CONFERENCE THEMES

CLIMATE CHANGE CHALLENGES
FOR PAKISTAN
CLIMATE
GOVERNANCE
COURT-ING CLIMATE
CHANGE

About

Pakistan faces a wide array of climate change challenges, including increased flooding, waterlogging, salinity, a declining water table, rising temperatures, crop failures, more frequent droughts, degraded coastal areas, loss of fish habitats, and glacial lake outburst flooding. Pakistan holds the most glacial ice outside the polar regions and has the largest dry-climate mangroves in the Indus delta.

The 2022 floods were devastating, displacing over three million people and causing nearly two thousand deaths. The Supreme Court of Pakistan is calling for a collective effort to address these severe climate challenges. This involves evaluating past actions, understanding what has and hasn’t worked, and identifying how various institutions can collaborate more effectively.

The initiative seeks to bring together participants from diverse sectors, including federal, provincial, and local levels, and from areas such as science, bureaucracy, and law, to foster an inclusive dialogue. This multi-sectoral approach recognizes the multifaceted nature of the climate challenge and emphasizes the importance of learning from both state and non-state actors to create a comprehensive governance strategy.


QUICK LINKS


OUR DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS

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Hon’ble Mr. Justice Qazi Faez Isa

Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan/Chairman, LJCP

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Hon’ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah

Senior Puisne Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan/Member LJCP

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Ms. Riffat Inam Butt

Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan

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Dr. Adil Najam

Dean Emeritus; Professor of International Relations and Earth & Environment

VIDEO GALLERY

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

8th June (SATURDAY)
Saturday, June 08, 2024
0900 - 1000 Registration
1000 - 1005 Arrival of the Chief Guest, Hon’ble Chief Justice of Pakistan
1005 - 1010 National Anthem
1010 - 1015 Recitation from the Holy Quran
1015 - 1045 Inaugural Ceremony:
  1. i. Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan
  2. ii. Hon’ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Senior Puisne Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan/Member LJCP
  3. iii. Keynote Speech (recorded) - Dr. Adil Najam, Dean & Professor, International Relations, Earth & Environment, Boston University, USA
Panel One:
Climate Change Challenges for Pakistan
Given geographical and meteorological diversity, different parts of Pakistan face different climate change-related challenges, from glacial lake outburst flooding, to drought conditions, to crop failures and declining yields, to excessively high temperatures that urban centers may not be prepared to handle. What are some of the most urgent ones, how are they connected, and what adaptation measures are underway and required?
Speakers:
1045 - 1145 Mountain Ecosystems and Livelihood Challenges
Dr. Ghulam Rasul, Ex - Director General, Meteorological Department, Pakistan.
Urban Planning, Heatwaves and Livable Cities
Dr. Nausheen H. Anwar, Director, Karachi Urban Lab & Professor, City and Regional Planning, Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
Climate Smart Agriculture and Food Security
Dr. Iqrar Ahmad Khan, Vice Chancellor, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
Water Governance, Justice and Rights
Ms. Simi Kamal, Chairperson, Hisaar Foundation, Karachi
Climate Change Attribution Science
Dr. Fahad Saeed, Scientific Model and Data Manager / Regional Climate Scientist
Air Pollution and Urban Transportation-impacts on human health
Dr. Sajid Rashid Ahmad, Dean Geo Sciences, University of Punjab
Summing up: Connecting the Dots: integrating issues, policies, and laws
Chair: Mr. Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, Advisor on Climate Change, Planning Commission of Pakistan
Panel Two:
Climate Governance
What is the division of responsibilities between federal and provincial bodies after the 18th Amendment, not just on paper but also in action? Is there an architecture in place for coordinating the multiple adaptation and mitigation programmes under way? What is the role of non-state bodies and actors in aiding and improving state efforts?
Speakers:
1145 - 1245 Pakistan’s Role at International Fora; International Climate Finance
Eazaz A. Dar, Secretary, Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination
Navigating the Green Climate Fund
Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General/CEO, World Wide Fund for Nature, Pakistan
Coordination Across Scales (National, Provincial and Local)
Muhammad Idrees Mahsud, Member - Disaster Risk Reduction, National Disaster Management Authority
The Climate Change Authority, and Questions of Jurisdictional Overlap
Mansoor Usman Awan, Attorney General for Pakistan
Policy Silos
Abid Suleri, Executive Director, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)
International Water Governance
Ahmad Irfan Aslam, Former Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Climate Change and Water Resources, Climate Change & ICJ
Chair: Maira Hayat, Assistant Professor, University of Notre Dame, USA
1245 - 1345 Lunch
Panel Three:
Court-ing Climate Change
Across the world courts are deliberating on climate change governance and inadequacies of executive action. Given Pakistan’s robust tradition of public interest litigation, it is unsurprising that our higher courts have authored detailed opinions on climate justice, environmental justice, and executive accountability. What are some recent developments in Pakistani courts, how do we evaluate them, and what are future directions likely to be? Within the judicial space, what is the role of specific fora such as commercial courts?
Speakers:
1345 - 1500 Trends in Climate Change Litigation & Challenges
Ahmad Rafay Alam, Environment Lawyer & Climate Activist
Environmental Jurisprudence and District Judiciary
Muhammad Amir Munir, Director Research & Publications, FJA, Islamabad
Climate Finance and Commerce
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Jawad Hassan, Judge, Lahore High Court, Lahore
Judicial Tools and Crafting Relief
Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan
Climate Justice and the Road Ahead
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Senior Puisne Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan/Member LJCP
Chair: Waqqas Ahmad Mir, Advocate Supreme Court
Concluding Ceremony
1500 - 1530 Remarks by:
Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change & Environmental Coordination
Remarks by:
H.E Mr. Khazar Farhadov, Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Pakistan
Address by:
Hon’ble Mr. Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Chief Justice of Pakistan / Chairman, LJCP
Vote of thanks by:
Riffat Inam Butt, Secretary, Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan
Refreshment