Under-19 Cricket players are submitting their papers in the cricket camp organized by PCB
Entire nation should brace itself to counter climate change effects: President
ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday said that Pakistan despite contributing less than 1% to global warming was amongst the top ten most affected countries by climate change and global warming.
He said that by 2050 Pakistan would become one of the most vulnerable countries to face the brunt of climate change.
The President called upon the entire nation and relevant organizations to brace themselves with the help of international community to minimize the negative impacts of climate change.
He expressed these views while addressing the ‘Pakistan- International and National Donors Conference’ for Relief and Rehabilitation, organized by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) in Islamabad.
The Conference was attended by Minister for National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel, Chairman PRCS, Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari, representatives of international and national organizations, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), diplomats and others, a press release issued by the President’s Media Wing here said.
While highlighting the importance of first-aid training, the President urged the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and other such organizations to launch comprehensive training and skill-imparting programs to train the youth in first-aid techniques and expertise with the aim to provide immediate relief to the affected population during manmade or natural calamities.
He said that in order to counter the negative fallouts of climate change, the government had taken and was taking multiple steps in different directions at the international, regional and local levels which were, however, hampered periodically by events and shocks taking place in some other parts of the world.
The President further said that the world had become a small place and any negative development like war and natural or manmade disasters taking place in one part of the world affected countries all around the globe.
He said that now the world should move from the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction towards the concept of Total Peace. This, he added, would save trillions of dollars spent on producing weapons of mass destruction and could be diverted towards saving humanity from hunger, disease and poverty and improving and rejuvenating the environment to save the endangered flora and fauna from extinction.
“The people of the country possess an outstanding philanthropic spirit and they always come forward to donate generously in cash and kind and volunteer themselves for rescue and relief efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population affected by manmade and natural calamities”, he remarked.
The President added that concerted and cogent efforts by all the national and international stakeholders were needed to employ all available resources for rehabilitating the floods-affected population.
He said that all people of the world should be treated on the basis of equality dignity, respect and honour, without any discrimination on the basis of colour, creed religion, language or race and the world resources should proportionally be allocated to enable all the people to realize their full potential.
The President also expressed gratitude to UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, the US Congressional delegation led by Ms Sheila Jackson Lee, ambassadors of different countries and representatives of International Organizations who personally visited flood-affected areas and interacted with the flood victims, assessed the damage done by the climate change-induced super floods and took steps to alleviate the suffering of the flood victims.
While addressing the gathering, Minister for National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel said that Pakistan was undergoing the worst phase of climate change.
He said that Pakistan required approximately $30-40 billion for the rehabilitation and rebuilding of flood-hit areas.
Chairman Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari said that millions of people were in the need of medical help in the flood-affected areas.
He said that Red Crescent was working in all districts in the flood-affected areas which were declared calamity-hit-areas.
UNICEF working with climate activists to spotlight impact of climate crisis on poorest children: Paloma Escudero
ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 (APP): Director of the Division of Global Communication and Advocacy, United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), Paloma Escudero on Tuesday said that agency is working with youth climate activists from around the world to spotlight the impact of the climate crisis on the poorest children.
According to a UNICEF analysis report released, around 27.7 million children in 27 countries have been impacted by flooding so far this year.
In Chad, the Gambia and north-east Bangladesh the worst floods in a generation were recorded this year. For Pakistan, the floods were the worst on record.
“These rolling disasters are straining the ability of governments and the international community to respond at the enormous scale needed and placing millions of children at severe risk of starvation, disease, exploitation and death.
There, 11 million children are in need of immediate assistance in Pakistan.”
In the weeks since the unprecedented floods devastated Pakistan, the emergency has become a multi-headed monster.
Pakistan’s worst floods in 100 years have killed at least 615 children and left 10 million girls and boys needing immediate, lifesaving support.
The floods have contaminated drinking water, which is spawning deadly water-borne diseases such as acute watery diarrhea, which compounds already acute malnutrition. Estimates suggest close to 1.6 million children in flood areas could be suffering from severe acute malnutrition.
The stagnant water is a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, increasing the risk of malaria and dengue. There are crises on top of crises.
Without urgent action, many more vulnerable children and young people will lose their lives in the days and weeks to come. And without climate action, hundreds of millions more will almost certainly suffer like those in Pakistan.
“We are reaching final warnings. Right now Pakistan is drowning in the world’s inaction.”
“One of the most important but heartbreaking things about climate change is that its most horrific impacts are often reserved for those who are least responsible for creating the problem.
International climate scientists found the recent Pakistan floods were made worse by climate change, and predicted the intensity of the country’s rainfall will “significantly” increase as the planet continues to warm. Pakistan is on the frontlines of the climate crisis but its contribution to global emissions is less than 1 percent. In Africa, just like in Pakistan, children are paying the price for a climate disaster not of their making.
From the extreme drought and risk of famine in Somalia to the erratic rains across the Sahel, UNICEF is being challenged to respond at an unprecedented scale to emergencies that have all the markings of climate-induced disasters.”
Middle East Green Initiative, UN Climate Change Conference to open new vistas of development for Pakistan: Ashrafi
ISLAMABAD, Nov 8 (APP):Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Interfaith Harmony and Middle East Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi Tuesday said the Middle East Green Initiative and the 2022 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference would open new vistas of development between Pakistan and the Middle East countries.
Ashrafi who is also the chairman of Pakistan Ulema Council expressed these views on his return from a three-day visit to Bahrain in an exclusive talk with APP.
He said the Middle East Green Initiative signified the Saudi Arabia’s commitment to international sustainability efforts and enabled the region to help protect the planet by clearly defining an ambitious road map that significantly contributed to achieving global targets.
He said Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at UN Climate Change Conference in Egypt correctly interpreted the Pakistan’s stance on climate change and flood situation and damages incurred to the country and nation.
He said religious leaders were constantly creating awareness on the intersect and interfaith dialogue and climate change challenges at the global level.
Ashrafi said the conferences convened by Dar Al-Ifta Egypt and Bahrain Islamic Council raised an effective voice on the eradication of poverty and ignorance and thoroughly discussed the ways to create peace and tranquility in the comity of nations.
The leadership of all religions appealed to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine as the world was facing problems due to the wars, he said adding “we have to promote peace and stop wars”.
Regarding the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman to Pakistan, he said it was an evidence of strength, stability and improved relations between the two brotherly countries.
“Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman has emerged as a great and visionary leader not only for the Muslim Ummah but also for the entire world,” he added.
He said under the patronage of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and with support of the government of Egypt, the World Conference on Environment had determined an effective and positive direction at the global level in general and in the Islamic world in particular.
He said Pakistan, besides assuring full cooperation, had already welcomed the Saudi Crown Prince’s vision of Saudi and Middle East Green Initiative.
He expressed the hope that if internal conditions of Pakistan were stable, an investment of 25 to 30 billion dollars could be expected in the country in a couple of years.
“Steps are being expedited once again for the financial support of Pakistan by the Saudi leadership. However, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain are all ready to cooperate with Pakistan,” he added.
He further added that the fifth International Conference on Message of Islam, Pak-Saudi and Islamic World Relations was being held on November 16, here in the federal capital in which the most important leaders of the Muslim Ummah would participate as keynote speaker.
PM, Netherlands counterpart discuss matters of mutual interest
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov 8 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had a meeting with Prime Minister of Netherlands Mark Rutte here on Tuesday.
During the meeting, which was held during the high-level segment of the Conference of Parties – 27 (COP-27), the two leaders discussed the matters of mutual interest.