Staff Reporter
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Wednesday said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen congratulated Prime Minister Imran Khan for hosting the most popular World Environment Day 2021.
Addressing a news conference, the PM’s aide on Climate Change told media that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was the highest forum at the UN and global level leading climate change mitigation and environmental conservation that first time selected Pakistan for hosting World Environment Day (WED) 2021.
Amin said it was the highest forum level appreciation for Pakistan to successfully host WED 2021 celebrations and acknowledgment of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Clean Green agenda which was practically enforced on ground.
The UNEP head, he said, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan and defined the success of his green agenda, adding, “She wrote that Pakistan WED live telecast was watched by over 170 million people all over the world, and 42,000 articles were published so far on WED celebrations in 37 languages around 174 countries.”
Amin added that Ms Anderson underscored in her letter that over 160 million people had watched and participated in the social media trends and hashtags of #WorldEnvironmentDay whereas the UNEP webpage was live streamed by 1.5 mln masses.
“Ms Inger Anderson has called the WED 2021 hosted by Pakistan as the most successful celebration ever made,” he added saying it was held under strict Covid-19 protocols.
The SAPM mentioned that Pakistan’s clean green vision was very clear with on ground efforts for ecosystem restoration.
Amin Aslam opened up his presser with the English saying, “When you invest in nature you are doing God’s work.”
After three years of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, the entire country was leading green vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, first implemented in the form of Billion Trees’ Plantation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that generated some 5,00,000 jobs, he said.
He announced that the first 1.5 billion trees target under Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Plantation Project (TBTTP) to be achieved by end 2021.
“Our government have augmented existing national parks from 30 to 45 with 15 new national parks launched during Covid-19 lockdown under Protected Areas Initiative,” he added.
The SAPM said US $ 120mln were received for Green Stimulus launched by the Prime Minister to support Covid-idled masses through daily-waged employment in plantation and ecosystem restoration endeavours.
“The funding will be used from October this year with all provinces on board. It includes massive and innovative plantation projects particularly billion tree olives, billion tree honey, mangroves plantation and Electric Vehicles induction under the Policy is also part of it,” he underlined.
