Eminent international experts and high level Pakistani officials and business representatives are expected to take part in ‘National Consultation on Green Economy’ jointly organized by the Federal Ministry of Climate Change, the United Nations Development Programme and other UN organizations, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI ) and Lead Pakistan on 18-19 May at Islamabad. In the Consultation the delegates will discuss the serious economic, environmental and social crises facing the world and Pakistan ahead of a major global meeting on sustainable development in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro next month. The main objective of the conference is to review the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development hosted by Brazil in Rio on 20-22 June, likely to be attended by more than 130 heads of state and government and thousands of delegates representing the UN, private business, non-governmental organizations and the media, said a press release issued by SDPI here on Tuesday. The National Consultation will be inaugurated by Federal Climate Change Minister, Rana Farooq Saeed. During the two-day event, renowned experts and officials like Dr Tariq Banuri, former head of Sustainable Development Division in the UN HQ in New York, Dr Adil Najam, Vice Chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Sheng Fulai and Stefanos Fotiou, senior officials of the UN Environment Programme, Dr Hussein Abaza, former UNEP’s official on Environment and Economics for twenty years, Malik Amin Aslam, former Minister of State for Environment, Farrukh Iqbal Khan, Counselor at Pakistan’s UN Mission, Shakeel Durrani, Chairman WAPDA, Arif Alaud Din, head of Renewable Energy Development Board (AEDB), Managing Director Energy Conservation Centre (ENERCON) of the Ministry of Water and Power, Dr Khalid Mohtadullah and Arshad Abbasi will make presentations. High ranking UN officials and representatives of the private sector will also contribute to the discussions. The consultation will review various aspects of Green Economy and identify the key elements of a possible Green Economy framework for Pakistan. It will also make recommendations on the outcome of the June 2012 Conference for consideration by the Pakistan delegation.Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani is expected to lead Pakistani delegation at the Rio Conference which would include the Federal Minster for Climate Change, Rana Farooq Saeed and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and senior officials of several federal ministries.The objective of the June 2012 Conference is to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in implementation of the outcomes of the major Summits on sustainable development and address new and emerging challenges.
