The launch of the Climate Change Gender Action Plan by the Pakistan chapter of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in Gilgit-Baltistan will help in capacity building of locals besides introducing innovative approaches to minimise the effects of climate change, WealthPK reports.

According to a statement, IUCN launched the action plan as part of its commitment to build gender responsive readiness, capacities and innovative approaches. The launching ceremony of the action plan, held at the conference hall of the chief secretary’s office, was attended by senior government officials, members of civil society, local community-based organisations and journalists.

IUCN country representative Mahmood Akhtar Cheema on the occasion highlighted the role of his organisation in the introduction of trophy hunting in Gilgit-Baltistan. Gilgit-Baltistan’s conservation strategy and the state of environment report were also developed by IUCN in the past. IUCN is currently involved in a major biodiversity-related initiative under which more than 10,000 youths are busy in research and field activities.

Fauzia Bilqis Malik, the programme coordinator of IUCN, said that the Climate Change Gender Action Plan (ccGAPs) was developed around six priority sectors including agriculture and food security, forest and biodiversity, disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation, integrated coastal management and mitigation, energy, and transport.

Primarily a multi-stakeholder and a cross-sector capacity building process was led by the Ministry of Climate Change and IUCN to develop national capacities and focal groups and a cross-sector national action plan, fostering innovative projects designed to strengthen national and provincial climate change adaptation, mitigation and resilience through gender-responsive strategies and activities.

She said that the action plan would further lead to a gender-responsive project pipeline of Pakistan. The presentation was followed by a questions and answers session, which was facilitated by Dr Ghulam Rasul, the head of IUCN climate change programme.

Speaking on the occasion, Gilgit-Baltistan Additional Secretary Aziz Ahmed Jamali said that it was a great achievement of IUCN and government in many ways. “It is the first-ever Climate Change Gender Action Plan of Pakistan led by the Ministry of Climate Change. It is also the first such initiative by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to ensure gender mainstreaming in the upcoming GCF-funded projects,” he added.

Forest and Wildlife Secretary Faisal Ahsan Pirzada said on the occasion that the process engaged representatives and practitioners from all the six priority sectors and across the country. He appreciated the role of IUCN in conservation initiatives in Gilgit-Baltistan, according to the press statement received by WealthPK.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk