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Urgent need for climate risk management emphasised

Our Correspondent
Friday, Jan 17, 2025

Islamabad:Coordinator to the Prime Minister for Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam emphasised the urgent need for robust climate risk management strategies at national, provincial, and district levels to enhance preparedness for natural disasters and reduce their economic, social, and environmental impacts.

Speaking at the ‘Humanitarian Futures,’ event organised by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) on Thursday, Romina emphasised the vital necessity of protecting vulnerable communities and maintaining the sustainability of lives and livelihoods amid climate-related challenges. The event was attended by government officials, representatives of local and international humanitarian agencies, academics, climate scientists, and meteorological organisations.

Alam outlined the escalating severity of climate impacts that Pakistan is experiencing, citing vulnerabilities to extreme weather events such as devastating floods, heatwaves, droughts, desertification, and erratic rainfall patterns. “These challenges have led to significant economic, social, and environmental repercussions, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, Romina stated. She added that despite Pakistan's ongoing struggles with these severe conditions, the government is making every effort within its capacity to mitigate the impacts of climate change”.

“Following a similar catastrophe in 2010, Pakistan faced one of the worst flood disasters in its history in 2022 forcing displacement of millions of people, destroyed crops, and damaged critical infrastructure,” said Romina Khurshid Alam. “These disasters have underscored the pressing need for flood resilience and disaster risk reduction measures to protect specially marginalised communities and critical infrastructure.”

She also highlighted the significant initiatives launched at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan to combat climate change including the global shield, climate justice, climate-smart agriculture projects, renewable energy solutions, Pakistan’s green recovery plan, nature-based solutions, and various climate finance initiatives.

Romina highlighted Pakistan’s increasing dependence on glaciers and rivers for its water supply, emphasizing that the country is facing acute water shortages that exacerbate the challenges for agriculture, a crucial sector of the national economy.

“Our agriculture is significantly threatened by water scarcity, and we need invest in long-term solutions to tackle these challenges,” she stated. She stressed the importance of advocating for climate finance requirements, calling for improved access to international climate funds. These funds could be utilized to support projects focused on enhancing resilience against climate change, including disaster preparedness and mitigation for environmental sustainability. “It is essential to enable access to climate financing to implement projects that strengthen our resilience to climate change impacts,” she remarked.

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) and Pakistan Humanitarian Forum (PHF) co-hosted the “Pakistan’s Humanitarian Future 2025” event supported by Swedish International Development Coo­peration Agency (SIDA). A pivotal gathering aimed at addressing the country’s preparedness and response to the escalating impacts of climate change and associated humanitarian crises and developing way forward for future Climate induced Disasters.

Pakistan contributes less than one percent to global greenhouse gases emissions yet ranks among the top 10 most climate-vulnerable countries worldwide. Increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters, including floods, droughts, heatwaves, and cyclones, have underscored the urgent need for proactive disaster preparedness and response.

Reflecting on lessons learned from past crises such as the 2005 earthquake, the 2010 floods, and the 2022 floods, the event brought together diverse stakeholders, including government representatives, local and international humanitarian agencies, academia, climate scientists, and corporate leaders, to deliberate on strengthening Pakistan’s resilience and response mechanisms.

In his opening remarks Shahid Kazmi, Country Coordinator-PHF, highlighted the role of International Non-governmental Organizations (INGOs) in national development and humanitarian response in Pakistan over last two decades. He noted that recurring emergencies have left an enduring impact across various regions of the country, necessitating extensive rehabilitation and reconstruction.

The event featured a dynamic panel discussion with esteemed speakers, including Idrees Mahsud (Member DRR, NDMA Pakistan), Mubushar Hussain, Manager DRR, NDRMF, Dr. Shah Miran, CEO, MERF, Fatima Arshad (Head of Sustainability, Unilever), and Mohammed Riyas (Emergency Director, IRC). Key topics of discussion were centric to the evolving role of disaster management, the critical need for climate finance, the potential of national NGOs as drivers of change, and best practices and lessons learned from past humanitarian efforts.

Experts shared valuable insights into climate-induced challenges and emphasised fostering locally owned, effective responses through collaboration and innovation. The engaging panel discussion was followed by a question and answer session, providing an opportunity for participants to interact and gain further knowledge from the experts.

The event also showcased the launching of ‘Pakistan Seed Security Prototype’ through the support of Unilever and Public Private Partnership (PPP) for leveraging inclusive WASH. Habibur Rehman (Regional Climate Change Advisor) presented the key highlights of the prototype in term of building the resilience of the farming communities through Green Entrepreneurship to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which is ultimately contributing to national commitments.

Lubna Javaid, Deputy Director Programs at IRC Pakistan, delivered the closing remarks. She emphasized the urgency of investing in gender-equal and inclusive climate resilience programming, particularly for refugees facing climate-induced displacement. Highlighting the nexus of climate, poverty, and conflict, she called for accessible climate financing to address humanitarian challenges effectively.