Pakistan is blessed with the highest mountain ranges. The country is the meeting point of the great Himalayas, Karakorum and Hindu Kush mountains. The second highest peak K-2 is also located in Pakistan along with four other peaks above the height of 8,000 meters. The security situation in the country, however, has made it almost impossible to tap on these huge resources. Read the rest of this entry »
Military offensive in Swat valley and its environmental ramifications
Pakistani military has started a new and major offensive in Swat valley against the Taliban insurgents. The operation is in full swing these days with heavy fighting going on in all parts of the valley. Millions have fled their homes to seek refuge in ‘rather’ peaceful parts of Pakistan.
The emerging humanitarian crisis because of the refugees needs immediate action by international donor agencies. Besides the human aspect, the ongoing battle has played havoc with the environment of that region.
Swat valley and surrounding region are rich in forests and wildlife resources. Although no proper survey has been conducted but forests cover at least one-fourth of Swat valley. Taliban insurgents are already known to cut down trees to use it for fuel. Now the army is pounding the area mercilessly and there have been reports of wild forest fires. While military action is necessary to root out militants, care should be taken to minimize damage of life, property and also natural resurces.
More on this in another post.
New wind farming project opened in Pakistan
Pakistan’s prime minister recently inaugurated a wind farm near Karachi. The 50-megawatt ‘Zorlu Energy Wind Power Project’ is located in Gharo-Keti Baner wind corridor, a 60 kilometre long and 170 kilometre wide area that has the potential to generate 50,000 MW of electricity.
The inauguration is definitely a breeze of fresh air in an otherwise doomed environment in this country. But the pace of work at Zorlu field is quite slow. The project was stalled for many years and it is only a few months since the work was resumed. There is a major security issue in that area and the government needs to protect the foreign workers.
SRP to be a part of Utrecht sustainability conference
Thanks to the great efforts of Enrico J. Wensing, founder of Ecosphere Net, our abstract has been accepted at the 15th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference that will be held at Utrecht, The Netherlands.
The title of our abstract was “A Transition to Sustainability for Pakistan: Add Water, Science, Technology, CSR and Social Learning“. Given the current instability in Pakistan, we need a strong resolution to rebuild or allow me to say; re-establish the social structure of Pakistan on sustainable basis. We’ll have to start from water as we can’t live without it and we’re facing a big water crisis in this country.
Asad Uz Zaman, former manager of Pakistan Water Gateway project at IUCN Pakistan, has also agreed to be a part of our team. His expertise in ICTs and knowledge management – with some focus on water resources – will help us a great deal. Other people have also shown interest and we’ll be eager to seek their guidance. We’ll continue updating on the status of this proposal.
No progress at the environmental front
Quite a few days (actually months) since I wrote my last post. I was extremely buys in some personal affairs actually. Fortunately or unfortunately, there have been no big news at the local environmental front. Political turmoil is in full swing here – as it is always – and the government is paying no attention to environmental issues; again, a ‘normal’ thing.
Thanks to recession, corporate sector is also cutting budgets for social responsibility programs. Given that these companies constitute a very tiny segment of Pakistani corporate scene, hopes of a better future are waning.
So that was just a little summary. I’ll try to post some local and international environmental and CSR stuff in near future, hopefully.
2008: Social development remained a dream in Pakistan
At the dawn of the new year, it looks befitting to review the achievements of the social sector in Pakistan during 2008. While looking in retrospect, the year had more banes than boons for Pakistan.
Rampant terrorist attacks marred every aspect of Pakistani life with casualties running in hundreds if not thousands. This cancer of terror has penetrated deep into our social structure. Coupled with weak and corrupt administration, there was hardly any signs of progress on this front.
However, all was not dark and gloomy as there were some rays of hope. At the social development front, old and trusted welfare organizations like Edhi Foundation continued with their services.
Environmental activism and sustainable development sector saw no major developments. Same was the case with Micro finance projects though a couple like Kashf Foundation and Tameer Microfinance are doing some good work.
As I discussed before, the corporate sector – a significant majority – played its own games in the garb of social responsibility. What these companies have failed to understand is that social responsibility goes beyond spending a few million Rupees and making a fuss about it – to generate good publicity.
At the environmental front, no activity to take polluters to task or even fighting the deforestation took place. Government did continue with its tree plantation campaigns but lack of public involvement has made this practice only ceremonial.
Leaving criticism aside, it’s time to rethink our priorities and work towards a better future. Engaing the public in social movements is not easy but we should try to give our best shot. So one of the resolutions for the new year should be to chip in our resources and best efforts to make Pakistan a better place.
Community Activism in Pakistan – A long way to go
Community activism plays a key role in social uplift and development of any society. If people take the task of social development to themselves; no one can stop them from achieving their goals. This community activism translates into a national movement in some cases while dies down in most of the others.
Social activism, especially mass mobilization, has always remained a topic of interest for me; focusing on developing countries like Pakistan. This country has a history of community activism but mostly for political causes and in most of the cases, it ended in a mayhem. Strained relationship between a strong military establishment and fledgeling and corrupt polity; Pakistanis have rallied behind causes which resulted in violence and massive unrest.
There have been some instances where we, as Pakistanis, have supported social causes. As I have discussed in previous posts, we always support generously in the case of any natural or man-made disaster. We also donate a lot in charity; religious giving is quite big here. But, an activism for social change and development is yet to be seen.
The sole reason behind this lack of activism is that there never has been any such campaign in this country. A movement supported by an organization or institution (there are hardly any such working for social development) and which can convince people to join forces for a change. Unfortunately, same is the case with other developing countries where masses are manipulated by corrupt politicans for personal gains.
Probably, it’s time that people should get rid of this laid back attitude. Times are changing and social activism and active participation for sustainable development is the need of the hour. Environmental degradation, Poverty, Disease and Corruption are the biggest issues of developing and under-developed countries. These can only be solved if people themselves start their little contribution.
SRP to be part of International Villanova University CSR/Sustainability Conference
The time has come to see the transition from the developed countries to those developing or who have failed to climb the ladder of social progress. The much hyped trickle down effect has yet to take place. It’s true that some countries are making progress but at the expense of environment and people.
As I have discussed before, we need an alliance between the west and the developing countries. This cooperation for sustainable development is the need of the hour.
The same topic will come under discussion during the International Sustainability Conference at Villinova University, Pennsylvania. As Editor of Socially Responsible Pakistan (SRP) I have been invited to be co-author and part of a presentation of a paper on CSR.
The paper am co-writing is about how we can develop CSR from the global to the local level. Pakistan, of course, will be given a special focus in this paper. I am really grateful to Enrico Wensing from the Ecosphere Net, who encouraged me to be a part of this event.
More information can be found here.
An expert’s take on social responsibility in Pakistan
Enrico Wensing, a sustainability expert and PhD student at Saybrook, is the founder of Ecosphere Net and has also authored I Am Sustainability: How the Human Body can Save the Planet.
In the current special issue of The Economist entitled The World in 2009 Daniel Franklin writes,
“In 2009 sustainability will take on a new meaning in boardrooms: staying in business….
It has become almost obligatory for executives to claim that CSR is ‘connected to the core’ of corporate strategy, or that it has become ‘part of the DNA’. In truth, even ardent advocates of sustainability struggle to identify more than a handful of examples. More often the activities that go under the sustainability banner are a hotch-potch of pet projects at best tenuously related to the core business. The coming shake-out will help to remove some of this froth.”
Citing the continuance of political regulatory and punitive incentives in 2009 as reasons, Franklin goes on to say that even in the current global economic crisis it would be a mistake for companies to let their, albeit parsimonious, commitment to CSR fade.
