Mitigating GLOF risks: Green Climate Fund yet to review Pakistan’s proposals

Officials say delay in funding for GLOF project may jeopardise four years gains of the project

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s hopes of upscaling the glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) project have diminished after the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board decided not to review any project for 2016.

The board held its meeting at GCF headquarters in South Korea last week and took a series of policy decisions designed to strengthen its partnerships and grow its project pipeline in 2016.

The Board took decision including the adoption of the fund’s first strategic plan, its work plan for 2016 and accreditation of 13 new entities. Green Climate Fund did not review any climate related project from any country including Pakistan because of GCF itself being understaffed and lack of administrative capacity.

Pakistan was among very few countries that submitted project proposals for funding from GCF. In July last year, Pakistan had submitted $33million part II of GLOF project to the GCF board.

“The delay in funding for GLOF
project may jeopardise four years gains of the GLOF project, an official of Ministry of Climate Change told The Express Tribune.

The official, who requested anonymity, said the ministry has not allocated any funds for the project from its own resources.

He said the ministry lacked the capacity to independently review projects as most of the times the projects are referred to non-government organisations and consultants for review.

GLOF-I project was a joint collaboration of government of Pakistan, UNDP and the Adaption Fund. The objective of the project was to develop the human and technical capacity of public institutions to understand and address immediate GLOF risks for vulnerable communities in northern Pakistan and to enable vulnerable local communities in northern areas of Pakistan to better understand and respond to the GLOF risks and to adapt to growing climate change pressure.

The four year project was started in 2011 and concluded in 2015. The implementation partners were the Ministry of Climate Change and funding partner was Adaptation Fund.

The pilot project was carried out in Bindo Gol Valley in Chitral district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Bagrot Vally in Gilgit-Baltistan. This was the first climate change adaptation project at the government level which was aimed to reduce risks and vulnerabilities from glacial lake outburst to develop the human and technical capacity of public institutions to understand and address immediate glacial lake outburst.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2016.