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Pakistan is lacking in integrating its climate governance and social protection systems to survive the escalating pace of climate disasters, experts cautioned during the Fifth Annual International Conference, A New Global Order, Yet Again, organised by the IBA.
Speaking at a panel on "Climate Change and Social Protection", climate specialists, researchers and development practitioners said Pakistan's current fragmented and reactive climate strategy is no longer viable as the country confronts intensifying heatwaves, floods, droughts, water shortages and widespread socioeconomic fragility. The panellists argued that climate policy and social protection should no longer work in isolation; instead, both must be merged into a unified framework capable of protecting vulnerable communities, as reported by The Express Tribune. According to The Express Tribune, climate policy expert Ali Tauqeer Sheikh opened the discussion by outlining the long evolution of the global "Loss and Damage" debate from early negotiations in the 1990s to breakthroughs such as the Bali Action Plan, the Cancun Adaptation Framework and the establishment of the Loss and Damage Fund at COP28. But he criticised Pakistan's growing absence from key global negotiations shaping climate financing. With COP30 in Brazil set to finalise crucial access mechanisms, Sheikh warned that Pakistan's inconsistent diplomatic participation may weaken its ability to secure its rightful share of funding. "We advocate climate justice loudly but fail to appear where decisions are actually made," he stated. He added that Pakistan's climate failures are rooted not just in diplomacy but in outdated governance. Local institutions, still shaped by colonial-era laws, lack resources, autonomy and authority. Sheikh cited Karachi's abandoned Climate Action Plan as evidence of how bureaucratic inertia and weak local governments continue to derail climate resilience. "If local systems remain powerless, adaptation will stay confined to paperwork," he warned. Panellists also noted that universities and think tanks lag behind global climate discourse, limiting research and evidence-based policymaking. Another concern was youth engagement: although young people make up two-thirds of Pakistan's population, only 12 per cent participate in climate or policy processes. Saima Bashir of PIDE stated that youth inclusion remains superficial without training, curricula, or budgets dedicated to climate leadership, as cited by The Express Tribune. Gender vulnerability was also highlighted. Women heavily represented in informal, climate-exposed sectors face disproportionate risks, yet social protection frameworks largely ignore them. Bashir highlighted that only 1.4 per cent of PSDP projects incorporate gender considerations, a statistic she shared earlier in the National Assembly. Experts concluded that unless Pakistan addresses governance failures, gender inequities and youth exclusion, its climate crisis will deepen further, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)
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