Community empowerment stressed for sustainable development

Islamaba: Speaking at a webinar the participants urged the respective governments to develop a mechanism to ensure the use of collective wisdom and a joint platform to work together for social development. They said the mountain community leaders and political workers shall come together beyond their political, ethnic, and regional divide to voice against the exploitation of natural resources, social and livelihood challenges. The mountain development and conservation plans of the government shall include the voices and concerns of the communities and other stakeholders. Ill-planned infrastructure development and environmentally unfriendly interventions in the name of tourism promotion and livelihood are becoming nature hazard. A fistful of experts, government aides, and external elements are taking undue advantage of the mountain resources.

The webinar “working together to empower mountain communities” was organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) and DTN here on Sunday. Speaking on the occasion nature conservation advisor at the Italian organization EvK2CNR Ashiq Ahmad Khan said unfortunately, we don’t have the culture of working together though it is necessary for the sustainability of the development.

Sometimes people have lesser abilities but they don’t invite the better-skilled persons to work on community-based initiatives. Even, they feel reluctant in empowering the communities. They believe that after empowering communities, perhaps, they would become irrelevant. He said the respective federal and provincial governments should develop an inclusive platform with the support of the private sector to continue with the development initiatives even after the project is over.

This is not possible if it is not envisaged in the project at the initial stage and the community is not embedded in it.

Well-known mountaineer, Nazir Sabir said mountain areas lack basic amenities and social infrastructure which is the prerequisite for the empowerment of communities.