ISLAMABAD (our staff reporter): Prime Min ister’s Advisor on Climate Change on Wednesday said that every possible effort would be made at all costs to ensure independent monitoring of tree plantation-related activities of the Prime Minister’s 10 Billion Tsunami Programme (10 BTTP) being implemented across the country.
Talking to media after meeting with different internationally recognised environmental conservation and protection organisations, Malik Amin Aslam stressed, “Independent monitoring of the country’s largest afforestation programme, which has been hailed globally, and ensuring transparency in all tree plantation and wildlife conservation-related activities is inevitable for success of the programme.”
He asked representatives of IUCN-Pakistan, WWF-Pakistan and FAO to hammer out a consortium of themselves independently monitoring the 10 BTTP. These three internationally recognised organiations have agreed to form consortium and also presented during the meeting a ‘proposed’ monitoring plan to the prime minister’s adviser.
He suggested that the monitoring plan should be shared with the provincial governments and their viewpoints, if any, be incorporated in it.
He also called for a need to specify roles and responsibilities of the three organisations that how the monitoring plan would work and who would do what Aslam also suggested involving the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission in monitoring process as a key stakeholder.
“The immediate task will be to conduct sessions of all field formations of forest departments from all provinces for standardising of data collection procedures,” he said.
Korean cultural festival to be held at RAC on Oct. 14
RAWALPINDI (APP): A Korean cultural festival will be held on October 14 under auspices of Embassy of Republic of Korea and with the collaboration of Rawalpindi Arts Council (RAC), informed RAC spokesman here on Wednesday.
The event will be performed by Jeollabuk-do Provincial Institute for Korean Traditional Performing Arts, Korea. The entry is free.
