Green business: Over 1,500 being trained in five value chains

ILO’s project to promote green entrepreneurship in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD:

Over 1,500 men and women are being trained under a programme titled “Five Value Chains of Green Business” in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, said Business for Social Progress CEO Dr Ameena Hasan.

Speaking at launching ceremony of the Green Business Incubator, she said the men and women were receiving training in seashell embellishment, jewellery-making, wild mushrooms, green mussel and turkey farming.

She shared details of the work done under the Green Decent Jobs for Socio-economic Empowerment Project with support of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada.

“It is extremely important to provide market access to the communities involved in sustainable harvesting of natural ingredients and this will be ensured through the first ethical brand of natural ingredients named Forest Picks,” said Hasan.

“Forest Picks aims to offer high-value organic and wild products picked from the remote and isolated valleys of northern Pakistan and deserts in the south,” she added.

She urged all stakeholders including the government, non-profit and business organisations to work together to promote green businesses in the country.

“We have envisioned an institution that will work beyond the project life to promote green entrepreneurship in Pakistan.”

ILO Project Officer-in-Charge and Senior Programme Officer Munawar Sultana, while appreciating the hard work carried out by the Business for Social Progress team, said, “ILO sees green jobs as central to sustainable development and we are mandated to help Pakistan shift into a low-carbon and sustainable society.”

Inspector General of Forests Syed Mehmood Nasir praised the hard work of Business for Social Progress, saying there was still a lot of work that needed to be done and the government was always ready and keen on extending guidance and supporting initiatives for the conservation of forests and other natural resources.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th,  2016.

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