KARACHI: DawnMedia has announced hosting an international climate change conference, Breathe Pakistan, in Islamabad on Feb 6–7.

The two-day event, to be held at the Jinnah Convention Centre, is divided into 15 dynamic sessions with more than 90 speakers from 11 countries and a host of climate change experts from the conference’s principal partner, the United Nations, and also from the World Bank.

Additionally, the conference will include experts from the federal Ministry of Climate Change, and from the strategic partner for the conference — the Government of Punjab — as well as those from other provinces, and the corporate sector, both public and private, says a press release on Saturday.

An array of climate change experts from the South Asian region including India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka are also expected to be present at the conference.

Says event is aimed at driving Pakistan towards a climate-resilient future

DawnMedia’s latest initiative Breathe Pakistan is committed to raising awareness and encouraging climate resilience and adaptation at all levels of the country. The conference will bring together leaders, experts, and innovators to collaborate on strategies that address the climate crisis while supporting economic growth and lessening the negative impact of climate change on the destinies of the most vulnerable segments of the population — the poor, women and children.

“By stimulating open dialogue and practical solutions, we aim to strengthen Pakistan’s resilience against climate change,” said a Dawn spokesperson. “Pakistan is the fifth most climate-vulnerable country in the world. From rising temperatures to erratic rainfall, climate change is putting our communities, environment, and economy at risk.

“Meaningful change is possible—and it needs to begin with us. Breathe Pakistan is not simply about awareness. It calls for an immediate and considered action. It requires every Pakistani to take ownership of our environment, to contribute to a wide-ranging policy on climate change, and to lay the foundations for a climate-resilient Pakistan,” the Dawn spokesperson concluded.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025