Islamabad: Romina Khursheed Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, announced significant plans to enhance urban environmental initiatives and introduce alternative energy sources in rural Pakistan, in collaboration with various international partners.

According to Press Information Department, during a meeting with a delegation from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) held on Monday, Alam outlined her strategy to mobilize resources by engaging bilateral and multilateral donors and major banks. She emphasized the establishment of a dashboard linked to the Prime Minister’s Office to monitor and accelerate the progress of these environmental projects.

The discussions also covered several key projects including the Montreal Protocol Project, aimed at addressing ozone and hydrochlorofluorocarbon emissions with a budget of $594,748, to be completed by 2027. The GLOF-II project, funded by the Green Climate Fund with a budget of $37 million, focuses on reducing flood risks in 18 districts across Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, benefiting 696,000 community members directly.

Additionally, the ministry plans to launch the Promotion and Application of Sustainable Biomass Energy Technologies (PASBET) with a budget of approximately $28.72 million, set to conclude in 2028. Another initiative discussed was the “Global Shield Against Climate Risks” Project, which aims to enhance pre-arranged finance against disasters for vulnerable populations.

Alam reassured the UNDP of her full support and instructed ministry officials to hold monthly progress reviews to ensure the timely completion of these initiatives, reflecting the government’s commitment to making Pakistan climate resilient.