LAHORE Implementation of seven out of 27 international conventions relating to environment has been delayed, putting at stake GSP Plus status. These conventions are a prerequisite for continuation of GSP Plus status. GSP Plus status, which was given to Pakistan on Jan 1, 2014, allows 20 per cent exports to enter the European Union market at zero tariff and 70 per cent at preferential rates for a period of four years till 2017. To meet EU’s regulations, Pakistan is required to ratify and effectively implement 27 international conventions. Sources in Punjab Environmental Protection Department reveal out of 27 conventions, seven relate to environmental issues of the province directly or indirectly. They claim that although ratified by Pakistan, development of compliance mechanisms, implementation and reporting is also required to implement the conventions. They claim first inspection under GSP Plus status is expected in January 2016. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has already constituted a cabinet committee on GSP Plus status and one of the TORs of the committee is to propose/undertake capacity-building initiative for provincial departments (where necessary). The eleventh meeting of the cabinet committee on GSP Plus Status held on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the delay in implementation of conditions of eight conventions. The sources say the former EPD secretary moved a summary for establishment of a multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) directorate in the Punjab EPA under GSP Plus regime and after passing through all relevant departments, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif gave its approval. They say the finance department finally sanctioned the directorate with 25 seats and other facilities having a total non-development budget of Rs17 million per annum in May 2014. During the process, they say the provincial secretary who moved this summery was transferred and the present secretary took over. They say despite implementing the chief minister’s approved summery, the department wrote a letter to the finance department stating the Directorate of MEAs was created on the assumption that since all the international conventions related to environment, one director could implement them. The letter, which was written in December 2014, said that implementation of GSP Plus conventions on environment, falling within the larger ambit of environment, required expertise in at least three areas —- Management of Hazardous Substances, Regulation of Living Modified Organisms and Climate Change Management. It added that climate change, in turn, comprised two separate areas of climate change adaption and reduction of greenhouse gasses through clean development mechanisms and carbon credits. “The Punjab EPA, therefore, needs experts in four distinct and mutually exclusive areas for materializing implementation of international conventions on environment,” the letter said, adding the approval of Directorate of MEAs may be withdrawn and a Directorate of Climate Change Adaption be created to be run by experts hired on a contract basis on market salaries. The sources say in response to this letter the finance department had replied in January 2015 that how it could be done? The international conventions included Montreal Protocol on Ozone Layer Depleting Substances, Basel Convention on the control of trans-boundary movement of hazardous and other waste, Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Conventions on Climate Change, Cartagena Protocol on Bio Safety to the CBD, Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants and Kyoto Protocol to UNFCCC. When contacted, Director Law of the Punjab EPD refused to talk on the issue. The scribe also contacted the EPD secretary to get his version and an SMS was also sent to him but he didn’t respond.
