‘DiploGreen’ an initiative launched to raise environmental awareness
Zubair Qureshi
A number of diplomatic missions in Islamabad, seven to be exact, Wednesday launched a new initiative – DiploGreen—a community-wide collaboration by Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, the UK and the United States to raise awareness on climate, while maintaining a clean and green Diplomatic Enclave.
As a first effort under this initiative, employees and volunteers from the Canadian, French, German, Japanese, Dutch, UK and US Missions, joined by numerous other representatives from the diplomatic community, led a two-hour recycling drive and clean-up across the Diplomatic Enclave.
Later, a brief discussion held to express support to the government’s initiative.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam was the chief guest in the second part of the activity while Canadian High Commissioner Wendy Gilmour was the ‘chief hostess’ as the discussion held at the premises of the Canadian High Commission.
The activity though held in humid and rather more-than-normal warm conditions inside the Diplomatic Enclave yet a large number of representatives from Ministry of Climate Change, Foreign Office, various public and private sector organizations, Serena and Marriott Hotels, the US, Canadian and other countries’ companies, Islamabad Police, Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) participated in the activity and the group discussion.
In his brief address, Malik Amin Aslam congratulated the foreign missions for a unique initiative aiming to make the Diplomatic Enclave greener and cleaner and raising awareness among the community as well as the public at large.
“I am indeed impressed by the Canadian High Commissioner’s role and that of her colleagues in lending support to the government’s ban on plastic bags and other climate-friendly moves,” he said.
Adviser on climate mentioned a number of initiatives the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has taken in environment sector including 10b tsunami trees initiative in next five years, shifting of 30pc of vehicles on clean energy, Clean & Green Index to be launched in September and least but not the least ban on plastic bags.
This ban on plastic, he said has also inspired our friends in Diplomatic Enclave to lend support to the government through DiploGreen initiative and I am grateful to you for that, he said.
Earlier in her welcome address, High Commissioner Gilmour said DiploGreen is a clean-up and recycling campaign and supports Islamabad’s plastic-free campaign, recently announced by the Ministry of Climate Change.
