Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday called for deeper regional cooperation to achieve sustainable development and build resilience against climate change, describing South Asia as \u201cthe frontline of converging crises that threaten both lives and livelihoods.\u201d
\n\u201cThe road to enduring peace and prosperity is paved with sustainable development. Nowhere does this clarion call echo louder than in our region \u2013 South Asia, home to nearly two billion souls, a quarter of humanity\u2019s heartbeat,\u201d he said while addressing the 28th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC -2025) here at the Allama Iqbal Open University.
\nHe said South Asia remained a region of immense potential yet profound challenges. \u201cThis is a tapestry of boundless human ingenuity and untapped economic dynamism. Yet, despite remarkable strides, over 380 million South Asians remain trapped in multidimensional poverty, and one in three children battles stunting,\u201d he added.
\nHighlighting the urgency of climate adaptation, he cautioned that \u201cwithout bold and collective measures, climate shocks could thrust another 40 million people into poverty by 2030.\u201d
\nPakistan, he noted, emitted less than one percent of global carbon emissions but continued to suffer some of the world\u2019s most devastating climate impacts. \u201cWe bear the heaviest scars \u2013 from vanishing Himalayan glaciers and catastrophic floods to unrelenting heatwaves and cyclones,\u201d he said.
\nRecalling the 2022 floods in Pakistan and more recent disasters across India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, the minister said these events were \u201charrowing harbingers of climate chaos that recognize no sovereignty.\u201d
\nHe expressed deep concern over the recent floods that wreaked havoc in parts of Pakistan, including his home district Narowal. \u201cRivers like the Ravi overflowed, submerging vast rice fields and destroying livelihoods,\u201d he said, adding that hundreds of families were displaced and agricultural losses ran into billions of rupees.
\nThe minister shared his personal experience from Narowal, saying, \u201cI met families who had lost not just their crops, but their homes and hopes built over generations. One elderly man, clutching the remnants of his flooded home, looked at me with tears in his eyes \u2013 a reminder of what is truly at stake.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday called for deeper regional cooperation to achieve sustainable development and build resilience against climate change, describing South Asia as \u201cthe frontline of converging crises that threaten both lives and livelihoods.\u201d \u201cThe road to enduring peace and prosperity is paved with sustainable development. Nowhere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":483724,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-512562","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business"},"yoast_head":"\n