ISLAMABAD: A delegation from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has been in the country to discuss potential areas of cooperation with Pakistan, and enhance its capacity to address climate change and accessing climate finance.

The GCF team would be in Islamabad till March 11 and conduct various meetings and workshops with the stakeholders. The GCF team’s visit to Pakistan was in response to the request by ministry of climate change.

The federal minister for Climate Change Senator Sherry Rehman received the delegation and highlighted the significance of the GCF team’s visit to Pakistan.

She acknowledged the GCF’s valuable assistance to Pakistan, and stated, “This visit is a significant step towards building capacity and mobilising resources to mitigate the impacts of climate change in our country.

It will help address the challenges related to access to climate finance and develop project proposals that align with the Fund’s rules and procedures.”

Senator Rehman emphasised the ministry’s commitment to working with international partners, like the GCF, to combat climate change and promote sustainable development in Pakistan.

The GCF mission was headed by Carolina Fuentes, Director of Country Programming Division. During their visit, the delegation met the officials at the ministry and departments concerned were also invited to participate in the discussions. The mission’s visit provided an opportunity for fruitful collaboration and technical assistance towards addressing the challenges faced by Pakistan in accessing climate finance and developing sustainable projects.

During their stay, the GCF team would conduct a workshop to equip participants with the necessary knowledge and skills to develop project proposals aligned with the fund’s rules and procedures and mobilise finance from public and private sources. The workshop would focus on the accreditation process to the fund and project development.

In addition to this, the mission would have meetings with UN agencies and DAEs to discuss their projects which are in the pipeline and provide necessary technical assistance.

GCF had been instrumental in supporting Pakistan’s environmental initiatives, with a current portfolio valued at $135 million.

To date, GCF had successfully funded four projects totaling $0.9 million, while actively supporting a number of ongoing projects aimed at promoting sustainability and resilience across the country.

Among these ongoing projects, such as the Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) initiative in Northern Pakistan, Green-BRT Karachi, and Transforming the Indus Basin, have received significant funding from GCF totaling $134 million.

GCF was continuing its support for Pakistan’s environmental initiatives, with a number of projects currently in the pipeline. Notably, the Recharge Pakistan and Integrated Climate Risk Management for Strengthened Resilience projects were set to receive funding valued at $60 million. Through these initiatives, the government hoped to continue making a positive impact on the environment and in the fight against climate change with GCF’s support-

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2023