State Minister for Climate Change, Zartaj Gul, has expressed deep confidence and appreciation for the work of National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF). The Minister made these remarks on her visit to the NDRMF office in Islamabad on Friday.
Ms. Zartaj Gul was given a presentation and briefing on the activities and progress of the Fund by CEO NDRMF, Lt. Gen (R) Nadeem Ahmed. The Fund is financing projects for provincial governments and non-public sector partners through a 70% financial grant in the areas of flood protection infrastructure, early warning systems, retrofitting of public infrastructure, multi-hazard vulnerability risk assessments and community based disaster risk management.
The State Minister for Climate Change appreciated that the Fund has disbursed Billions of Rupees in critical project financing in a period of just one year. The Fund has also helped to build the capacity of provincial governments and relevant departments and proven its track record of efficiently and transparently disbursing funds for major projects.
She claimed that the Fund has proven its credibility by initially securing funding from the Asian Development Bank and subsequently being chosen to host the upcoming Ecosystem Restoration Initiative to be funded by the World Bank. The trust of reputed donors in government-owned institutions like NDRMF is a good sign for the economy and a milestone for public sector governance in Pakistan.
NDRMF has approved project financing for implementation partners with the aim to enhance Pakistan’s resilience to climatic hazards and natural disasters. These include the upgradation of Rescue 1122 services in various parts of the country, early warning systems for tsunamis, critical flood protection infrastructure, and water conservation structures to protect against droughts.
The fund has also drafted a Disaster Risk Finance strategy to protect Pakistan against financial losses from disasters, which is a unique achievement for the government and in-line with similar efforts in most advanced countries of the world.
Due to NDRMF’s strict compliances and strenuous project appraisal mechanisms, the Fund has been selected to host the World Bank’s upcoming Ecosystem Restoration Initiative. NDRMF will now also finance projects related to water recharge, marine life and blue economy, biodiversity and land degradation, afforestation and e-vehicles. The Fund will also provide funding for the Prime Minister’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami, which is a flagship project for the current government with international acclaim.
Minister for Climate Change, Zartaj Gul, reiterated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to make Pakistan a key global player in the fight against Climate Change. The trust of international donors in institutions like NDRMF, to finance relevant projects, is a key step in this process.
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