Climate Action Board approved in K-P

Assembly clears key legislation to tackle climate threats and boost business environment

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly on Tuesday approved four important pieces of legislation, including the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Climate Action Board Bill 2025 and the Ease of Doing Business Bill 2025, marking a significant step toward strengthening climate governance and creating a more investment-friendly environment in the province.

The passage of the Climate Action Board Bill comes amid rising concerns over climate change, melting glaciers, and rapid deforestation that threaten livelihoods, agriculture, and water security in the region. Under the law, the provincial government will establish a Climate Action Board that will serve as the central authority for planning, coordination, and implementation of all climate-related initiatives.

The board will be administratively and operationally independent, with permanent legal status and powers to acquire property, enter into contracts, and initiate or defend legal claims. Chaired by the Additional Chief Secretary, its membership will include secretaries from key provincial departments, finance, law, forests, energy and power, mass transit, and local government, alongside representatives from the private sector and two members nominated by the Speaker of the Assembly.

The body will oversee provincial climate strategies, manage climate finance, promote inter-departmental collaboration, and strengthen links with scientific and research institutions. It will also be tasked with maintaining greenhouse gas inventories, assisting in climate tagging of development projects, and advancing a low-carbon economy. To support its activities, a dedicated Climate Action Board Fund will be set up.

Officials said the new legislation seeks to institutionalize climate governance, ensure compliance with international environmental agreements, and strengthen the province's resilience to climate-related disasters. "This is a forward-looking measure that will provide Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with the capacity to address the mounting challenges of climate change in a coordinated and sustainable way," one Assembly member noted.

Alongside the climate bill, the Assembly also passed the Ease of Doing Business Bill 2025, aimed at making business operations in the province simpler, faster, and more transparent. The law provides for the establishment of a digital one-window portal to manage all regulatory approvals, including business registrations, licences, permits, and regularization processes.

Under the new system, small and large businesses will receive digital IDs, while all payments will be processed electronically.

The legislation also establishes the Directorate of Ease of Doing Business (EDBD), which will be responsible for developing, upgrading, and maintaining the system, as well as managing a comprehensive provincial regulatory registry. The Chief Minister will chair the Steering Committee on Ease of Doing Business, ensuring high-level oversight of reforms.

In addition, the Assembly approved the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism (Amendment) Bill 2025, which grants a one-time extension to the contracts of the existing tourism police. With the tourist season approaching, lawmakers argued that the extension was necessary to maintain continuity in tourism security while fresh recruitment processes take time.