South Asian govts lack capacity to respond to climate change challenges

Islamabad

Sanjay Vashist, Director, Climate Action Network (CAN) South Asia has said that the South Asian governments lacked capacity to respond to these challenges while working in isolation. Therefore, they must join hand to find solutions for the vulnerable communities across South Asia.

Sanjay was addressing a seminar on ‘Saarc-challenges and opportunities in Changing regional dynamics” organised here by Sustainable Agriculture Action Group (SAAG) in collaboration with Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Heinrich Böll Stiftung Pakistan, Sungi Foundation, Roots for Equity, Lok Sanjh and ActionAid Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Mome Saleem of HBS-Pakistan said that to redress the issue of gender inequality prevalent in all the regional countries, the patriarchal mindset was needed to be changed through education and social endeavours.

The climate financing at global level was shrinking and thus it was high time for the regional governments to mobilise their own resources, he said. The nature of the disasters in South Asian countries including floods and be responded by collaborated mechanisms.

Dr Imran Khalid from SDPI presenting details of water related complexities in relations to climate change said that we need trans-border climate change adaptation strategy. He said that besides redressing implementation gaps, Track-II discussions round crucial water issues of the region must be initiated.

Aftab Alam Khan of ActionAid Pakistan said that small farmers and other weaker segments of society have to face most of the adverse impacts of climate change. He urged Saarc countries to incorporate voices of these vulnerable communities in discussions at highest level.

Dr Shahid Zia of Lok Sanjh explained the nature of political challenges that deterred the efforts to form collaborations to handle the threats related to climate change in South Asia. He said that SAARC must be revived as effective platform to find common solutions to save our communities and agriculture from the impacts of climate change.

Asim Saqlian of Oxfam in Pakistan said that it was high time to raise demand for the climate financing, especially in the South Asian region.