The Ministry of Environment is making all out efforts to develop policies, plans and programmes such as the national environment policy, national sanitation policy, national energy conservation policy and draft national forestry policy for addressing the environmental issues.
This was stated by Federal Secretary for Environment Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi, while addressing a consultative workshop on One UN System in Pakistan here on Monday. He said that commitment of the government towards environment was evident from substantial increase in the financial resources allocation and priority attached to the environment in mid-term development framework (MTDF) 2005-2010, Vision 2030 and other national development initiatives.
He said that Ministry of Environment considered that the One UN Country Programme on Environment could serve as an important mechanism for implementing the national environment policies on the ground and effectively address the sectoral and cross-sectoral issues in line with the ministries and organisations so that the sustainable environmental and economic development could be achieved in Pakistan.
He said that Ministry of Environment considered it vital that the results, impacts and shortcomings of United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) implemented during 2004-2008 might be of great help in providing necessary feedback in developing the joint country programme on environment under One UN Reform.
The Secretary said the situational analysis report of the environment sector in Pakistan, prepared under One UN Reform, had been reviewed by the Ministry of Environment and it was felt to widen the scope of consultation with all line agencies and the workshop marked commencement of this process. The Secretary hoped that the recommendations of this workshop would provide a solid basis to reform UN System in accordance with specific needs and facilitate implementation of national environment policy with the target to offset the cost of environmental degradation estimated to be around one billion a day.
Speaking on the occasion, Director General of Ministry of Environment Jawed Ali Khan said that the country programme was being piloted in eight countries of the world and two in Asia, including Pakistan and Vietnam.
He said that Pakistan's country programme included five core areas - environment; agriculture, rural development and poverty reduction; education; health and population; and disaster management.
He said that a thematic working group on each of the themes had been constituted and situational analysis had been carried out for each of the thematic areas. UN Resident Coordinator Fikret Ackura said that the issues of enabling environment for improved environmental management and development, integrated programme on access to safe water and improved sanitation, integrated natural resources management, sustainable urban development and green industries, energy and jobs would be addressed under One UN System reforms programme.
Comments
Comments are closed.