In a major win, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has commended Pakistan’s efforts for ecosystem restoration.
UNEP’s Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Dechen Tsering said in a statement that large-scale restoration initiatives such as the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project (TBTTP) are central to Pakistan’s efforts to support the UN Decade and to increase ecosystem restoration. Furthermore, Dechen Tsering said Pakistan is leading on this front.
The statement comes as the world prepares to mark five decades of the environmental movement at Stockholm +50 this June. Regarding this, projects and initiatives that have made a positive impact are being appreciated.
“We are at a point in history where we need to act, and Pakistan is leading on this important effort,” Dechen Tsering said.
Read more: Plant 5 trees: PM urges citizens
“It is worrying that we’ve seen declines in natural capital, including in Pakistan,” Tsering further added. “But it is promising to see the steps that the country’s government is taking to turn things around, particularly with its restoration projects.”
Sharing the remarks on his Twitter handle, PM Khan said he is proud of his team engaged in environment-related projects.
Proud of my team. “We are at a point in history where we need to act, and Pakistan is leading on this important effort” says UNEP.https://t.co/jqcq8b7jRe
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 29, 2022
Pakistan wins praise
Under the TBTTP, launched in 2019, the PTI-led government aims to plant 3.2 billion trees by 2023. In fact, according to the latest figures shared by the provincial departments with the climate change ministry, the pace of tree plantation is on track.
Due to its sheer vastness, the project is a reflection of government commitment to protecting the environment. As a result, the TBTTP often garners international praise.
In 2020, the World Economic Forum featured TBTTP as an inspiration step toward climate change. Furthermore, the British prime minister, Boris Johnson also acknowledged Pakistan as a leader in combating climate change.
In a speech to the UN General Assembly in 2021, Johnson asked all nations to follow the example of PM Khan to plant 10 billion trees.
Read more: PM Khan’s billion tree tsunami success in pictures