Daily Times

UNDP Pakistan’s Scaling Up of Glacial Lake Outburst Flood Risk Reduction in Northern Pakistan Project (GLOF-II) organized a divisional level Stakeholders’ Communication and Coordination Workshop in Swat on Monday.

This divisional-level event brought together community members and key representatives from government departments to tackle communication and coordination challenges in addressing the impacts of climate change and disaster risk reduction. Participants included officials from Planning and Development Department, Provincial Disaster Management Authority, On-Farm Water Management, Climate Change, Forestry Environment and Wildlife Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Soil and Water Conservation Department and community members from Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper Dir and Swat.

The workshop aimed to advance dialogues between stakeholders involved in the project’s implementation across its targeted valleys. It provided a platform for community members from four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to share insights, voice concerns and exchange experiences.

The discussions led to identifying key communication and coordination challenges and developing actionable strategies to address them. The event also strengthened relationships among stakeholders, promoting trust and collaboration. “This workshop not only brought together community members from various districts but also gave us a platform to exchange ideas, concerns and lessons learned. Seeing government officials keenly listen to our concerns and commit to addressing them was truly encouraging,” shared Rashida Khanum, a resident of Reshun Valley, Upper Chitral.

UNDP’s GLOF-II project works in 16 valleys of Gilgit Baltistan and 08 valleys of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It empowers communities to identify and manage risks associated with GLOFs and related impacts of climate change, strengthens public services to lower the risk of disasters related to GLOFs, and improves community preparedness and disaster response. The project also supports the development of sustainable livelihood options in project areas, with a particular focus on the participation of women in ensuring food security and livelihoods.