Daily Times

Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday highlighting the country’s multiple initiatives to achieve resilience and a sustainable future, called for relentless efforts, massive awareness, and an innovative approach to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The acting president, addressing the inaugural plenary of the 27th Sustainable Development Conference organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), highlighted the transformative role of technology and said that by harnessing advancement in artificial intelligence and blockchain, the social protection and inclusive growth could be achieved through innovative methods.

He told the gathering of cabinet members, academicians, environmental experts, think tanks and researchers that the promotion of sustainable practices necessitated fostering a culture of responsible citizenship and environmental awareness.

He commended the second edition of the Sustainability Investment Expo 2024 held alongside the moot to showcase cutting-edge technology, fostering collaboration and attracting investment.

He said the theme of the conference “From Fragility to Resilience: Enhancing Sustainable Development” was a reminder of the critical importance of transforming and turning vulnerabilities into strengths, besides innovation and adaptability.

He said the deliberations at the conference would be a clarion call for survival and prosperity as Pakistan being the fifth most vulnerable country, had been faced with the impacts of climate change.

However, he said the country had made commendable strides towards climate governance and sustainable development as the national climate and sustainable development policy outlined a comprehensive strategy to address resilience, mitigation, poverty alleviation, social equity, women empowerment, agriculture, water resources and energy efficiency, women empowerment, water resources, and energy efficiencies.

Besides, he said that Pakistan had linked its Vision 2025 to the SDGs to demonstrate commitment to reaching sustainable development outcomes for a wider human well-being. The 5Es Framework by the Planning Ministry also defines Pakistan’s short to medium-term strategy on exports, e-governance, environment and climate change, energy and infrastructure, and equity and empowerment, he added.

The acting president told the gathering that the Benazir Income Support Program had provided financial assistance to the millions of vulnerable families while additional economic reforms were being made to reduce poverty and promote inclusive growth.

He said Pakistan’s parliament was the first to go green by switching to solar energy, besides making legislation to establish the standing committees on climate changes of both houses of parliament and integrating SDGs into the national development agenda.

Acting President Gilani called for efforts to reduce poverty, address gender disparity, ensure education, health, clean drinking water and development of infrastructure and environmental conservationa
He said that the country’s progress was linked to the prerequisite of women’s empowerment by providing them with education, employment and leadership as gender equality was not merely a moral imperative but also a key driver of sustainable development.