Pakistan has presented its latest forest restoration achievements to the international community, with Federal Climate Change Minister Dr Musadik Malik underscoring the country’s progress at a COP30 side event focused on the Upscaling Green Pakistan Programme (UGPP).
Speaking via a recorded message on Thursday, Dr. Malik said that global climate action hinged not only on cutting greenhouse gas emissions but also on strengthening natural systems capable of absorbing them. Forests, he argued, remain “the most effective and immediate carbon-sequestration technology available”. He told delegates that Pakistan’s expanded tree-planting and land-restoration drive had revived degraded landscapes and encouraged thousands of local communities to play an active role in protecting forests.
“We are here to celebrate climate action, the reduction of carbon burdens, and the forests that make it possible,” he said. The UGPP, described by the ministry as a flagship initiative, has overseen the regeneration of large tracts of previously barren land, turning them into functioning ecosystems.
Officials say the programme not only contributes to global mitigation efforts but also strengthens local resilience, with forests offering vital protection against intensifying climate impacts.
A documentary screened during the event highlighted field results, including community stewardship and ecological recovery across multiple regions.
The session also brought together climate specialists, international partners, and civil society groups working on forest conservation and nature-based solutions.
Reaffirming Islamabad’s stance, Dr Malik said Pakistan “stands with its forests and with all the forests of the world”, adding that safeguarding them was central to the country’s long-term climate strategy.