Consultation on Climate Change Policy and Pre-Monsoon Institutional Response – July 2012
Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) organized the consultation on “Climate Change Policy and Pre-Monsoon Institutional Response” in Islamabad.Chairing the session on climate change policy review , Jawed Ali Khan, Director General, Environment expressed that today the disaster we face are mostly the human induced disaster. He appreciated SPO for initialing dialogue on NCCP policy.
Naseer Memon, Chief Executive, SPO was of the view that current national climate change policy (NCCP) 2011 will not make an impact without integrated institutional efforts and coordinated approach. He opined that policies in Pakistan were not followed in spirit and there are serious gaps in their effective implementation. “Pakistan needs to adopt an approach of climatically appropriate development planning. he went on to add and suggested that, “a nationwide disaster mapping, risk reduction planning and effective response mechanism is immediately required to avoid more catastrophes.”
Dr Qamar-Uz-Zaman Chaudhry, Advisor Climate Affairs, Government of Pakistan and lead author of NCCP discussed about aspects of the policy. Earlier Hammad Raza Khan, consultant SPO presented a review paper on Pakistan’s first National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) 2011.
In the session ‘institutional response to pre-monsoon institutional response’ NDMA and provincial disaster management bodies shared their preparedness plans for upcoming monsoon season of 2012.Chairman NDMA while chairing the consultation said, Pakistan is working on to provide disaster risk insurance for its 180 million population which is the biggest ever insurance venture anywhere in the world. He also informed that, For the first time elaborate contingency plans have been developed by NDMA at district, provincial and national level with consultation from all stakeholders.
Other speakers at the consultation included Prof. Dr. Ashfaq Ahmad, Director External Linkages and Incharge Climate Change Cell, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Mr Mehmood Alam, Secretary, PDMA Punjab, Shahzad Khan Bangash, Director General, PDMA/PaRRSA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa , Hashim Ali, Secretary /Director General, PDMA, Sindh, Nasibullah khan Bazi, PDMA, Balochistan, Faisal khatak, Fata Disaster Management Authority, Peshawar, Munir Sheikh, Head Climatology Section, Global Change Impact Study Center (GCISC), Islamabad and Sardar Muhammad Nawaz Khan, Secretary, State Disaster Management Authority, AJK.
Find below media coverage of the event
1. Post-disaster relief: First-ever insurance plan on the drawing board – TRIBUNE
2. KP, Balochistan pledge Rs 10bn for disaster management – Daily Times
3. Changing monsoon patterns posing new threats – The News
4. Pakistan is working on to provide disaster risk insurance for its 180 million population – Envo info