With Pakistan’s monsoon season already proving deadly, a new climate resilience initiative was launched in Islamabad this week to help protect some of the country’s most vulnerable communities from intensifying climate shocks.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP), in partnership with Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments and the Green Climate Fund (GCF), inaugurated the Integrated Climate Risk Management for Strengthened Resilience to Climate project at an inception workshop on Friday.
The project, supported by $9.8 million in GCF funding, is expected to directly benefit 1.6 million people in the flood-prone districts of Buner and Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
Addressing Escalating Climate Threats
Pakistan has already witnessed over 100 fatalities in the first two weeks of the 2025 monsoon season, largely due to flash floods, heavy rains and landslides, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). These events are a stark reminder of the country’s growing vulnerability to climate extremes. In 2022, a third of Pakistan was submerged by record-breaking floods, with KP province alone suffering more than $1.5 billion in damages.
The newly launched project aims to improve early warning systems, enhance government coordination, and train communities to act decisively before disasters strike. Local populations will be taught how to interpret weather alerts, evacuate safely, and protect their homes and farmland.
Strengthening Local Capacity
The project’s multi-pronged approach also focuses on equipping district authorities and disaster response teams with the tools, training, and infrastructure they need for faster and more effective emergency response. By investing in institutional capacity at the local level, the initiative is designed to ensure that communities are not just better prepared but also more resilient in the long run.
“Recurring climate shocks are a driver of hunger and malnutrition, threatening lives, livelihoods and entire food systems,” said Coco Ushiyama, WFP Pakistan Representative and Country Director. “This project represents a multi-layered investment—not only in early warning systems and anticipatory action, but also in local adaptation planning and institutional capacity.”
Grounded in National Priorities
The initiative was welcomed by key officials as a timely intervention that aligns with both national climate policies and KP’s disaster risk management frameworks.
“Pakistan is among the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world, and the impacts are becoming more intense each year,” said Sameera Sheikh, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC & EC). “Initiatives like this are vital to help vulnerable communities in districts such as Buner and Shangla better prepare for and respond to climate shocks like floods and landslides.”
Dr. Ehtisham Ulhaq, Chief of the International Development Section of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, also underscored the initiative’s broader impact. “This project not only addresses immediate climate risks but also lays the groundwork for long-term resilience and opens doors to future climate finance for our most vulnerable communities,” he said.
Regional Relevance with Global Support
The project contributes directly to the Green Climate Fund’s Strategic Plan 2024–2027, targeting adaptation gaps in underserved areas. With Asia and the Middle East facing increased climate variability, the program offers a model for scalable, community-led climate risk management in similarly vulnerable regions.
By combining local knowledge with international funding and technical support, the partnership represents a new model of proactive disaster preparedness in a region where the climate crisis is no longer a distant threat but a present danger.