Denmark to fund Green Pakistan projects

ISLAMABAD: Danish Minister for Development Assistance and Climate Change Policy Dan Jorgensen on Thursday witnessed the signing of two projects that include one scheme to increase communities’ resilience to climate change in Kalash valley of Lower Chitral.

The Danish minister was in Islamabad to launch Green Action Plan and sign landmark climate projects and later visited Chitral. In Chitral, he also visited a hrdro-power project at Mogh in Garam Chashma.

The  project was signed with Aga Khan Foundation, heralding a new era of resilience in the northern Pakistan. Over the next two years, a groundbreaking project would be implemented, encompassing a range of innovative measures designed to enhance disaster response, strengthen infrastructure and promote sustainable practices. 

The initiative would witness the formation of community-based disaster risk response teams and committees, ensuring that local communities were equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to effectively respond to emergencies.

The project’s scope extended beyond disaster management as it envisioned a comprehensive habitat plan for 10 villages in the picturesque Kalash valley.

A key focus of the initiative is promoting climate-forward natural resource management through nature-based solutions. This will include the installation and upgrading of irrigation infrastructure, harnessing solar power for lift irrigation, empowering communities to establish passive solar greenhouses and providing training to local farmers on climate-smart agricultural practices. 

By embracing these solutions, communities will be able to adapt to the changing climate and ensure sustainable livelihoods.

The second project was signed with the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) aimed to steer the discourse around carbon trading and carbon markets in Pakistan by addressing knowledge gaps and fostering capacities to achieve maximum benefits from this mechanism. 

Minister Jorgensen said it was extremely important that relations between the two countries should be strengthened through green transition. 

“When flooding, drought and other consequences of climate change happen, it is necessary to look at water management and ensure people have access to water, where Denmark has a lot of expertise. Second is mitigation. It is important that Pakistan has good secure energy. Here Denmark also has a lot of experience. We have managed to reduce our emissions by 50 per cent while doubling the size of our economy. Green transition will not hurt Pakistani economy. It makes good economic sense,” he said.