In a first, Pakistan elected to UN Environment Assembly

Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam has been elected as vice president of the UN Environment Assembly bureau to represent Pakistan on the global forum, during its week-long 5th session.

“It is, of course, a great achievement and honour for Pakistan for having been elected as a member of the UNEA body as vice president to lead the global efforts towards goals of making the world climate-resilient and environmentally-sustainable place through a global climate action,” an official statement quoted the PM’s aide as saying.

This is the first time in history that Pakistan has been elected to the global policy-making forum, as per the communiqué.

The UNEA’s ministerial bureau consists of 10 members — one president, eight vice presidents one rapporteur — from among its members, with two members representing each region, who work in various global and regional fora on the environment.

The president, the vice-presidents and the rapporteur hold office for two years. “They shall commence their terms of office at the closure of the session at which they are elected and remain in office until the closure of the next regular session.”

The bureau’s overarching mandate is to “assist the president in the general conduct of the business of the UNEA”. Its periodic meetings provide the Secretariat of the United Nations Environment Programme’s governing bodies and stakeholders with guidance in the preparations for the next session of the UNEA.

The UNEA bureau is deemed as a governance body of the UNEP which oversees global environmental policies and priorities.

PM’s aide Malik Amin said that Pakistan’s election to the UNEA bureau is a clear indication that the world community is appreciative of the government’s globally-acclaimed green programmes, particularly the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme, being implemented as a part of the efforts for global climate action for environmental sustainability.

Hosted by the UN Environment Programme, the UNEA brings together representatives of the 193 member states of the UN, businesses, civil society and other stakeholders to agree on policies to address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

The resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-5.2) took place online in Nairobi from February 28 till March 2, 2022.

The overall theme for UNEA-5 was “Strengthening Actions for Nature to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” highlighting the pivotal role nature plays in our lives and in social, economic and environmentally sustainable development.

The fifth United Nations Environment Assembly was followed by a special two-day session, called UNEP@50, which kicked off from March 2.

Also read: Climate change: a real threat to Pakistan

Held under the overall theme of "Strengthening UNEP for the implementation of the environmental dimension of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, the special session aims to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Addressing the session, SAPM Malik Amin Aslam reminded the participants from over 193 countries that the world is facing unprecedented challenges due to rapid climate change.

In this uncertain landscape, there is a need for international collaborations facilitated by organisations such as the UNEP. The UNEA platforms, the fifth session of which has just successfully been concluded, provide an opportunity for members to bring their local perspectives to discussions, he stressed.

However, the PM’s aide assured the global community of Pakistan’s fullest support and commitment in carrying forward the agenda to achieve the environmental dimension of the 2030 sustainable development goals. True to this commitment, Pakistan hosted the World Environment Day on 5 June 2021, which was a success in creating national and regional awareness regarding environmental issues.

Spelling out the government’s green programmes, he said that the government is making a shift towards a “clean and green” Pakistan through a well-articulated climate change agenda consisting of a number of on-the-ground flagship initiatives.

Malik Amin Aslam also highlighted that subsequent to the successful achievement of planting a billion trees in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa from 2014 to 18, which enhanced the provincial forest cover by 6%, the authorities were now implementing the “10 Billion Trees Tsunami” initiative which will restore and enhance over 1 million hectares of forest across the country. This project is expected to deliver multiple dividends by creating green jobs, sequestering carbon as well as promoting ecosystem-based adaptation. A truly win-win nature-based solution.