World Bank agreed to facilitate international conference with collaboration of Ministry of climate change Pakistan to attract potential international donors to arrange finances for funding key environmental projects in Pakistan. It was decided in a meeting of world bank delegation with Federal Minister /Advisor to PM on climate change Malik Amin Aslam Khan at Ministry of climate change Islamabad today (Friday) Federal Secretary Climate change Shahrukh Nusrat and Addl. Secretary khurram Ali Agha were also present in the meeting. A World Bank delegation led by Ms. Anna Wellenstein Director of Strategy and Operations for the World Bank Group’s Social, Urban, Rural, and Resilience (SURR) Global Practice. World bank called on the Minister / Advisor to PM on climate change to discuss common modalities for future cooperation in climate related projects. Malik Amin Aslam Khan apprised the delegates that environment is a major part of our party's eleven points agenda which we are going to implement now. Initially we successfully completed one billion tree tsunami projects in KPK which was appreciated globally and now we are up scaling this in to a ten billion tsunami tree plantation project to implement at national level. While on the other hand to fulfill our international commitments, we have initiated another flagship program "Clean Green Pakistan". Prime Minister Imran Khan is going to inaugurate it by tomorrow. While sharing the salient features of this "Clean Green Pakistan" said that this initiative will focus on five major areas which include plantation, solid and liquid waste management, clean water and hygiene. Minister further said that we are well aware of the climate challenges and very much clear agendas to deal with these issues. We are also focusing on adaptation side as well. He said that our 90%water which comes from Tarbella and goes directly to Arabian Sea. Unfortunately we haven't developed any mechanism to store that water. But now we have a comprehensive plan to store flood water in our wetlands under "Recharge Pakistan" project which we have sent to GCF through WWF. Malik Amin Aslam Khan said that by keeping in view the drastically changing climate situation, we are thinking alternative energy means. In KPK we built 350 small Hydropower units on running rivers and we will also upscale that model at national level in a next phase and to implement all these agendas, we need global support of potential donors. Ms. Anna Wellenstein suggested that World Bank is ready to arrange an international conference with collaboration of Ministry of climate change where we can present Pakistan, s case and seek international assistance from potential donors, and both the sides principally agreed on the proposal. Minister also requested the World Bank to extend cooperation to deal with "SMOG" issue which people of Punjab are facing these days under the Green Punjab Project of World Bank.
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