UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan Wednesday told the United Nations that it had achieved the Millennium Development Goal environmental sustainability target of 12 per cent protected areas and was working to increase forest cover to 6 per cent.
In addition, Climate Change Minister Mushahidullah Khan also said that Pakistan was promoting public-private partnerships in the forestry sector. More broadly, he said the global objectives on forests would not be achieved without adequate means for implementation. In that regard, he supported predictable and scaled-up financial resources for all forestry projects.
Addressing a High-Level Segment of the 11th Session of the UN Forum on Forests, Mushahidullah Khan said many people depended on forests for their livelihoods, subsistence and income. While United Nations conventions on biodiversity, desertification and climate change addressed some aspects, the international arrangement guided their management, conservation and sustainable development. The Pakistani delegate also backed a move to establish a global fund to meet forest financing needs in the developing countries. “We strongly support a strengthened International Arrangement on Forests that could address forestry issues in a holistic manner contributing to sustainable development and poverty eradication in the developing countries.”