KARACHI, Pakistan: Experts and stakeholders will explore practical opportunities and exchange experiences during a national conference “Paving the Way for Sustainable Transport in Pakistan” on December 21-22.
The event is being organized by IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature under the UNDP-GEF funded Pakistan Sustainable Transport (PAKSTRAN) Project, which is being implemented by Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Water and Power.
Representatives of federal and provincial governments, as well as experts and researchers belonging to national and international organizations will participate in this conference at Islamabad, said the organizers here Saturday.
The conference, they said is designed to share knowledge and generate valuable discussions with respect to all the related aspects of sustainable transport including: the environment and climate change; controlling emissions; management and operations; options for eco-friendly freight transport; and institutional mechanisms required to regulate the required actions.
Discussions during the conference will also help to draw action plans to address the growing challenges and issues of transportation in urban centers of Pakistan by building awareness of the link between transportation policies and climate change.
The conference aims at providing key recommendations towards promoting and advocating sustainable transport in Pakistan.
It will also provide practical recommendations for exploring future financial modalities of ongoing Bus Rapid Transit projects implemented by the federal government and provincial governments for the sustainability of transport sector.
To address the transport and related problems in the country, the Pakistan Sustainable Transport (PAKSTRAN) Project is supported by Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Nations Development Programme (UNDP) implemented by Ministry of Water and Power, Government of Pakistan.
The objective of the project is to reduce the growth of energy consumption and related greenhouse gas emissions from the country’s transport sector, while simultaneously improving urban environmental conditions and improving its competitiveness.
The implementing partner of the project was said to be federal ministry of water and power while the responsible parties included Government of Punjab, through Urban Unit, Planning & Development Division (Component 1 of PAKSTRAN); Government of Sindh, through Transport Cell, Transport Department (Component 2 of PAKSTRAN); federal ministry of communications and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, Pakistan.
Source: APP