades-long hosting of millions of Afghan refugees and its efforts to confront the effects of a climate crisis to which it has contributed relatively little.
He also identified Pakistan’s young population as one of the country’s greatest assets, highlighting the talent and potential he has encountered during his repeated visits to Pakistan.
The Secretary-General’s engagement with Pakistan has deep roots. He first became closely associated with the country during his tenure as UN High Commissioner for Refugees and returned as UN chief following the catastrophic floods of 2022, when Pakistan faced one of the most severe climate-related disasters in its history.
PGAN roundtable provided an unusually direct platform for discussion. Delegates asked Guterres how his successor could keep the United Nations effective and relevant amid intensifying US-China competition without allowing the organisation to become an arena for great-power rivalry.
Participants also raised concerns about the widening gap between the UN’s moral and legal authority and its ability to influence outcomes in major conflicts, citing Gaza, Iran and Ukraine. Against growing global scepticism, they discussed how confidence in multilateral institutions could be restored and how the UN could demonstrate more clearly the value of collective international action.
Pakistan’s climate and demographic pressures featured prominently in the discussion. Delegates noted that the country contributes less than one per cent of global emissions while remaining among the world’s most climate-exposed countries. At the same time, Pakistan is adding approximately five million people annually, creating an urgent need for stronger investment in jobs, skills, infrastructure and human development.
Artificial intelligence also comes under debate as particularly for Pakistan’s young workforce. With AI rapidly reshaping industries and employment patterns, delegates sought Guterres’ assessment of how the international community can ensure that technological progress benefits developing countries and creates a more equitable global future.
The discussion also explored whether the UN system could move beyond fragmented, sector-by-sector programmes towards a more integrated financing and support framework for countries such as Pakistan—one that would enable governments to prepare for climate, demographic and technological shocks before they become full-scale crises.
The roundtable came amid a broader UN engagement with Pakistan. During his visit, Guterres also visited the National Emergencies Operations Centre at the National Disaster Management Authority, where he was briefed on Pakistan’s shift towards proactive, technology-driven disaster preparedness, including the use of artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet of Things technologies and advanced data systems for disaster early warnings.
His visit has highlighted Pakistan’s wider diplomatic role. Guterres publicly praised Pakistan’s contribution to dialogue and mediation, particularly its role in helping create conditions for negotiations between the United States and Iran. He described Pakistan as a source of “solidarity and solutions” and said the country’s position and credibility give it an important perspective in international affairs.
Islamabad exchange ultimately offered a positive picture of Pakistan’s potential: a country confronting serious climate, demographic and technological challenges, but also one with a large young population, a substantial global talent network, a long record of international peacekeeping and an increasingly visible role in diplomacy.
For PGAN, bringing that global Pakistani talent into direct conversation with the UN Secretary-General was a powerful demonstration of the role an internationally connected Pakistani knowledge community can play in shaping the country’s future.
