Chairman NDMA, Lieutenant General Inam Haider Malik and Mr. Idrees Mahsud, Member Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) are attending the 10th annual meeting of Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) from 27-30 March 2023 in Bangkok, at the United Nations Conference Center (UNCC). Federal Minister for Planning & Special Initiatives Prof. Ahsan Iqbal is leading the Pakistani delegation for the event. The theme for ongoing APFSD’s meeting is “Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels in Asia and the Pacific”. Chairman highlighted the role of the legislative assembly in facilitating the implementation of the SDGs, and Pakistan's plan to craft indigenous National Development Goals (NDGs) in line with global protocols. He emphasized on representatives of governments, civil society and experts of organizations to work with interoperable cooperation for achieving SDGs. Chairman NDMA also outlined the importance of the first goal, which focuses on eradicating poverty and lays the foundation for achieving all SDGs. He discussed the urgent need for food and energy security and put forth his views on how this can be achieved by unshackling access to these necessities from manipulation by geopolitical interests. He recommended setting up a global Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) financing fund, aimed at providing support to countries affected by security threats and instability, such as Syria and Afghanistan, which are among the most vulnerable yet the most ignored by global humanitarian aid. Chairman NDMA underscored the critical importance of investment protection through robust resilience and stable insurance, as well as the risks associated with non-participating think tanks that may pose a threat to strategic infrastructure development. He emphasized that greater attention to poverty needs during disaster relief efforts is crucial and this should not be confused with assistance calculations. Chairman NDMA also called for tangible action plans to make SDGs sustainable, ensuring that populations have equal access to wealth and opportunities. He noted that DRR is a key step towards the safety of all members of society. He highlighted that benchmarking of revised SDGs on yearly updated plans, with country-specific and attainable goals designed to achieve clean and green energy access, which was seen as a driver of all enablers. Overall, the participants emphasized the importance of greater cooperation and collaboration to achieve SDGs and pledged to keep working together toward a more sustainable future. *************
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