Caretaker Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Muhammad Sami Saeed on Monday stressed the need of coordinated and collective at global level to tackle issues relating climate change.
While addressing a seminar on National Resilience Day organized here by the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), he said that the government, civil society and international partners must join hands to tackle climate crisis through collective and coordinated efforts to combat the crisis.
Last year, Pakistan faced unprecedented devastation due to torrential rains and flooding in most parts of the country, affecting 33 million people and causing economic losses worth $30 billion. Following this, the government prepared a 4RF framework, suggesting effective coordination and participation arrangements among the federal and provincial governments, development partners, donors, international and national NGOs, and academic and private sectors Pakistan has been witnessing challenging impacts of climate change, ranging from devastating floods to prolonged droughts, from heatwaves to melting glaciers.
“These changes pose immense threats to our environment, economy, and the well-being of our people,” remarked the Planning Minister, urging the stakeholders to play their constructive role to combat the crisis. In October 2022, the Post-Damage Needs Assessment (PDNA) – conducted jointly by the government of Pakistan and its international development partners, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and UN relief agencies estimated the aggregate cost of the calamity at $30 billion. Pakistan’s carbon emission is less than 1% however, it is among the countries that are most vulnerable to climatic disasters. Pakistan pleaded this case before the COP27 summit held in Egypt last year.
In January 2023, Pakistan successfully managed to secure pledges of $10 billion from donors which was committed during the International Conference on ‘Climate Resilient Pakistan’ jointly hosted by Pakistan and the UN in Geneva. Recognizing the role of nature in climate adaptation and mitigation, Sami Saeed said Pakistan launched robust natural capital restoration efforts, including ambitious tree plantation programmes to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions but also to restore ecosystems and enhance livelihood opportunities for the vulnerable, including women and youth.
