By Abdul Ghani

The government has planned three climate capacity-building projects with a combined cost of Rs1.47 billion to strengthen climate governance, develop a green workforce and prepare national guidelines for urban flooding, droughts and other climate-related disasters.

According to the documents available with Wealth Pakistan, three projects under the climate portfolio have been assigned a combined FY2026-27 allocation of Rs1.47 billion.

The largest of the listed schemes is the “Strengthening Technical Capacities of MoCC&EC”, with a total cost of Rs916.028 million. The project, funded through the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), will run from 2023 to 2028 and has been allocated Rs40.661 million for FY2026-27.

Under this initiative, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination aims to improve its institutional and technical capacity to access climate finance, manage international commitments and support evidence-based policymaking. The project includes specialized cells for climate finance, marine biodiversity, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and chemical and hazardous waste.

Experts are being hired and placed in different wings of the ministry to strengthen technical work in climate-finance pipeline development, marine resource regulation, resilient WASH policies, hazardous waste management, and project planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Another major initiative is “Green Skills for Sustainable Development: Promoting Green Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Pakistan.” The project has a total cost of Rs450 million, is PSDP-funded, and will be implemented from 2025 to 2028. It has received an allocation of Rs51.6 million for FY2026-27.

The scheme is designed to prepare the youth for climate-resilient and low-carbon employment opportunities. The documents note that Pakistan’s exposure to floods, droughts and extreme weather requires a workforce skilled in sectors such as agriculture, water management, renewable energy, infrastructure and waste management.

The project will focus on four major areas: launching a Green Innovation Fund, integrating green skills into education through institutional partnerships, building a national green-skills awareness and knowledge-exchange network, and embedding green job creation into national development strategies.

The third project focuses on urban climate risks. Titled “Formulation of National Urban Strategy and Guidelines to Reduce Impacts of Urban Flooding, Droughts and Climate Disasters and National Guidelines for Spatial Planning Considering Climate and Disaster Risks,” the scheme carries a total cost of Rs106.401 million.

The project is expected to continue until June 2027 and has been allocated Rs50 million for FY2026-27. Its purpose is to develop national-level urban planning and spatial guidelines that account for climate and disaster risks.

The three schemes point to a broader attempt to build climate capacity within government, create employment pathways in the green economy, and reduce cities' exposure to increasingly frequent climate shocks.

Credit: INP-WealthPk