Development of two REDD+ demonstration sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa urged

The Federal Ministry of Climate Change should initiate immediately at-least two REDD+ demonstration sites in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by covering Malakand and Hazara Divisions under the umbrella project of World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) for REDD+ readiness.

This was said FCPF CSO Representative Asia-Pacific Kanwar Muhammad Javed Iqbal while addressing the plenary of Local Forest Community’s Consultative Assembly at Mingora, Swat.

The Assembly was organized by Environmental Protection Society (EPS), Swat in collaboration with Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Islamabad and Sarhad Awami Forestry Ittehad (SAFI) where participants passed a resolution and also demanded the solutions of outstanding forestry issues in their areas. The participants vested their trust in EPS Swat, SAFI and IPS to take-up all concerned matters and put forward recommendations, on behalf of them, to the level of relevant departmental heads at Provincial and Federal Governments in Pakistan.

Rehmat Ali, Mingora’s Tehsil Nazim talked about the benefits of forests, appreciated the resolution of the participants and committed his full support for REDD+ discourse in the area.

IPS representative Khawar Sultan briefed the participants about the policy advocacy role of his institution and ensured IPS’s complementing role for take up community issues, generating healthy discussions through meaningful consultations, research and policy advocacy at all level.