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Event Reports & Concept Notes

Opening Ceremony: Green Economy & Sustainable Development (SD)

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Inspiring Speakers - July 24, 2011

Concurrent Session I: Policy Dialogue on Climate Compatible Development

Developing countries in Asia and the Pacific face stark climate change challenges. They are home to the world’s most dynamic economies that are also some of the fastest growing emitters of greenhouse gases (GHG) contributing to global warming. But the region is also home to the greatest number of people at risk of adverse climate change impacts. Even now, melting glaciers, volatile weather events and intensifying droughts are endangering ecosystems and resources critical to the survival and development of the poor. Unless Asia and rest of the world act to stabilize GHG emissions and strengthen the adaptive capacity of vulnerable groups and economies, these adverse consequences are predicted to magnify, with the poor likely to be hit the earliest and hardest.

New development patterns are being explored to take account of both the causes and consequences of climate change. LEAD too is working with partners to find ways of harnessing the synergies between mitigation and adaptation actions in ways that delivers co-benefits for environmental protection and economic growth.

Climate Compatible Development (CCD) is development that minimizes the harm caused by climate impacts, while maximizing the many human development opportunities presented by transitions to low emissions, resilient future. Charting a path towards climate compatible development will be a major challenge for all countries, depending on their level of development and current greenhouse gas emissions.

Guided by climate compatible development goals, which promote environmental sustainability in the fight against poverty, we have identified the following five strategic priorities for climate responses:
 

Strengthening policies, governance, and capacities.

Promoting Climate Compatible Agriculture Development.
Expanding the use of clean energy.
Encouraging sustainable transport and urban development.
Managing land use and forests for carbon sequestration.
Four modalities will support the attainment of these priorities:
1. Formulating national policies supportive of CCD;
2. Creating economic incentives for CCD;
3. Generating and disseminating knowledge, and;
4. Cultivating and fostering partnerships.
In this session, we will focus on ways of achieving climate compatible development by use of the four modalities mentioned above.
 

Download report of Policy Dialogue on Climate Compatible Development

Concurrent Session II: Roundtable on MDGs and Health

United Nations Millennium Declaration clearly defined a road map which sets out goals to be achieved by 2015 to encourage development by improving social and economic conditions in the world’s poorest countries. These eight goals, called the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), represent commitments by all countries to reduce poverty and hunger, and to tackle ill-health, gender inequality, lack of education, lack of access to clean water and environmental degradation.

The MDGs focus on three major areas of Human development (humanity): bolstering human capital, improving infrastructure, and increasing social, economic and political rights, with the majority of the focus going towards increasing basic standards of living. The objectives chosen within the human capital focus include improving nutrition, healthcare, and education. Out of the 8 MDGs, three are directly health related: the reduction of Child Mortality Rates, the improvement of Maternal Health, and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

In order to achieve the MDGs, Pakistan requires a fundamental shift in its policy and strategic directions. Along with allocation of significant additional resources for health, it needs to review and reprioritize the use of existing resources for increased efficiency. Pakistan must also adopt a holistic and integrated approach that views health, education, and other social sector development as intrinsically interrelated and interwoven. Without such an integrated approach, achieving the health-related MDGs is likely to remain illusive for Pakistan. There is a critical need to foster a healthy debate on the health-related Millennium Development Goals in Pakistan so as to inform and, hopefully influence, public policy.

The objectives of this session are:
• To examine the current and the future state of MDGs in Pakistan especially health related MDGs;
• To identify areas of gaps and challenges in terms of policy making, budget allocation, research and capacity building;
• To assess the role of gender and women empowerment in achieving health related MDGs;
• To generate debate and discussion to streamline reproductive health as a major policy issue.

Concurrent Session III: Panel on Leadership, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The history of the world stands testimony to the role that the leaders have played for steering communities, nations and institutions towards new heights of excellence. The idea of Sustainable Development has also seen progress in leaps and bounds, in various sectors and in a myriad of countries around the world, with the leadership playing a pivotal part in it. Similarly, a number of failed initiatives can also be attributed, chiefly, to a leadership failure.

There is no dearth of academic and practical models of leadership and excellence in the literature, from areas ranging between politics, business and volunteerism to literary movements, grassroots level struggle and fashion. It would perhaps be fair to state that the most essential element of leadership is “entrepreneurship”, taken in its wider sense.

In the context of leadership, “entrepreneurship” would entail a behavioural trait having the spirit of innovation, risk-taking and forging unity among the stakeholders for bringing about a qualitative and quantitative change in the society.

An overview of the progress towards sustainable development in the developing countries in general, and Pakistan in particular, offers a very odd scenario. While the societies have produced outstanding leaders in various sectors, some having won the highest laurels at the global levels, the overall direction and profile of the development agenda in these countries does not offer the most enviable sight. The isolated islands of success here and there notwithstanding, the poverty, intolerance, destituteness, environmental degradation and social and economic decline are rampant.

Leadership for Sustainable Development is one of the key fundamental values of LEAD Pakistan. With a view to exploring the Leadership and Sustainable Development nexus, a panel has been constituted, comprising of some eminent personalities who have exhibited a rare combination of academic excellence and practical astuteness as leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in their respective areas of interest. Each panellist has been requested to elaborate on their experience with the idea of entrepreneurship as an essential ingredient of leadership qualities, which will be followed by a brief interactive discussion among the participants and the panellists.


Objectives of the session:

Some of the ideas expected to be discussed in the session include:

• The structural factors conducive to the rise of the entrepreneur;
• The role of structured learning in honing the leadership skills;
• Challenges for up-scaling the leadership skills for a societal transformation;
• Sustaining the leadership and entrepreneurial achievements inter-generationally.

Download report of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Day 2 – Media Discussion Forum

The biggest challenge for leadership today is to create, strengthen and support networks of people and institutions promoting change towards sustainable development. In today’s rapidly changing world we need leaders who weave a clear direction of changing development targets and goals, take accountability for results and performance, and are role models for the behavior needed for others to get inspired. At the same time, we also require an intelligent and powerful media having the capacity to highlight the work of these ingenious Leaders and present the development concerns in a way that would promote remedial decision making and lead to constructive reform.

Journalism geared towards development, in fact, should recognize the reality of underdevelopment and mobilize the audiences to foster, adopt, and pursue national development. The goals of development journalism must be to promote grassroots, non-violent, socially responsible, ecologically sensitive, personally empowering, democratic, dialogical and humanistic forms of communication", as rightly outlined by Bourgault (1995), a communication specialist. In order to achieve this, one need’s to have sound knowledge of the ongoing issues and be in a position to understand what development upholds, how people are affected by government development policies and assess the merits and demerits of development policies.

LEAD Pakistan’s Media Event, therefore, serves to pave the way towards Recognizing such role, allowing audiences to experience it with a leading media house in the country. It intends to capture the presence of high profile panelists and key experts utilizing their expertise and knowledge and translating it into a well versed interactive session. The event will combine the underlying themes of Action-Lab and provoke thinking on solving complex national problems holistically to promote a culture of increased commitment and collaboration at all levels. The programme will be moderated through a renowned anchor and key audiences will be representatives of civil society having increased concerns on development issues.

Objectives of the session:

Highlight the role of media and its impact on bringing the development issues  to mainstream  
Provide a link between government/policy makers and the people.  
Electronic coverage of the session to be provided in a way that would facilitate this   two-way communication.  
Highlight innovation and success stories that will motivate people and   inspire change.    
Engage in a discussion that would allow the audience to monitor and evaluate government programs and policies, and to meaningfully participate in the discussion and debate on development issues.  

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Download Summary of Media Discussion Forum

“Sensing Open Space”

To explore the work of other likeminded missioners and to showcase their achievements in sustainable development, LEAD Pakistan has designed an innovative knowledge market place, a unique platform enabling our partners and friends to showcase their innovative sustainable development interventions serving as a source of inspiration for other participants. The objectives are;

• Increased trust, knowledge sharing, and collaboration between thought-leaders, practitioners, decision makers, and emerging talent.
• Energetic and dynamic dissemination of innovative and game-changing sustainable development practices and policy approaches.
• Analysis and incubation of how existing innovations can be scaled-up and replicated. A framework process for testing these ideas through a prototyping and evidence based approach.
• A portfolio of prototype projects and action-research initiatives that build on the most promising innovations and provide insight and evidence for scale-up and replication.
• High quality capture and production of communication and knowledge products (case studies, video presentations, synthesis of workshops and dialogues, and participant interviews).

The event “Sensing Open Space” is scheduled for July 24, 2011. We have designed this event in such a way that the first part focuses on exploring what works and what does not. The inputs being evidence based – case studies sessions and discussions will be run not just on the basis of what people think, but what they’ve done and learnt as a consequence. The later part will focus on scaling-up the more successful approaches and designing new activities that can actually get implemented. We intend to capture this by using success stories, knowledge and experience sharing.

World Cafe - July 25, 2011

Topic 1: Thinking Green Economy

The prevailing economic growth model is focused on increasing GDP above all other goals. While this system has improved incomes and reduced poverty for hundreds of millions, it comes with significant and potentially irreversible social, environmental and economic costs. Human and natural systems are tightly interwoven. The health of people and economies is founded on ecosystems and natural ‘services’, such as a stable climate and fresh water. But while our global economy has produced benefits for many, its debt-fuelled, consumption-based growth patterns ultimately harm both environment and society. Environmental degradation in turn creates economic problems. We have been living beyond our means, with crises in climate, energy, food, water, poverty, jobs and finance linked to economic activity. It’s clear that economic thinking must embrace people and planet. Hence it’s imperative to change ones perception and adopt green measures to transform towards an optimistic change.

Green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive. Practically speaking, a green economy is one whose growth in income and employment is driven by public and private investments that reduce carbon emissions and pollution, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services. These investments need to be catalyzed and supported by targeted public expenditure, policy reforms and regulation changes. This development path should maintain, enhance and, where necessary, rebuild natural capital as a critical economic asset and source of public benefits, especially for poor people whose livelihoods and security depend strongly on nature.

Some countries feel that they are lagging in green technology know-how and therefore will be at a competitive disadvantage in the race for future markets. Others feel that the Green
Economy is a pretense for rich countries to erect "green" trade barriers on developing country exports. These are all legitimate concerns that deserve attention.

When the full costs and benefits over time are taken into account however, many Green Economy solutions will be seen as more attractive. Nevertheless, there will still be difficult choices and tradeoffs. For example, should South Asian Countries aggressively promote grid-connected, relatively expensive solar power when hundreds of millions in the region still have no access to basic necessities? And even where Green Economy solutions make economic sense, they may be politically challenging. Therefore, the transition to a Green Economy will not be easy.

The green development approach points to the need for new sources of growth that are environmentally sustainable – for example, employment in high-growth sectors such as clean energy. Past sustainability efforts have not focused sufficiently on designing economic policies for pricing pollution. But we now have a chance to tackle these challenging problems given the policy openings created by the response to the shift towards green economy;

• Policies and regulations for green economy that can identify and manage financial and other risks more effectively;
• New markets and industries that can create green jobs;
• Public support for technological innovation in energy, transport, agriculture and industry to position the country to compete in tomorrow’s markets.

Download report of Thinking Green Economy

Topic 2: Mainstreaming the Climate Challenge through Compatible Development

The effects of manmade climate change are already evident: in rising sea levels, extended droughts and more frequent severe flooding in many parts of the world, with knock-on effects for the habitability of some areas, agricultural productivity, public health and sustainability of livelihoods. Even with dramatic action to limit climate change, some further warming is inevitable and more climate impacts will occur, this will leave the world’s poorest people highly vulnerable to increased ill health and poverty, in all its dimensions.

Owing to this, it is imperative to explore the impacts of climate change on human development to measure the prospects for future climate impacts on development in selected countries and regions. Achieving truly climate-compatible development: low carbon growth that simultaneously reduces poverty and builds a more resilient future, is challenging but possible. The little time remaining to lock in low-carbon development paths adds urgency to the task, which is why it is so important that emerging experience of climate-compatible development is well evaluated: for its impact on society, on economies, and on the natural environment.

On a parallel plane, LEAD is mindful of the broken triangle, especially in the Asian region, consisting of scientific evidence, policy making and experience on the ground. We aspire to bridge this gap to make policy making more evidence based and attuned to realities on the ground, through our regional work and diverse network; Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), an alliance of six private and non-governmental organizations operating across four continents.

In this session we will explore how Climate Compatible Development can work and how it can translate into scalable action and new policy responses across Asia. It provides a perfect opportunity to reflect on what CDKN has achieved to date, how it can provide support in overcoming some of the challenges faced by decision makers today, and plan the way forward. By bringing together key partners in Pakistan, and the region, ideas will be generated for future partnerships and promising new collaborations.

Download Report of Mainstreaming the Climate Challenge through Compatible Development
 

Topic 3: Nurturing Local Leadership for Change

Population dynamics and trends, which are closely linked to economic progress, must be taken into consideration if the eight MDGs are to be achieved. Demographic and population trends are strongly influenced by access to reproductive health and women's empowerment. The linkages between reproductive health, population, women’s empowerment and social progress were consistently articulated, for the first time, in the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994, which is the guiding principle to strengthen local leadership to improve reproductive health in a country. In fact, the MDGs were based, in part, on the Cairo Consensus, and on some of the other major international agreements of the 1990s, including the Beijing Platform for Action.

It is important to document and support linkages at the local and national level to make sure that population, gender and reproductive health issues are given full consideration in policymaking. One of the ways to achieve this is by participating in planning frameworks that developing countries such as Pakistan and donors use to guide efforts to reduce poverty and effectively channel development assistance.

Design strategic policy dialogue between Donor Community, Government and key stakeholders can result in population issues -- such as migration, demographic structure and spatial population distribution – to be incorporated into poverty reduction strategies.

Topic 4: Population, Health & Climate Change: Exploring Linkages

Public health is often described as being comprised of four pillars: prevention, science, care for the medically underserved, and interdependence . Climate disruption due to global warming has environmental impacts such as worsening air and water quality, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and resurgence and/or spread of infectious diseases. Today, billions of people lack adequate nutrition, access to a viable public health system, and potable water. With the climate disruptions yet to come, further challenges are expected to impact more countries in more regions of the world. Different regions will face different problems as the climate continues to change, but such impacts do not respect political boundaries (e.g., air pollution) and are globally interdependent (e.g., the import and export of food).
The impact of climate change, including extreme weather events such as bushfires and floods, may cause or exacerbate existing health issues, related to:

• Water supply, safety and security;
• Food safety and security;
• Loss of shelter, homes and community facilities;
• Poor air quality from pollutants and aeroallergens and associated illness;
• Mental illness;
• An increase in water borne disease and other infectious diseases;
• Ultraviolet radiation;
• Personal loss and death of vulnerable members of the society.

The most vulnerable are those who have less capacity to cope: the poor, children, women, the elderly, disabled and sick people, slum dwellers, the landless and marginalized, informal open air workers, and the displaced communities and individuals.

Low-income countries and areas where malnutrition is widespread, the level of education is poor and with weak infrastructures will have the most difficulty adapting to climate change and related health hazards. The populations considered to be at greatest risk are those living in small islands, low-lying and coastal areas, mountainous regions, water-stressed areas, in mega-cities - particularly the large urban and peri-urban agglomerations in delta regions in Asia.

The most vulnerable people in the region will be the poor because they have fewer resources to adapt to the rapid changes of the natural environment which is their livelihood. In rural areas, women are increasingly becoming household heads and have the double burden of social reproduction and agricultural work as their males migrate to urban centres. Mountain people, communities living in remote areas, slums dwellers in and around mega cities, islanders, and fisher folk will be deeply affected. But it is women, elderly groups, poor communities, children, disabled people, and ethnic minorities who have the least coping and recovering capacity and who, therefore, will be the most physically, socially, and psychologically vulnerable.

In order to adapt to the health and social impacts of climate change, we first need to understand the potential impacts and develop policies and processes to respond and protect our most vulnerable individuals and communities. A partnership between the climate and public health communities, therefore, needs to be created and sustained. In addition, linkages that can enable adaptation to global climate change need to be identified and strengthened.

Objectives of the session:

Some of the ideas expected to be discussed in the session include:
• Review different types of climate change impacts on public health;
• Bring together professionals from different disciplines and organizations who share a concern about climate impacts;
• Seek consensus on the top climate-related issues facing the global public health community;
• Share the findings and identify the needs for a sustainable virtual collaborative community to continue to address climate and public health issues at local, national and international level.

Download report of Population, Health & Climate Change: Exploring Linkages


Topic 5: Managing Water Resources in the Changing Climate

In view of the water crisis looming in the country’s near future every area is worthy of research and requires appropriate policy and planning interventions. However, for the proposed slot in the action lab, in terms of focus, a line has to be drawn somewhere.

Climate Change is a rapidly unfolding challenge of catastrophic global, regional and national proportions Pakistani experts believe the country should be considered one of the world’s most vulnerable to climate change. Data shows rising temperatures over much of the past century, and the country suffered record flooding last year, particularly during the last two decades, extreme weather events like heavy rains, heat and droughts have increased.

This pattern of extreme weather can be seen particularly in places like Thar, an arid region where drought now arrives every three years and may last for 12 months or more, in some cases triggering migration away from affected areas.

Pakistan will be affected by the impacts far more seriously than is generally recognized by the policy makers and opinion leaders. The government must integrate its approach to climate change with related policies. Water resources, agriculture, human health, forestry and biodiversity are among the top priority sectors.

The need of the hour is to understand the importance of the four main challenges at hands regarding climate change and water. These include the abnormal increase in temperature, continual short fall of energy, cross country tensions regarding water issues and last but not the least, National water management for optimal utilization.

Among other things there is a strong need for awarness rasining , strenghtening water management systems to cope with threats and challenges mentioned above and to promote research to generate further more awareness about the raising issues that may engluf the nation very soon.
 

Objectives of the session:
Some of the ideas expected to be discussed in the session include:
• Assessing the nature, scope and ambit of problems encompassing the sector;
• Finding integrative and comprehensive solutions for strengthening water governance & resolving water management problems
• Creating awareness about the potential effects of climatic conditions on water
• Dissemination of the research work titled, ‘Climate Change & water – Exploring Linkages’ to be carried out by LEAD’s Cohort members;
• Generating partnerships for future collaborative work in the same area.

Download Report of Managing Water Resources in the Changing Climate

Topic 6: 18th Amendment & Beyond: Re-thinking Development in Pakistan

Following the 18th amendment, provinces will now be able to legislate on a number of subjects earlier within the domain of the federal government. This is an opportunity for provincial legislatures to review outdated, conflicting or discriminatory laws, as well as close gaps in the legislative framework for development and the public welfare at a devolved level. The focus will on the performance of the Provincial Assemblies in progressive lawmaking and highlighting landmark legislation for better governance. They will also identify areas for future legislation in pursuance of public policy keeping in view the devolved subjects after the 18th amendment.

In theory devolution seems to be a promising initiative, but reservations persist on its adequacy, in particular on the continuing status of local government as an institution of the Provincial government. It is therefore imperative to review the provisions and amendments to the constitution affecting the critical elements of governance and specifically look at the new distribution of responsibilities under the 18th amendment with potential and opportunities for better governance. The 18th amendment to the constitution has furthered the devolution process in Pakistan by devolving 44 subjects, including pollution control and ecology, in an attempt to increase efficiency, effectiveness and accountability.

The Ministry of Environment is one of the many ministries to be devolves following the 18th amendment which has rung alarm bells not only nationally, but also internationally. All environment related institutions, regulatory bodies, staff, resources and liabilities are likely to be transferred to the provinces concerned except those having jurisdiction in federal capital territory. It is widely believed that the subsequent abolition of the ‘Pakistan Environmental Protection Act 1997’ would critically impact the environment in Pakistan which is already in a dismal state.

Following the devolution of this ministry, critical questions are being raised about the fate of the sector on climate change which has drawn international concerns especially when the climate change has started taking toll in shape of droughts, floods, global warming, glaciers melting, etc in the region.

Download Report of 18th Amendment & Beyond

Closing Ceremony