World Environment Day turns into week as Ministry of Climate Change, Aga Khan Foundation & United Nations join forces

ISLAMABAD, June 7th, 2024 – This week the United Nations, the Aga Khan Foundation and the Ministry of Climate Change convened two wide gatherings on June 5th and 7th in a dual effort to spotlight the pressing need for climate action and environmental protection.

The first of the two events welcomed a spectrum of dignitaries, diplomats, and grassroots champions all converging to amplify the urgent message: the time for decisive action is now.

During the ceremony, Pakistan’s ‘Living Indus’ initiative officially received the World Restoration Flagship award which the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced in February.

Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, who was handed over the award, said: “Pakistan is among the countries most adversely impacted by climate change, but it is now leading the way with its climate diplomacy.”

In Pakistan and all over the world, ecosystems are threatened. This year, World Environment Day focused on land restoration, halting desertification and building drought resilience under the slogan “Our land. Our future. We are #GenerationRestoration.”  

“Just last week, temperatures in Pakistan crossed 52 degrees Celsius. We cannot turn back time, but we can take collective action to adapt to this new age of global warming,” said Mr. Mohamed Yahya, the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan. “Across the country, communities are already trying to cope with the impact of climate change. By supporting the Government’s ‘Living Indus’ initiative and a range of innovative programmes, United Nations agencies support Pakistan’s efforts to protect and restore nature, biodiversity, water sources, as well as their lives and livelihoods.”

During the ceremony, 30 ‘Climate Heroes’ of Pakistan received medals.

Mr. Akhtar Iqbal, CEO, Aga Khan Foundation noted: “Communities have been experiencing firsthand the impacts of climate change and environmental degradation. It is already transforming landscapes, habitats, livelihoods, and local aspirations. That said, our collective actions can make a difference. We have been fully committed to doing our part for over 55 years and we will continue to support Pakistan to cope with the challenges ahead. We want to ensure that communities are empowered to be more resilient, have access to clean energy, adopt more sustainable natural resources management practices and contribute to large reforestation efforts. We also want to place women and young people at the centre of climate leadership and invest in their future through boosting green businesses and jobs.”

On Friday at PNCA, the second event was public and welcomed everyone, especially young people, to get inspired into taking the lead in environmental protection. It included a second screening of ‘When the floods come’, a new documentary by Nyal Mueenuddin, a young Pakistani filmmaker who went with friends on a 3000km odyssey down Pakistan’s Indus River. The popular band from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Khumariyaan, enchanted the crowd with mesmerizing tunes in honour of the Indus River Basin and Pakistan’s rich and diverse culture, while several climate activists shared their passion and hope with the audience.

Note to editors:

The UN in Pakistan: Climate Action and the Environment are one of the top priorities on the United Nations’ global agenda, and one of the 5 priorities agreed between the UN and Pakistan. Investing to fight climate Change, biodiversity loss and pollution is one of six pathways that can help achieve the 17 Global Goals (also known as SDGs) to end extreme poverty, inequality, and mitigate climate change. You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Aga Khan Foundation (AKF): Environment and climate is a core strategic priority and cross-cutting theme for the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN). AKF is significantly accelerating its response to the global climate crisis, working with communities to strengthen their resilience to climate change, so they not only survive but thrive. AKF works with communities in diverse ecosystems (mountains, coasts and plains), alongside government and civil society and the private sector, to develop locally led adaptation and mitigation responses to climate change and improve quality of life. AKF’s Climate Resilience interventions are crosscutting, interlinked and include Forestry, Regenerative Farming, Clean Energy, Green Economy, Coastal Regeneration, and Education and Climate Change.
https://the.akdn/en/what-we-do/building-resilient-communities/environment-climate-change

For more information, please contact:

United Nations Information Centre in Pakistan (UNIC)
Catherine Weibel, catherine.weibel@un.org, +92 300 854 0058
Mahvash Haider Ali, mahvash.ali@un.org, +92 319 071 2828

Aga Khan Development Network
Laila Naz Taj,

Director AKDN Pakistan Communications

Laila.taj@akdn.org