The Rotary Club of Karachi Environment (RCK ENV) and Climate Hub Forum Lead Global South Voices at COP29 in Pakistan
Pakistan, through the partnership between RCK ENV and CHF led by Erum Khan as Chairperson for 2025-2026 with President Kafeel Hussain of Rotary Club and Vice President Aamir Sadozai from Climate Hub Forum. They have positioned Pakistan to play a key role in combating climate change while championing local leadership and international collaboration on environmental sustainability issues during the COP 29 summit held recently in Baku, Azerbaijan as stated by Erum Khan who was interviewed exclusively with APP.
The RCK ENV partnering with CHF have adopted two flagship initiatives of One Million Trees Initiative (OMTI) focusing on mass tree plantations to combat urban heat and deforestation along with Climate Change Education and Community Training equipping teachers and communities with the knowledge.
In an exclusive interview, Aamir Sadozai informed that prior to COP 29 Moot these projects were showcased as models of impactful local action addressing global environmental challenges during their presentation at United Nations’ Climate Change moot in Baku which was co-led by Erum Khan and Kafeel Hussain.
The delegation led a session on Sustainable Tourism where they stressed the importance of nature based tourism as an economic tool for growth while emphasizing environmental conservation with contributions from UN Climate Change Champions Razan Al Mubarak, Nigar Arpadari along with leaders and experts.
The delegation unveiled Pakistan’s National Strategy on COP 29 highlighting the need of climate finance equity for vulnerable communities as well advocating inclusion in decision-making processes emphasizing urgency. It was during this summit that Professor Dr Phoebe Koundouri delivered a keynote presentation to demonstrate innovative funding models and mark Pakistan’s significant strides forward into resilience building which marked an important milestone for the climate policy of Pakistan as stated by Aamir Sadozai.
The RCK ENV has emphasized on sustainable urban planning & green buildings presenting these ideas during high-level discussions and secured collaborations with UN agencies along African organizations to build capacity in resilience projects within the Global South under leadership of Erum Khan, Kafeel Hussain alongside Sadozai.
The delegation not only advocated for climate justice but also demonstrated potential grassro0t initiatives can drive global change as stated by Chairperson RCK ENV during high level discussions at COP 29 summit held recently in Baku, Azerbaijan which was co-led and interviewed exclusively with APP.
During numerous discussion Aamir Sadozai stressed the capacity gap faced by developing nations as Global South needs robust international support to tackle climate challenges while Kafeel Hussain emphasized on urban sustainability stating that resilient cities are essential for combating global warming.
Note: This summary provides a condensed version of events, initiatives and discussions held during the COP 29 summit by The Rotary Club of Karachi Environment (RCK ENV) in Pakistan.
