British HC points to lack of climate literacy

British High Commissioner Jane Marriott, while discussing environmental challenges, said on Monday that the United Kingdom had developed a private climate fund but expressed concern about the lack of climate change literacy in Pakistan.

She also highlighted the presence of many Chevening scholars in the UK, who had experience of working with the government of Pakistan.

She made those remarks in a meeting with Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal. Both sides discussed a range of topics including health, education and the environmental challenges facing Pakistan.

The planning minister noted Pakistan government’s improved preparedness in mitigating disasters, as evidenced from the lower number of casualties in the 2022 floods compared to the 2014 floods.

Iqbal stressed the importance of hiring technical experts as members and consultants in the planning ministry to enhance human resources’ capabilities.

He mentioned the Young Development Fellowship (YDF) programme, which helped 90% of participants secure positions in multilateral organisations or pursue PhD programmes in top universities worldwide, including the UK through the Chevening scholarship.

He stressed the need for policy continuity and commitment to reforms to ensure stability and progress in the country as well as highlighted the vital role of human resources’ development and skill enhancement in achieving the goals.

The minister pointed to the government’s commitment to addressing health and population issues through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

He mentioned four key projects – diabetes, stunting, hepatitis and population planning, which were included in the PSDP. To overcome funding constraints, the government is adopting a public-private partnership model.

He shared updates on the University of Narowal UET campus, which had over 7,000 students, of which 5,000 were girls.