Cleaning up development: Minister stresses pollution-free economic growth

Hails initiatives to raise labour and environmental standards in Pakistan.

LAHORE: Economic growth, based on resource exploitation and intensive pollution, is environmentally unsustainable, stressed Punjab Environment Minister Zakia Shahnawaz Khan on Tuesday.

She was speaking at a workshop on International Labour and Environmental Standards: Application in Pakistan’s Small and Medium Enterprises. It was organised at local a hotel by Worldwide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) in collaboration with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The aim was to raise awareness among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), thus enabling them to improve resource efficiency, productivity, competitiveness and business opportunities.

A large number of representatives of the Punjab Environment Protection Department, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), Sialkot Tannery Zone, Pakistan Readymade Garment Manufacturing Exporters Association (PRGMEA), research institutes and academia attended the event.

The minister said that the ILES programme would contribute towards promoting sustainable economic growth in the country.

WWF-Pakistan Director General Hammad Naqi Khan laid emphasis on the importance of environmental sustainability being recognised by mainstream businesses of all sectors.

“In today’s world, we cannot pursue economic integration into the global and regional economy without taking into account sustainable environmental management and impacts of climate change,” he said. “Mediocrity is unacceptable,” he said. The DG added SMEs in Pakistan should understand that environmental sustainability is a long-term solution to ensure economic activity continues without damaging its surroundings.

Speaking on the occasion, ILO Country Director Ingrid Christensen said labour and environmental practices were crucial elements to achieve inclusive growth. “All stakeholders should join hands to develop joint interventions that comprehensively promote productive and environmentally-friendly workplaces.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2017.