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
4 Oct 2024 Press releases
Experts gather to build momentum towards transformation of food systems in mountains of Asia

Kathmandu, 04 October 2024 – Academics, researchers, and policymakers from Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, and Pakistan set out the urgent ...

21 Apr 2025 Press releases
Risk of water shortages builds-up as Hindu Kush Himalaya faces 23-year-record-low snow persistence in the third consecutive year of below-normal seasonal snow

According to the latest Snow Update Report, the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region experienced its third consecutive below-normal snow ...

25 Apr 2016 Press releases
Young minds collaborate to solve global challenges

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="570"] Winners of the International Space Apps Challenge - Kathmandu ...

4 May 2023 Press releases
可持续地球全球联盟(GASP)与国际山地综合发展中心(ICIMOD)推动兴都库什-喜马拉雅地区的社会与环境变革

尼泊尔加德满都讯——国际山地综合发展中心 (ICIMOD) 和可持续地球全球联盟 (GASP) 联手促进兴都库什-喜马拉雅(HKH) 的社会与环境变革。 双方签署了一份谅解备忘录 (MoU)以开展合作,联手促进农村及山区生活质量得到改善,同时为子孙后代保护该地区的生态系统。 兴都库什-喜马拉雅(HKH) 地区从阿富汗延伸到缅甸,横跨巴基斯坦、印度、中国、尼泊尔、不丹和孟加拉,拥有 10 个主要河流流域、四分之一人口和全球第三大冰冻水域。然而,科学家们越来越担心气候危机对该地区的影响,对整个地区居民的生命与生计构成威胁。 在合作伙伴关系下,国际山地综合发展中心 (ICIMOD) 和可持续地球全球联盟 (GASP)将促进与当地居民和弱势社区的磋商和参与纳入相关研究。 国际山地综合发展中心 (ICIMOD)将分享其与八个区域成员国的当地社区合作 的40 年经验,还会将其见解整合到更广泛的区域和政策论坛中。这种伙伴关系将使它们能够支持当地社区的声音和解决方案,并增加投资流量。 国际山地综合发展中心总干事白马·嘉措博士说:“与可持续地球全球联盟 (GASP)的这种伙伴关系能够加强我们在这一领域的工作——支持当地社区的声音与解决方案,并增加投资流量。通过我们在林业社区的工作,我们多次看到将当地见解融入政策制定的益处。 可持续地球全球联盟 (GASP)秘书长萨蒂亚·特里帕蒂 (Satya S. ...

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 ...

14 Dec 2015 Press releases
Glaciers reveal mountain precipitation is twice as high-Himalayan snowfall underestimated

The amount of snow and rain in the Himalaya is about twice as high as commonly assumed. Research in the ...

18 Jan 2015 Press releases
Symposium calls for transboundary cooperation in ‘Transforming Mountain Forestry’

‘Managing Himalayan forest ecosystems on a transboundary scale is critical for mitigating the impact of climate change for sustaining ecosystem ...

28 Feb 2025 Press releases
Temperature rise causes flood risk and complexity to soar in high mountain asia – Scientists

Kathmandu - A new analysis of 1,015 floods in High Mountain Asia, just published in Science Bulletin, confirms a ...