National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will help Pakistan to combat climatic vulnerability. This agreement will build resilience against to climate change by increasing the forest covers with help of private investment as well as CSR activities.
Tahir Rasheed CEO SPFC, and Dr. Rashid Bajwa CEO NRSP has signed the MoU. The MoU was witnessed by senior representatives of World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan) and Green Climate Fund (GCF).
The objectives of the agreement were briefed to Arsalan Alfred M.Ni Senior Advisor, Private Sector Facility, Green Climate Fund (GCF). He has appreciated the initiative. He was also hopeful that developing environmentally sensitive projects can be helpful to Pakistan.
SPFC CEO Tahir Rasheed said that the mandate of NRSP and mission of SPFC are in accordance with one another. In order to lessen the poverty ration in South Punjab, the SPFC has planned to create 15,000 direct and indirect green jobs. SPFC’s initiative will lead to revenue generation of Rs242 billion in South Punjab.
Tahir Rasheed further said that their initiative will achieve no poverty that is goal no. 1 of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG). The other two SDGs that is SDG 13 ‘climate action’ and SDG 15 ‘Life on Land’ that will be promoted by forest cover sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.
Dr. Rashid Bajwa has expressed his gratitude from GCF and WWF-Pakistan to SPFC and dignitaries for attending the signing ceremony. He further stated that Punjab Governments’ initiative will not only restore decreasing forests but also create jobs for the community of rural areas.
The agreement between SPFC and NRSP will secure climate finance in forestry sector that will reduce vulnerability to climate change of Punjab.
The GCF is established to assist the developing countries to adapt and mitigate climate change by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). GCF by 2020 will help to raise climate finance of up to the US $100 billion a year.
NRSP is section 42 company engaged in an alleviation of poverty and rural development. NRSP stands the largest rural support programme of the country with a presence in 65 rural districts.