IUCN Introduces Climate Change Planning Into Balochistan Government Ranks

The Climate Change Planning Was Carried Out As Part Of An Ongoing Partnership Between IUCN And The BIWRMDP

A 5-Day Training Workshop concluded here in Karachi, imparting key lessons and techniques in climate change adaptation and mitigation to officials from different line departments of the Balochistan Government.  The purpose of the training was to sensitize the officials to climate change issues in Pakistan overall and in Balochistan in particular; and to help them introduce climate change aspects and sensitivities into their development planning.  The Climate Change training was carried out as part of an ongoing partnership between IUCN and the Balochistan Integrated Water Resources Management and Development Project (BIWRMDP) for enhancing capacity building of the government officials of the line departments of Government of Balochistan pertaining to Climate Change its impacts and the mitigation techniques.

Senator (r) Javed Jabbar graced the occasion as a Chief Guest of the event. In his remarks, Senator (r) Javed Jabbar warned against the perils of the consumerism in the long run and its impact on the future generations. He further cautioned that if proper mitigation would not be taken in the country the consequences would be disastrous.  In his welcome remarks, Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Country Representative IUCN Pakistan, recounted the cooperation and long association between the Government of Balochistan and IUCN Pakistan, spanning three decades on conservation of environment and sustainable development.  He considered this Training Workshop as a step further towards strengthening of this relationship.

The training topics covered history of Climate Change; Environmental Abnormality and Impacts; Climate Change and it impact on water resources particularly on groundwater resources in context of Balocistan; Impacts of Climate Change on food security; Climate Change mitigation and adaptation with gender perspective; Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction; Climate Change Adaptation and Integrated Water Resource Management. The representatives of the Balochistan Government line departments hailed from: Agriculture Department; Environment Protection Agency; Public Health Department; Balcohistan Forest Department; Irrigation Department.