Back to news
13 Sep 2024 | Press releases

Dialogue on Cyrosphere, Climate and Policy Action concludes emphasinging urgent need to bridge the policy-implementation gap

2 mins Read

70% Complete

Islamabad – Wednesday, 13 September 2024 – The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC) and the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC), concluded a three-day Policy Action Dialogue titled, “Tackling Climate Change Impacts on Cryosphere, Water, Food Security, & Disaster Risk Reduction.” This event provided a platform for critical discussions on Pakistan’s current policy landscape surrounding climate change, water security, food security, and disaster risk reduction (DRR), emphasizing the urgent need to bridge the gap between policy and implementation.

The final day of the dialogue on Legislative Oversight featured a keynote address by Honorable Justice Ayesha Malik of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, focusing on the role of climate litigation in advancing climate justice. Justice Malik stressed that the judiciary has played a vital role in addressing climate-related cases through the lens of human rights, sustainable development, and environmental protection. However, she expressed disappointment with the lack of enforcement of court rulings on climate justice, citing numerous instances where decisions had been ignored or inadequately implemented. “Climate change is fundamentally a human rights issue,” Justice Malik remarked. “This crisis affects not just people, but every living being—plants, animals, and entire ecosystems.” She called for moving beyond mere acknowledgment of climate change as a critical issue, urging actionable steps and an end to working in silos. “Climate change doesn’t work in isolation; it’s coming at us full force. Policies will not be effective unless they have clear targets, deadlines, and mechanisms for monitoring and accountability.” She underscored the importance of strengthening institutions and governance systems to ensure that policies are translated into concrete action for the betterment of the people.

The Closing Keynote presented by Senator Sherry Rehman, Former Minister for Climate Change and Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Climate Change & Environmental Coordination emphasized the importance of understanding the cryosphere, which plays a crucial role in Pakistan’s water cycle, and expressed concern about human activities that are accelerating the melting of glaciers. Rehman stressed that Pakistan’s dependence on glacial-fed rivers, especially the Indus River, makes it highly vulnerable to climate-induced disasters, such as glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), which have devastating impacts on infrastructure and livelihoods. She also raised alarm over the global consequences of melting permafrost, which could release infectious pathogens and increase the risk of future pandemics, likening the climate crisis to broader health and environmental threats. Senator Rehman criticized the lack of coordinated action on climate policies, attributing failure to policy paralysis, weak governance issues, siloed thinking, and  creating new agencies rather than strengthening existing institutions. She argued that the focus should be on enhancing the capacity of current offices and utilizing a “magic triangle” approach, involving the private sector, central government, and provinces, to address climate challenges.

Stay current

Stay up to date on what’s happening around the HKH with our most recent publications and find out how you can help by subscribing to our mailing list.

Sign Up
22 Dec 2020 KDKH
Stakeholders call for more transboundary cooperation to address disaster risk in the Koshi River basin

Earlier this year, the South Asian floods of 2020 were declared a humanitarian crisis when millions across the subcontinent were ...

8 Feb 2022 Press releases
ICIMOD collaborated research finds Everest’s highest glacier could disappear by mid-century

A recent article published in the Nature Portfolio journal Climate and Atmospheric Research reports that the ice ...

21 Jun 2024 Press releases
Development Alternatives and ICIMOD forge long-term partnership to build climate-resilient Hindu Kush Himalaya

New Delhi, India/ Kathmandu, Nepal – 21 June 2024 The impacts of climate change are increasingly being felt across the Hindu ...

12 Nov 2014 Press releases
Experts come together to find climate change adaptation solutions beyond boundaries in the Hindu Kush Himalayas

Experts from the Hindu Kush Himalayan (HKH) region and around the world came together to map new ways forward for sharing ...

16 Feb 2018 Press releases
Zigzag Kilns hold promise for ‘greening’ South Asia’s brick sector

Brick kilns rank among the most notorious sources of pollution in South Asia, emitting thick black smoke filled with carbon ...

13 Nov 2024 Press releases
THE LEADERS OF HKH COUNTRIES PLEDGE TO STRENGTHEN TIES TO TACKLE CLIMATE CRISIS IN MOUNTAINS

Baku, 13 November 2024  – On the day that scientists warn of ‘extreme’ and mounting economic costs from snow and ice ...

15 Dec 2020 Press releases
Honouring mountain champions

Kathmandu, 11 December 2020 Every year, the ICIMOD Mountain Prize is awarded to an individual, organization, or private sector entity based ...

8 Nov 2023 COP28
ICIMOD plays key role at first global summit on Earth’s mountain glaciers and poles

Representatives from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) will play a key role at the first One Planet ...