Climate stakeholders adopted a resolution on Wednesday, on the concluding day of the ‘Track-II Dialogue on Climate Change for Peace’, which was jointly organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and Heinrich Boll Stiftung (HBS).
The delegates were deliberating on water, energy, adaptation, gender equity and livelihoods.
They stressed on both India and Pakistan to work together to address the climate change challenges in order to achieve food and energy security, sustainable livelihoods, conservation of biodiversity, enhanced water use efficiency, promotion of low carbon sustainable development and building resilient communities and networks.
They said the energy needs of both the countries were growing to bring the sizeable population out of poverty and to achieve economic growth. Both the countries needed to work together to ensure universal access to sustainable and affordable energy, including through the optimisation of renewable energy potential in the region, measures to promote green energy and the establishment of the South Asian Energy Grid.
Stressing upon the need to utilise the best available scientific and local knowledge, they said governments, academic institutions, and civil society organisations needed to work together to prepare a compendium of the best policy frameworks and practices.
Deliberating on education, they emphasised mutual learning and sharing of experiences and knowledge between the government agencies, civil society organisations, academic and research institutions and other stakeholders through building networks and establishing exchange programmes for experts, researchers and journalists.
Highlighting the importance of gender equality, they said women must be involved in all decision-making levels and processes in order to incorporate their perspectives and address their specific needs and vulnerabilities.
They stated that South Asian expatriates’ networks could provide invaluable support in the form of financing, knowledge sharing and access to information and technology.
The resolution elaborated the adaptation strategies which must be designed, keeping in view the shared ecosystems in the region as well as the common interests of countries, including prevention of conflict.
The resolution emphasised the SAARC summits’ decisions on climate change, especially those pertaining to food security and disaster risk reduction and sought their implementation through enhanced cooperation and removal of impediments. The resolution also recommended that SAARC to carry out a feasibility study on the establishment of a green climate fund for South Asia besides establishing a ‘Climate Policy Coordination Group’ between the policy-makers of the two countries.
Some of the delegates who spoke on the occasion included former federal Environment Minister Malik Amin Aslam; UNDP Country Director Toshihirio Tanaka; SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri; Chandra Bhushan from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) India; former Head of United Nations Sustainable Development Division Dr Tariq Banuri; HBS Country Director Britta Peterson; Vasudha Foundation CEO K. Srinivas and HBS India Office Climate Change Programme Advisor Sanjay Vashist.
