KARACHI: An interactive event under the Awareness Raising Campaign for World Ozone Day-2023 was organized by the Montreal Protocol (MP)-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the National Ozone Unit (NOU) of the Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) in collaboration with Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), Karachi.
Montreal Protocol (MP)-UNDP under the direction and guidance of Syed Mujtaba Hussain, Additional Secretary, MoCC & EC, Amir Khan Goraya, ARR-UNDP, as well as the dynamic management of Dr. Saleem Janjua, National Project Manager (Montreal Protocol), is performing various important activities at the national and international levels in the domain of ozone, climate change, and other related areas.
Prof. Dr. Mir Shabbar Ali, Dean Faculty of Civil & Architecture, SSUET, appreciated the efforts of the Montreal Protocol, UNDP in organizing awareness-raising activities on an important topic of ozone protection.
Dr. Saleem Janjua, NPM (Montreal Protocol)-UNDP (Guest of Honor) gave the opening remarks and explained the overall rationale for arranging the awareness-raising campaign related to World Ozone Day-2023 and also deliberated on details for Montreal Protocol.
He emphasized that academia has an integral role in phasing out Ozone ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and achieving targets set under international commitments by carrying out policy-oriented research and piloting innovative projects.
With this intent, the Montreal Protocol, UNDP has carried out a series of awareness-raising campaigns and is pro-active in establishing/maintaining partnerships with academic institutions so that coherent efforts are made and international commitments regarding the Montreal Protocol are met.
Prof. Dr. Valiud Din, Vice Chancellor of Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET), appreciated the efforts of Dr. Saleem Janjua, NPM (Montreal Protocol)-UNDP for organizing the awareness-raising campaign in Karachi on a topic that is needed for environmental sustainability and is critical to ensure human survival on planet Earth.
Dr. Hajra Tahir, Former Chairperson, of the Department of Chemistry, University of Karachi also addressed the audience.
The session proceeded with speeches and presentations and in-depth technical discussions related to ODS, the Kigali Amendment, and the ozone layer.
This was followed by a communication activity wherein students of Sir Syed University played an interactive quiz related to ozone and winners were selected. Students also prepared posters that gave important messages related to ozone protection.
Stakeholders/participants from different departments and organizations unanimously stressed the need for ozone layer protection, phasing out of ODS, and ensuring compliance with the Montreal Protocol (MP) and its international commitments.
Development projects like the Montreal Protocol through UNDP and other donor agencies' assistance have done commendable work and need to continue the good work under the leadership of Dr. Saleem Janjua.
All government departments/stakeholders should also continue and accelerate their role in environmental protection. The need of the hour remains that all key stakeholders (government, academia, donor organizations) work collaboratively for the combined target of protecting ozone from depletion and thus ensuring a safer planet for our future generations.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023