ISLAMABAD, September 7, 2026: Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik has called for practical, community-driven and sustainable solutions to address the growing challenges faced by climate-vulnerable cities and poor and marginalized communities in Pakistan.
He made the remarks during a meeting with UN-Habitat officer Odi Angelo, from Bolivia, where the two sides discussed urban development, climate resilience, water and sanitation, flood protection and practical development initiatives for vulnerable communities.
Dr Musadik Malik expressed concern over delays in development projects, stressing that the ultimate objective of policymaking and international cooperation should be tangible action on the ground and meaningful improvements in people’s lives.
“We need effective and result-oriented work. Bring forward effective policy proposals, and we will cooperate and implement them,” the minister said, urging relevant institutions to minimize unnecessary delays and obstacles and accelerate project implementation.
The minister said Pakistan needed practical solutions rather than increasingly complicated development terminology, particularly in areas where communities face contaminated water, flooding, inadequate drainage systems and limited access to basic urban services.
He emphasized that even a single well-designed project could transform the lives of a large number of people. He called for initiatives that involve local communities, become self-sustaining and, once proven successful, can be replicated in other parts of the country.
Dr Musadik acknowledged that various government institutions and development partners had undertaken valuable initiatives in the past. However, he noted that many of these efforts remained fragmented, preventing their collective impact from being effectively demonstrated.
He called for successful projects to be identified, their outcomes documented and successful models scaled up so that effective interventions could eventually become part of Pakistan’s broader national development agenda.
The federal minister also stressed the need to prioritize basic urban services, including water treatment plants in areas affected by contaminated water, flood protection measures and climate-resilient infrastructure.
He further emphasized the need to rapidly translate the National Urban Strategy from policy into concrete action. This, he said, would require stronger coordination among federal and provincial institutions, UN agencies, development partners, local governments and communities.
Dr Musadik Malik also proposed launching a business and innovation competition for Pakistani youth to identify creative solutions to challenges related to climate change, public safety, vulnerable urban areas, flood management, technology, innovation, water and sanitation and the green industry.
He said Pakistan’s young people possess considerable creativity and potential that should be harnessed to develop practical solutions to national challenges.
The meeting also emphasized that development resources should directly benefit local communities and that residents should have a meaningful role in designing projects and ensuring their long-term sustainability.
“Pakistan does not lack talent, ideas or human resources,” the minister said, stressing the need to rapidly transform ideas into action, successful projects into scalable models and policy discussions into practical solutions to people’s problems.
He said the true measure of development should be simple and clear: fewer delays, more practical action and tangible improvements in the lives of vulnerable and underserved communities.
The discussions underscore the growing importance of community-led climate adaptation, resilient urban infrastructure and stronger coordination among government and development partners as Pakistan confronts increasing climate-related risks.
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