Call to allocate 35% of climate budget for WASH

Analyst says Pakistan failed to secure climate financing

ISLAMABAD:

A joint ceremony on “Climate Financing for WASH” was organised and launched by IRC and the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on Sunday.

The idea was undertaken by IRC researchers, who focused on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene WASH, they called it a pillar of climate resilience that needs adequate funding as currently, the WASH sector receives only 22% of the total climate funding.

The launch was led by Habib ur Rehman and followed by a panel discussion on climate financing for WASH. It calls upon international donors to allocate at least 35% of climate-related budget for WASH raising it from the existing 22% for Pakistan and prioritizing climate-related funding to the countries which are currently unlikely to achieve the WASH SDGs.

In her welcome remarks, the IRC Country Director Shabnam Baloch said that “WASH is critical entry point to reducing community vulnerability to climate impacts, closing gender gaps, health and education disparity, economic inclusion and progress. Climate resilient WASH goes beyond climate infrastructure and is critical in climate induced disasters”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2022.