Daily Times

Caretaker Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Muhammad Sami Saeed on Monday called for coordinated and collective global efforts to counter the climate-change-related challenges. “The government, civil society and international partners must join hands to tackle climate crisis through collective and coordinated efforts to combat the crisis,” he said while speaking at a seminar on National Resilience Day organized here by the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). 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.