If the aspirations of young people of the region are to be realised in a place challenged by resource-scarcity and climate change, it will require a new mode of thinking and an intensification of bilateral cooperation. It was in this spirit that a small group of Young Global Leaders (YGL) from both sides of the border took the initiative at the World Economic Forum's regional summit in New Delhi in November 2010 under title of YGL Indo-Pak Cooperation Initiative.
The basic philosophy behind this initiative is to realise that Pakistan and India need to address issues of shared natural resource and climate challenges with a view to building a new narrative of cooperation based on sensible risk management and benefit-sharing.
The conference of YGL titled, “Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management — Managing Risks: Sharing Benefits" took place on July 8-9, 2011 at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Lahore, Pakistan. Aman Ki Asha, an initiative of Jang Group of Newspapers Pakistan and Times of India Group, India was one of the organizers of the conference besides Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), among others.
While understanding of impacts of climate change in the region is in its early stages, experts point to higher temperatures, rise in sea level, floods, droughts and extreme weather as manifestations likely to impact every area from agriculture to human health and economic productivity.
Disasters, such as floods in Pakistan, are likely to increase not diminish in number and impact. As far as climate change and disaster management is concerned most countries of the region have been working in relative isolation. There is a dire need that both India and Pakistan take a lead in the region and must develop effective adaptation strategies to climate risk and a proactive approach to resource scarcity to meet the needs and aspirations of their people.
Climate change threatens our long-term existence and is already hugely impacting lives of millions in the two countries. The World Meteorological Organisation has linked last year's floods to observable changes in weather patterns as global temperatures rise. This is a fact. Pakistan and India are vulnerable to climate impacts, ranging from extreme weather such as floods, cyclones, droughts and storm surge, to deepening water and food insecurity.
It seems that the youth in both countries, since it does not carry the baggage of partition and its early consequences, is ready to realise new challenges to the region and looking for the common solutions to them.
Malini Mehra, CEO of Centre for Social Markets, a non-profit organisation that works on sustainability and corporate responsibility in India, thinks that holding the launch of this project in Pakistan is highly symbolic. “Typically, it has been difficult for Indians to secure visas for Pakistan, and vice versa. We overcame these difficulties with excellent cooperation from the Pakistani authorities and look upon this as a good omen for the future," she tells TNS. Read the full report here.
Source: by Aoun Sahi, Daily Jang, Pakistan.
