#AJCONF 2022 Adds #ClimateJustice in Agenda of Human Rights Conference in South Asia

• Jurists, Experts, Policy makers, activists speak on climate Justice, environmental degradation, water crisis at Asma Jahangir Conference held in Lahore, Pakistan
• Collective Voices raised for protecting the citizens from the impacts of climate change.
• #AJCONF 2022 Adds Climate Justice in agenda of Human Rights Conference in South Asia

Lahore: The Judicial actions of the Lahore High Court (LHC) have delivered the climate justice, better environment, and water conservation projects for Lahore city, in particular, and Punjab province, in general, in the last three years.

Lahore High Court judge Shahid Karim Speaking at • #AJCONF 2022These remarks were made by Lahore High Court judge Shahid Karim as a keynote speaker on the topic of the ‘Climate Change & Flooding in Pakistan” while addressing the Asma Jahangir Conference held here on Sunday.

The conference was hosted by AGHS Legal Aid Cell and Asma Jahangir Foundation in collaboration with the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and the Pakistan Bar Council.

As many as 150 international and national guest speakers, scholars, experts, activists, political leaders including senior members of the judiciary, members of the national and foreign legislatures, lawyers, journalists, and representatives from the government, attended in the conference.

• Judicial Actions for the Environmental Activism

In his speech, Justice Shahid Karim, highlighted the accomplished and ongoing judicial actions of the LHC. While elaborating the environmental activism of the honorable court, Justice Shahid Karim said the court formed a water commission, which later evolved into a water and environment commission and under the litigation, 100 reports were accomplished by the commission.

Highlighting the water conservation measures and projects in Lahore, Justice Shahid Karim, further said the waste water of ablution from Data Darbar Masjid was also being conserved, which is being used by the Parks and Horticulture Authority to irrigate the garden of Minto Park.

Highlighting another achievement on water conservation, Justice stated that the waste water from service stations was also being used by Pakistan Housing Authority (PHA).

• Ensuring National Food Security

Speaking on measures for national food security, Justice Shahid Karim said that after court orders, various housing societies were made to pay water charges to the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA). He also added that the LHC had ruled in the landmark Ruda judgement that no agricultural land can be turned into real estate because “food security is the new name of national security”.

Speaking on storing the rain water storage project at Mall Road and Lawrence Road during the monsoon season, he said WASA has established at least three underground water storage tanks, which will help the city to recharge the groundwater.

• Bilawal Calls on national unity in rehabilitating flood affectees

Addressing a concluding ceremony at Asma Jahangir Conference, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said “The floods should be the main issue for our politics, media, everyone”. “There is need of national unity in rehabilitating flood affectees and rebuilding livelihoods”, Bilawal e emphasized.

He also added that the nation’s agricultural and economic foundations have been harmed by the flash floods, stressing that there is an urgent need for cooperation to address environmental concerns.

The unprecedented floods had put the populace to yet another test in the shape of a natural disaster, said Bilawal.

• Floods and the ailing the economy

Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister of Planning and Development while speaking on the topic: “Reconstruction & Rehabilitation – Post Floods in Pakistan”, said “since the floods came at a time when the economy was already suffering, the govt tried their best to engage the national flood program”.

“Compared to the 2000 flood and 2010 flood, the scale and the nature of the flood right now is different” – Bilal Anwar, CEO of the National Disaster Risk Management Fund.

•  Climate disasters are leading to high levels of inequality

Chief Patron of the PTI Women Wing, in her remarks said “Today, there is increasing evidence that growing global and regional challenges of security, pandemics, climate disasters are leading to high levels of inequality,” which need attention and policy making.

• Netherlands can help Pakistan in increasing agricultural output

Lianne HWS Houben, deputy ambassador of the Kingdom of Netherlands, in her remarks said, food security is a major global challenge. Pakistan should make good use of its fertile land. The Netherlands can help Pakistan in increasing agricultural output, she added.

• Floods in Pakistan is the ultimate test to the constitutionalism of a nation

Dr Riina Kionka, the Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan, said “a disaster like this [floods in Pakistan] is the ultimate test to the constitutionalism of a nation”.

• Rampant destruction of natural resources in Gilgit Baltistan

A climate change activist from Gilgit Baltistan, Baba Jan, while highlighting the destruction of climate in the land of 7,000 glaciers by various actors and vested interest’s groups, said “Gilgit Baltistan is on the verge of destruction, but authorities are unconcerned about taking up the issue,”

“Nobody is there to question the rampant destruction of natural resources,” Jan lamented.

• Pakistan lacked the resources to deal with the challenges of climate change

While speaking resources needed to combat the challenge of climate Change, Naz Baloch, PPP leader and parliamentary secretary, said that Pakistan lacked the resources to deal with the challenges of climate change. She said that the government was putting effort into mitigating the challenges and, in this regard, it was seeking foreign aid.

“Due to climate change, our glaciers are melting rapidly. Glacial Lakes Outburst Floods (GLOF) have become a permanent threat not only to the northern areas but to the country as a whole, and the government is seriously dealing with the issue,” she noted.

• Pakistan needs to strengthen the local governments to deal Climate change vulnerability

Climate change vulnerability has become a local issue now. “To deal with the issue at the local level, we need to strengthen the local governments,” said Ali Tauqir Sheikh in remarks.

• The most sufferers of the Climate calamities are women and children

While presenting the gender perspective of the havoc left by the floods in Pakistan, Khawar Mumtaz, former regional counselor and vice-president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources’ said the most sufferers of the natural calamities were women and children. She further added by saying “NGOs were the first to hit the ground in calamity-hit areas but their mandate and scope were limited”.

• Institutional capacity needed to combat Climate Change

Highlighting the policy level issues regarding Climate Change, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, climate change and water resources expert, said there were gaps in policies as these policies should not be seen in isolation but in the contest of institutional capacity.

It was first time that group of important officials and figures have raised a collective voice on #ClimateJusticeForPakistan after the disastrous floods that affected the 33 million people in 85 districts, causing damages estimated to be at $40 billion.

By M.A

#ClimateChange, #Water, #WaterCrisis, #Pakistan, #ClimateJustice