Pakistan is an active participant in the annual World Environment Day celebrated globally on June 5. This participation is a practical expression of our determination to join the collective will of the international community to take concerted action to protect the environment.
That is why the Ministry of Environment is demonstrating our national and international commitment in this field by supporting a number of events and activities to honour this important day.
Pakistan recognises the need and the urgency of a healthy environment for respecting and protecting the life on earth and to ensure that we are able to achieve the targets that we set ourselves under the Millennium Development Goals and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper.
The theme for this year's World Environment day is "Wanted! Seas & Oceans Dead or Alive." It is a timely reminder to wake up to the realities of an alarming situation and act before it is too late.
The Government of Pakistan is fully committed to protecting our seawaters and marine life and has demonstrated this resolve through various policy interventions. However, our financial constraints oblige us to limit such actions in terms of scope, timing and impact and highlight the need for collaboration on the part of the private sector and civil society to achieve the stated goals.
Nevertheless, Pakistan has taken the steps to develop internationally recognised strategies, principally to through the National Conservation Strategy and the National Environmental Action Plan, which articulate action in four critical areas, ie clean air, clean water, ecosystem management and solid waste management. Our Environment Protection Act provides the legal framework for pursuing the policies set down in the two strategies. In the context of this year's theme, Pakistan has signed major conventions relating to coastal and marine resources and is a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Pakistan has enormous stakes in the treasures of the sea. Our fisheries comprise around 350 different species and generate income and employment opportunities for over 100,000 people. Then there are the Indus delta mangroves, which are an essential life supporting ecosystem supporting innumerable wild flora and fauna. All this wealth is an integral component of Pakistan's economy and we are committed to its protection. One of the major endeavours of our government has been the introduction of a Maritime Policy to address connected issues.
In view of our limited technical and financial resources, I hope that international institutions and multilateral agencies will come forward and make a worthy contribution to ensure long-term and sustained development in Pakistan, with particular emphasis on marine issues. With their assistance and co-operation, we should be able to achieve both our national targets and the international goals to which we are committed as a government. God bless Pakistan and our world.
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