ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The 3rd meeting of the National Climate Change Policy Implementation Committee on Monday discussed to improve implementation progress under the chairmanship of Federal Minister for Climate Change Zahid Hamid.
“We need to boost implementation of climate change policy with the consultation of provinces”, the minister said while chairing the meeting which discussed three agendas and reviewed the progress of decisions taken in the second meeting.
The first decision taken in the second meeting was that provinces would make efforts to implement the actions identified in the Implementation Framework of National Climate Change Policy. The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan have provided report on their performance on this decision.
The second decision taken in the second meeting was Pak-Environmental Protection Agency and Provincial Environmental Protection Agencies should also be included in assessment of climate change impact by reviewing the Initial Environmental Examination.
A concept note on climate change impacts on development projects has been developed by Ministry of Climate Change and United Nation Development Programme.
The third decision was to constitute and notify a committee for rationalizing the national environmental quality standards in consultation with provinces and broader stakeholders.
The committee will revise the standards on the basis of sectoral scope and industry-specific issues and include Green House Gases emissions standards.
The nominations from government and Balochistan have been received and other stakeholders are still awaited.
The fourth decision was taken that all the provinces would communicate detailed progress on action being undertaken and planned in future for implementation of the NCCP to Ministry of climate change by March 15, 2016.
This would include measures of adaptation, mitigation and technology needs assessment.
The government of KPK AJ&K and Baluchistan has provided updates.
The response from other provinces GB/FATA is awaited.
All the provinces will take measures to build the technical capacity to deal with climate change.
The Ministry of Climate Change will provide necessary technical support particularly with regards capacity building for access to climate change finance and green climate fund which is in progress.
Zahid said, a standardized Performa will be prepared by the Ministry of Climate Change.
This Performa will be sent to all concerned Departments and Ministries at Federal and Provincial level to update their progress on implementation of Climate Change policy.”
He also mentioned that, “all Ministries and departments should demand funds for the climate change policy projects in their annual budgets.”
He further said that, “Climate change policy and SDG goals should be integrated.”
Higher officials of ministry of climate change and representatives from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, UNDP, LEAD, Pakistan meteorological department, IUCN, ministry of Water and Power and from other provinces and departments participated in the meeting.
