ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid Friday said New Forest Policy has been approved by Council of Common Interest (CCI) which was also endorsed by provinces as well.
“We are also declaring Marine Protected areas in Pakistan,” the minister told a World Bank delegation in a meeting held in Islamabad which discussed cooperation on Green Pakistan Programme.
Jiang Ru from World Bank discussed the financing option and institutional arrangements for Green Pakistan Programme with the minister.
He informed the minister that mission was willing to finance for initiatives related to livelihood improvements under Green Pakistan Program in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces initially. He also pointed out that World Bank could provide support for capacity building at national level through Ministry of Climate Change from a minimum loan up to 100 million US dollars.
Besides that the bank would also explore possibility of seeking grant from green Climate fund and Green Environment Facility.
He also told the minister that their focus would be on Forest Resilient infrastructure, landscape management and forestry and economic management.
It was also suggested by the Jiang that Ministry of Climate Change should provide some sort of incentives to provinces to increase their forest cover. He also told the minister that World Bank was also working on a project on watershed Management in Balochistan.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Green Pakistan Programme Rizwan Mehboob also briefed the minister that when Prime Minister approved Green Pakistan Programme, also said to discover additional funding for this project from international donor agencies.
In this regard, Secretary Ministry of Climate Change requested Secretary Economic Affairs Division to help in exploring financing of different components of program, especially in the areas of policy measures and capacity building.
On the request of Economic Affairs Division, a scoping mission of World Bank visited Pakistan and held meetings with representatives of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa forest departments and secretary Ministry of Climate Change.
The meeting was attended by Rahat Jabeen environmentalist Expert, Rajesh expert on REDD Plus Project, Secretary Ministry of Climate Change Syed Abu Ahmed Akif, Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Climate Change Rizwan Mehboob, Director General Environment Irfan Tariq, Inspector General Forest Syed Mehmood Nasir.
