Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Green Stimulus Initiative
Presently the World Bank (WB) has proclaimed all-out financial and technical support to Prime Minister Imran Khan’s nationwide initiatives for environmental conservation and protection and improved disaster resilience, mainly Green Stimulus one, said country director of the bank Najy Benhassine. Leading a Work Bank delegation, Najy Benhassine called on Malik Amin and conveyed the bank’s all-out support to Pakistan’s green post-pandemic economic recovery initiative and afforestation and nature conservation programmes, mainly Green Stimulus project. He said $120 million funding pledged through the bank for this initiative had already been accepted and could be used through the country to boost green jobs in Pakistan for those rendered unemployed because of Covid-19 crisis through engaging them in the country’s green projects being implemented for conservation and protection of the nature. Furthermore, he said that WB was highly impressed through the Imran Khan’s vision for Clean Green Pakistan programme and various green projects initiated under the vision, mainly one of the world’s largest ambitious 10 billion tree Tsunami programme.
Having been impressed with the marvelous green initiatives of the incumbent government of Pakistan, we at the World Bank are mulling over replication of Pakistan’s green initiatives in other states in dissimilar parts of the world. The PM’s special assistant said the Green Stimulus initiative was introduced last year in April after Covid-19 hit the country for creation of green jobs for those youth, who were rendered jobless from various sectors because of closure of business and assorted economic activities. It is also important to note that Prime Minister Imran Khan had also approved the ‘Green Stimulus’ package in April this year as a part of the government’s attempts to enlarge green cover in Pakistan, which has led to generation of 87,000 green jobs for the youth rendered unemployed due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said. The PM’s aide said the climate change ministry had launched several other flagship programmes and projects, counting the world’s largest afforestation programme of 10 billion tree Tsunami programme, Clean Green Pakistan Programme to attain environmental sustainability and climate resilience by conservation and protection of environment, forests and wildlife. He said another ambitious Protected Areas Initiative had also been introduced under the umbrella programme ‘Green Pakistan’, which aims at the conservation and promotion of nature-based solutions and creation of additional 5,000 green jobs for community members in the protected areas. It is also said that the PAI mainly aims to improve the country’s protected areas cover from 13 percent to 15 percent by 2023 and create 5,000 green jobs across the country. WB delegates lauded the government’s green economic recovery and green jobs creation, afforestation and nature conservation also protection programme, which would hopefully assist increase Pakistan’s resilience against adverse impacts of climate change on health, education, water, energy, agriculture, food security and energy sectors. Both sides vowed to collaborate towards combating deleterious aftermaths of the worldwide health crisis of the pandemic and worldwide warming on many socioeconomic sectors. It’s really inspiring that despite limited financial resources, the country launched green stimulus initiative under Clean Green Programme, which has led to creation of thousands of green jobs for those rendered unemployed because of pandemic, the bank’s country head said. On the other hand, Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan Lis Rosenholm presently called on Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir and conveyed her government’s interest to join and support various green initiatives launched under the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision for Clean Green Pakistan. Furthermore, both sides accepted to increase bilateral cooperation and joint working for learning from each other’s green initiatives related to forestry, renewable energy, energy efficiency, vertical gardening initiatives, water management. The Danish ambassador told the state minister Zartaj Gul that Danish government, which is committed to worldwide climate and environmental sustainability actions, is deeply appreciative of the stimulating vision of Imran Khan for Clean Green and environmentally-sustainable and resilient Pakistan. She also informed the minister that Denmark is a world leader in fighting climate change. It is also said that Zartaj Gul Wazir lauded the Danish government for its interest in Pakistan’s green initiatives and furthering it by enhanced collaboration in shape of transfer the technology and technical-know also capacity-building of the relevant sectors for effective implementation of Imran Khan’s green initiatives.