Climate change: Dr Qamaruz Zaman appointed by UN to manage disasters

Dr Chaudhry is one of the authors of Pakistan’s first National Climate Change Policy.

KARACHI: One of the authors of Pakistan’s first National Climate Change Policy, Dr Qamaruz Zaman Chaudhry, has been appointed by the United Nations’ World Meteorological Organisation as its special envoy on disaster risk reduction and climate services for Asia.

Dr Chaudhry was a former Pakistan meteorological department director-general. He had recently represented the organisation in the sixth Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held from June 22 to June 26 in Bangkok.

His appointment came amid preparations for the post-2015 Hyogo Framework for Action - a global platform for disaster risk reduction that will succeed the 10-year Hyogo Framework for Action, adopted in 2005 with the goal to substantially reduce loss of life and assets to natural disasters.

“In 2015, we see the adoption of the sustainable development goals (SDG) as a replacement to the millennium development goals, and a new global treaty on climate change,” said Dr Chaudhry.

“All these instruments should enable actions at all levels to manage disaster risk and climate change as it is believed that climate change will hinder efforts to eradicate poverty.”

Nevertheless, he added, how climate change will be integrated into the development framework and SDGs is still being debated in  the UN.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 30^th, 2014.