Sixth National report to the UN convention on CBD

Ministry of Climate Change and IUCN Pakistan co-organized a workshop to validate and finalize the 6th National Report (6NR) of Pakistan to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at a local hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Sixth National report to the UN convention on CBD

The report reflects the progress made by Pakistan on the Biodiversity since the last report. Pakistan is a signatory to the United Nation’s Convention on Biological Diversity and hence regularly reports the progress on the conservation of the Biodiversity.

The workshop was chaired by the Inspector General of Forests, Syed Mahmood Nasir and honored by the participation of Secretary Forest and Wildlife Sindh Mr. Abdul Rahim Soomro. Key stakeholders, policy makers from federal and provincial governments, academia, national and international development partners joined the event and contributed progress of their respective federating units.

Syed Mahmood Nasir, Inspector General Forests, Ministry of Climate Change appreciated the participation of all the provinces in the development of this report. He also acknowledged the commitment and efforts of IUCN in compiling a quality document to be presented at the global level. He highlighted the importance of this obligatory requirement of Pakistan. While elaborating the two major issues that need to be addressed on priority basis, he shared the efforts made by the Government in plant conservation and prevention of the illegal wildlife trade in Pakistan.

Mr. Abdul Rahim Soomro, Secretary Forest and Wildlife Sindh acknowledged great work done by the provinces and highlighted the need for continued efforts. He appreciated the participation of all departments and ensured that the Sindh Government provides a comprehensive feedback for finalization of this report. He suggested developing the academia-industry partnerships for inclusion of the latest research carried out by university students. He acknowledged the presence of relevant government departments coming together for a common national cause.

Ms. Fauzia Bilqis Malik, Manager IUCN Islamabad Office acknowledged the input provided by the participants in compiling this report and thanked them for the participation at the validation workshop. She highlighted that this report will reflect the progress of Pakistan at the global level, hence must include all the significant progress. Dr. Rizwan Irshad, Deputy Director, Biodiversity Directorate, Ministry of Climate Change provided an overview of the process followed in developing the Sixth National Report. 

Mr. Abdul Munaf Qaimkhani presented a brief overview of the 6th National Report. He highlighted that the 6NR will establish the global biodiversity outlook of Pakistan and plays a key role in enhancing global biodiversity. The report comprises of seven major sections, out of which there are 2 optional sections. A joint team of IUCN consultants and officers of Biodiversity Directorate, Ministry of Climate Change initiated a country wide consultative process in December 2018, to collect the data and information from various stakeholders regarding implementation of National Biodiversity and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the progress made towards achieving 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets (ABTs) during reporting period (i.e. July 2014 – December, 2018), so that the actions taken in support of biodiversity conservation and its sustainable use could be assessed and reported to CBD Secretariat under Sixth National Report (6thNR). The same is an obligation under Article 26 of the convention.

The national report has a combination of information and data available at the country level which includes: information on the targets being pursued at the national level; implementation measures taken and assessment of their effectiveness; assessment of progress made towards each national target; description of the national contribution to each of the global ABTs; description of the national contribution to Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC); contribution of indigenous peoples and local communities to ABTs and updated biodiversity country profiles.

Provincial Forest, Wildlife and Environment departments from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit Balitistan, Pakistan Forest institute, National Agriculture Research Council (NARC), Punjab Fisheries Department, WWF, WCS shared their feedback and input to the report.

In her concluding remarks, Ms. Fauzia Malik, Manager IUCN Islamabad Programme Office thanked all the stakeholders for their valuable contributions in making the 6th National Report a quality, authentic and futuristic document.