Accord to motivate Nature friendly Business in Pakistan

Sana Jamal

Islamabad – In a bid to incorporate biodiversity friendly practices into business policies, an Agreement has been signed by IUCN Pakistan and the Climate Change Division, Government of Pakistan in Islamabad. The agreement aims to stimulate market demand for nature-friendly products and to enhance institutional capacities to scale up biodiversity and business in Northern Pakistan over a period of four years under a GEF/UNDP funded project titled: ‘Mountains and Markets’. The GEF Project seeks to support ongoing biodiversity conservation efforts in northern Pakistan by using market-based mechanisms to strengthen community co-management of Pakistan’s biodiversity-rich mountain ecosystems.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Khalid Siddiq, Joint Secretary of Climate Change Division said that the Government of Pakistan is committed to principles of participatory sustainable human development and development cooperation; and has demonstrated the capacity needed for the activities involved for enhancing market demand for biodiversity friendly products.

The agreement was signed during the GEF Global Environmental Facility Steering Committee meeting in the presence of representatives from all provinces and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It was highlighted that during the implementation of this project IUCN Pakistan and Climate Change Division would ensure that all the activities are carried out without discrimination, direct or indirect, because of race, ethnicity, religion or creed, status of nationality or political belief, gender, handicapped status, or any other circumstances.

Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Country Representative, IUCN Pakistan said that IUCN values its partnership with the Federal and Provincial Governments and signing of the agreement today is a testimony of further strengthening of this partnership.

IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature, is the largest global environmental organization, which works on biodiversity, climate change, energy, human livelihoods and greening the world economy by supporting scientific research, managing projects all over the world, by bringing governments, NGOs, the UN and companies together to develop policies, and best practices.