ISLAMABAD, May 8: We will have to adopt modern technologies and invest more in human resources if we want to develop and prosper as a nation, said Dr Mutawakil Qazi, Secretary Planning and Development.

He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of a three-day workshop on “Integrating Environmental Consideration into Economic Policy Making” organized by the Planning Development Division and Unescap here.

Mr Qazi deplored that despite the availability of hundreds of foreign qualified specialists and experts in different fields, the country could not give its children a better future. On the contrary, he said, two third world countries like Singapore and Korea entered into the first world during the same period because they had invested more in human talent. “This reflects something wrong with our policies and the way we think, he said and added, “Unless we change, we can’t give a better life to our future generation.”

He said Pakistan was dependent on international donations to the tune of $2 to 4 billion annually when it could generate this much amount by conserving its water resources and electricity. He said a huge amount of water and electricity was wasted in big cities annually, which had no parallel in any part of the world. Mutwakil said by taking two to three measures we could bring to end our dependence on donors. Conserving water can save $2 billion every year and conserving energy can save another $1.5 billion, he added.

He deplored that tens of thousands of dollars were being spent to study poverty in a bid to end poverty when the same could be diverted towards eradicating poverty.

Onder Yucer, Resident Representative of UNDP in Pakistan, said the United Nations had been stressing the need for incorporating environmental consideration into the economic policy making process since the debate on sustainable development was initiated three decades back.

“It is evident now that environmental improvement is not a luxury that can wait until growth has alleviated income poverty, nor it can be assumed that growth itself can take care of environmental protection,” he said.

Yucer said the global community agreed at WSSD that eradicating poverty was indispensable for sustainable development in developing countries and it required concerted and concrete measures at all levels.