WNAM REPORT: The Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO), China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences (CPJRC), and Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) organized a 5-day International Training Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Green Development for the CPEC at COMSATS University Islamabad, which concluded successfully. UNESCO Chair for Mountain Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience and ANSO-DRR also collaborated.
The closing ceremony was graced by the Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, as Chief Guest. The ceremony was attended by senior representatives of partner organizations, academia, government institutions, scientists, researchers, and participants from Pakistan and abroad.
Referring to Pakistan’s vulnerability to climate-induced disasters, the Chief Guest emphasized the importance of strengthening early warning systems, resilient infrastructure, climate-smart planning, and science-based policymaking.
Executive Director COMSATS, Amb. Zakaria, reaffirmed COMSATS’ commitment to science-based solutions for the challenge of climate change and called for integrating risk-informed decision-making, climate science, ecosystem preservation, and innovation into international and national policies and development plans.
Prof. Hong Tianhua, Executive Director CPJRC, underscored the interdependence of disaster risk reduction and sustainable development as essential for a resilient future.
18 distinguished experts and scientists from Pakistan and China delivered specialized lectures and practical training sessions on landslide dynamics and geophysical flow modelling, glacier systems and high-altitude hazard monitoring, disaster risk assessment and early warning systems, resilient infrastructure and de-risking investments under CPEC, the circular economy, and regional energy cooperation. 70 participants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, and Syria benefited.
The partnerships and knowledge resulting from the workshop will contribute to strengthening resilience, promoting green development, and advancing climate-responsive development pathways for the CPEC and the Belt and Road Region.
