ISLAMABAD: While the climate issue is a fact of our day, Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, has stated that peaceful coexistence is the only way forward for more regional collaboration. He was speaking at the Institute of Regional Studies’ (IRS) closing ceremony for Regional Dialogue 2024, which was headlined Climate Crisis: Shaping South Asia’s Resilience. He stated that a peaceful existence was possible if statesmen took bold and daring decisions. The Foreign Minister also stressed the importance of looking at new areas of cooperation on climate change.
The three-day event was opened by Dr. Arif Alvi, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The conference included six key themes: South Asia’s Climate Vulnerability, The Commitment to Regional NDCs, Climate-Conflict Nexus, Adapting to Climate Disasters, Climate Financing, and South Asia’s Climate Future. The conference brings together academics, practitioners, and policymakers from Pakistan and throughout the region to debate the aforementioned topics.
While addressing the conference participants, Mr Ahmed Kamal, Chairman of the Federal Flood Commission, stated that South Asia continues to be vulnerable and exposed to climatic hazards, including floods, cyclones, and droughts. The region’s rapid population increase and limited adaptive capacity may have contributed to its high level of vulnerability and exposure. He also stated that Integrated Drought Management should involve the promotion of drought-tolerant crops, extensive study on weather patterns and the impact of climate change, regular drought monitoring at the regional level, an emphasis on ground water recharge, and the execution of an Adaptation Plan.
Mr Abdul Basit, Head of the South Asia Desk at the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism (ICPVTR), Singapore, believes that climate change is a development issue and that’securutizing’ it might be dangerous. He stated that there was an urgent need for security policymakers and practitioners to recognize the reality that there was an undeniable link between the two, demanding the mapping of the impact of climate change on terrorism and vice versa. Dr. Mazhar Hayat, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change, emphasized the importance of establishing sectoral baselines and promoting both mitigation and adaptation.
Other seminars throughout the day featured speakers from Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, the United States, and Singapore.
