‘Afforestation project creating jobs’

Islamabad : Chairperson of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Climate Change Munaza Hassan has said the PTI’s government is fully cognisant of the issues being faced by the climate change induced migrant population.

"A number of steps have been taken including Billion Tree Tsunami that is providing employment opportunities including for the women even amidst COVID-19," she told an online dialogue on ‘Gender and climate change: Challenges for climate induced migrants amid COVID-19’ organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on Thursday.

Ms Hassan said coronavirus pandemic was not only affecting women but whole families as well and the government had taken a number of steps to support the most vulnerable families including the population that had to migrate from their native areas due to climate change impacts.

"The Green Stimulus Package introduced by the government is also resulting in the job creation, including for the women. The law on women’s right to inheritance would contribute into women’s empowerment cause, especially in the rural areas," she added.

Global climate lead of the Action Aid Harjeet Singh highlighted the global perspective of the issue and said there had been 33.4 million new migrations taken place in 2019 globally that were induced by the climate change.

He said women, children and elderly as well as persons with disability and the poorest of the poor were always left with less option for the migration and hence, trapped in the vulnerability.

"The safety and security of women during emergency situations gets further jeopardised and the governments should address this issue by incorporating it in the relevant policies," he said.

Chief Executive of the Centre for Participatory Research and Development (CPRD), Bangladesh, Mohammad Shamsuddoha while linking pandemic with gender and climate changed induced migration said COVID-19 had hit that segment of society in worst terms.