ISLAMABAD: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the GSK global biopharma giant have launched a five-year initiative to conserve and restore freshwater resources in water-stressed regions of Pakistan and India, Pakistani state media reported on Tuesday.
The collaboration, running until 2030, will focus on the Indus River Basin in Pakistan and the Sutlej River Basin in India, key areas for medicine production. The initiative aims to replenish over 300,000 cubic meters of water and benefit more than 100,000 people by implementing nature-based solutions.
Key efforts include restoring freshwater habitats, protecting endangered species like river dolphins and otters, and promoting sustainable water management in local communities and farms, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) news agency reported.
“Ensuring sustainable water supply is critical to delivering life-saving medicines,” Regis Simard, president of global supply chain of GSK that operates three manufacturing sites in these regions, was quoted as saying by the APP.
“Partnering with WWF allows us to drive meaningful change in these vulnerable ecosystems.”
Freshwater ecosystems have seen an alarming 85 percent decline in wildlife populations since 1970, according to WWF’s Living Planet Report. The Indus Basin, in particular, faces threats from pollution, dams and climate change.
The partnership aligns with global biodiversity goals, including the Freshwater Challenge that seeks to restore 300,000 kilometers of rivers and 350 million hectares of wetlands by 2030.
“Pakistan faces severe water scarcity and pollution,” said Hammad Naqi Khan, director-general of WWF-Pakistan, highlighting the urgency of water conservation.
“Companies like GSK are leading by example not just reducing water use but actively replenishing resources.”
WWF, global biopharma giant join hands to protect freshwater resources in Pakistan, India
https://arab.news/bpggz
WWF, global biopharma giant join hands to protect freshwater resources in Pakistan, India
- Freshwater ecosystems have seen an alarming 85 percent decline in wildlife since 1970, WWF says
- Pakistan’s Indus Basin, in particular, faces threats from pollution, dams and climate change
Pakistan and Egypt vow to expand cooperation, voice support for Palestinian cause
- The development follows an OIC meeting to discuss Israel’s move to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as a separate nation
- Muslim countries, including Pakistan, believe the move could be part of Tel Aviv’s plan to forcibly relocate Palestinian Muslims to Somaliland
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Egypt on Sunday resolved to boost bilateral cooperation and voiced their support for the Palestinian cause, the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
The statement came after a meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Egyptian counterpart Dr. Badr Abdelatty on the sidelines of an extraordinary session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.
“The two sides reviewed Pakistan–Egypt bilateral relations, reaffirmed commitment to expanding cooperation across multiple domains, and exchanged views on Gaza and regional developments, underscoring support for international law, the just cause of the Palestinian people,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
The 22nd OIC Council of Foreign Ministers meeting was held in Jeddah to discuss Israel’s move last month to recognize Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, as a separate nation. The act has drawn sharp criticism from Muslim nations worldwide.
Muslim countries, including Pakistan, believe the move could be part of Tel Aviv’s plan to forcibly relocate Palestinian Muslims to Somaliland. Several international news outlets last year reported that Israel had contacted Somaliland over the potential resettlement of Palestinians forcibly removed from Gaza.
“We believe that such recognition of an integral part of a sovereign state is not a diplomatic act, but an act of political aggression that sets a perilous precedent, threatening peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea region, and beyond,” Dar told participants of the OIC meeting in Jeddah.
The Pakistani foreign minister said Islamabad considers the move a flagrant violation of international law and a direct assault on the territorial integrity of Somalia. He called on all states to refrain from engaging with Somaliland authorities.
Dar also met with OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha and highlighted Pakistan’s unwavering support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia.
“Categorically rejecting any proposal for dislocation of Palestinians, he reaffirmed Pakistan’s principled position on Palestine,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said.
“SG commended Pakistan’s consistent and constructive role at OIC in advocating for the causes central to the Muslim Ummah.”
Pakistan does not recognize Israel and has consistently called for an independent Palestinian state based on “internationally agreed parameters” and pre-1967 borders.
