SHENZHEN: As the international community observed World Environment Day on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the nation to join the global movement to restore their land, build drought resilience and combat desertification.
The World Environment Day is celebrated annually on June 5 to highlight the environmental challenges of our time. World Environment Day 2024 focuses on land restoration, stopping desertification and building drought resilience.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the global host of this year’s edition.
Urging the people to be part of the Generation Restoration programme to ensure a better future for all, the prime minister said that the people and government of Pakistan joined the global community in recognising their shared responsibility to protect their planet and fight climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.
He said this year’s theme of “land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience,” reminded the world of the humongous challenge that confronting it in terms of the billions of hectares of land that was being degraded, affecting almost half of the world’s population and threatening half of global GDP. Rural communities, smallholding farmers and the extremely poor are hit the hardest, he added.
“Pakistan stands firm in its resolve to combat environmental challenges and stands committed to contributing to global efforts towards sustainability. Initiatives such as the Green Pakistan Programme, Living Indus Initiative, and National Adaptation Plan, underscore our commitment to reforestation and ecosystem restoration, tackling issues of deforestation and biodiversity loss head-on,” he said.
The PM recalled Pakistan’s climate diplomacy efforts during COP27, particularly in establishing a Loss and Damage Fund, which were recognised widely and viewed positively by international experts.
He said that despite facing challenges such as land degradation, desertification, and water scarcity, Pakistan remained steadfast in its resolve and efforts to address these issues through innovative solutions and collaborative partnerships.
Published in Dawn, June 6th, 2024
