“It is time that we keep our eyes and minds open but start using our hands and feet for some serious action,” said Mussarat Qadeem, Chairperson of SAP-PK.
Mussarat Qadeem, Chairperson of SAP-PK, emphasised the importance of starting small with new organic and eco-friendly farming techniques, even if only on a small piece of land. She shared the stories of women in India who saved forests by literally risking their lives.
A large number of women from Pakistan’s four provinces attended a national women’s assembly hosted by South Asia Partnership Pakistan in a local hotel on Tuesday. According to Muhammad Tahseen, Executive Director of SAP-PK, the largest economies and corporations are to blame for climate change.
“It is time that we keep our eyes and minds open but start using our hands and feet for some serious action,” said Mussarat Qadeem, Chairperson of SAP-PK, while sharing the stories of women who were victims of the recent floods in Pakistan.
Eco friendly farming techniques have become a priority as people become more aware of the environmental damage caused by large-scale agriculture.
Mussarat Qadeem stated that the National Disaster Management Authority must increase its capacity. When the civil society in certain districts approached them for community safety, the NDMA told them that they were only responsible for post-disaster work, she said.
Pakistan is the eighth-most affected country by climate change. There will be more floods in Pakistan next year if we do not take protective measures. The Meteorological Department’s experts shared their perspectives.
According to Ahmed Rafay Alam, an environmental lawyer and activist who founded Climate Action Pakistan, climate change is caused by greenhouse gases produced by burning what is extracted from the earth. Our Constitution makes no mention of climate change; however, there is a right to life.
He described how the case of Shehla Zia vs. Wapda sparked the first-ever climate change legislation in Pakistan. Rafay Alam delivered an informative presentation; the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed by 198 countries in 1992, was about reducing greenhouse gases. The Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1996, taking big countries’ promises to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius.
This sparked outrage, and the Paris agreement stipulated that global warming be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius.The bad news is that greenhouse gases have increased since the UNFCCC. The major countries have contributed to the deterioration of the climate.
Floods, he claims, are a result of human error rather than natural causes. He predicted that the temperature in Pakistan would rise by 4-5 degrees Celsius by 2040. Alam discussed how corporations are primarily to blame for global climate change, particularly in South Asian regions.
In the second session, Yasmeen Mughal, the JAZBA programme’s district coordinator in Quetta, stressed the importance of collecting accurate data on flood-affected areas and then planning with a focus on women. Paiman regional coordinator from Rajanpur district Shehnaz Akbar stressed the importance of including women in working groups and post-disaster planning.
Syeda Imtiaz Fatima, a disabled person (PWD), shared her horrifying experiences as a PWD during a crisis. She demanded that laws for the protection and welfare of people with disabilities be passed immediately and that they be included in the process.
Zanaya Chaudhry, a transgender rights activist, complained that few organisations reached out to transgenders in flood-affected areas for assistance. She also demanded more legislation to protect transgender people’s rights, recognising the role of SAP-PK as a constant supporter of what has been done so far.
Marvi Awan, Executive Director of Women Protection Centre Hyderabad, emphasised the importance of data on all of the aforementioned issues in order to develop appropriate policies and plans.
District councillor DI Khan, KP, stated that there is an urgent need to expand the work of organisations such as SAP-PK so that knowledge and information reach the greatest number of people.
According to Nida Azhar, Secretary of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, PCSW is working on data that will be available once the research is completed. She believes that older women require the most assistance.
Former MNA Nosheen Hamid, who has been one of the main advocates in parliament for legislation on violence against women, stated that male parliamentarians are generally not very supportive of legislation for the welfare of women.
Women legislators have been actively working to address climate change, but the majority of them do not hold direct seats. She believes that women should be better represented. Rizwana Naveed, Additional Secretary Human Rights Department; Nadeem Ashraf, Member Punjab NCHR; Shabnam Rasheed, Programme Manager SAP-PK; and Irfan Mufti, Deputy Director SAP-PK, also spoke at the event.
