Global Climate Innovation Center Partners with Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the UN for Flood Relief Donation Ceremony
On October 18, 2022, the Global Climate Innovation Center (GCIC) successfully held a donation ceremony for flood relief at the Pakistan Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York City. During the ceremony, GCIC representatives called for collective efforts to quickly address the damage and impacts caused by the flooding. Munir Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN, emphasized the positive contributions of GCIC in achieving sustainable development goals and carbon neutrality through innovative solutions and practical actions.
(Image caption: Photos from the Pakistan flood relief donation ceremony)
On this busy Tuesday morning, several long-time friends of GCIC attended the fundraising ceremony, including Munir Akram, the 76th President of the UN Economic and Social Council; Michal Mlynar, Slovakia's Ambassador and Vice Chair of UNICEF; Lamin B. Dibba, Gambia's Ambassador and Minister of Environment, Climate Change, and Natural Resources; Darko Mocibob, Director of the Middle East Division of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs; Paul Beresford-Hill CBE, Ambassador for the Sovereign Military Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Rhodes, and Malta's UN Observer Mission; Bilal Chaudhry, Counselor at Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN; and Li Ruomei, Deputy Director of the Carbon Neutral Industry Cooperation Center at the China Energy Research Society. More friends who could not attend in person sent their well wishes through video messages and commendation letters.
(Image caption: Photos from the Pakistan flood relief donation ceremony)
This summer, Pakistan faced its worst nationwide flooding since 2010, exacerbated by glacial melting and monsoon rains. As of now, the death toll has risen to 1,717, with one-third of the country submerged. Floods and secondary disasters like landslides have left millions homeless, affecting over 33 million people in total. The Sindh province in southeastern Pakistan has been one of the hardest-hit areas.
(Image caption: Residential areas in Sindh Province submerged by floods. Image source: UNICEF/UN0696544/Zaidi)
(Image caption: On September 5, flash floods hit the Swat region in northwest Pakistan. Image source: Saeed Ahmad / Alamy, China Dialogue)
As a nonprofit organization dedicated to tackling climate issues, GCIC actively responded to the UN's fundraising call and collaborated with various national institutions to contribute to flood relief efforts, aiming to assist the people of Pakistan in overcoming the disaster and rebuilding their homes.
(Image caption: Munir Akram, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN)
In his speech, Munir Akram acknowledged GCIC's significant contributions to sustainable development and low-carbon initiatives.
(Image caption: Bilal Chaudhry, Counselor at Pakistan's Permanent Mission to the UN)
Slovak Ambassador Michal Mlynar expressed sincere gratitude for GCIC's disaster relief efforts in Pakistan and urged everyone to remember that climate change is a global issue. He emphasized the need to stay vigilant about its adverse impacts on economic activities such as agriculture, forestry, and fishing, as well as the threats it poses to public health and socio-economic development. No country can isolate itself from the effects of climate change; therefore, we must learn from experiences to prevent similar disasters like the floods in Pakistan from occurring elsewhere.
(Image caption: Michal Mlynar, Slovak Ambassador and UNICEF Vice Chair)
Darko Mocibob, Director of the Middle East Division of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, added that climate change is increasingly impacting the entire world, especially in the Middle East, where it has led to more dust storms and severe water shortages.
(Image caption: Darko Mocibob, Director of the Middle East Division of the UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs)
Lastly, Li Ruomei, Deputy Director of the Carbon Neutral Industry Cooperation Center at the China Energy Research Society, passionately stated that when people worldwide come together to show a little love, the world can become a better place.
(Image caption: Li Ruomei, Deputy Director of the Carbon Neutral Industry Cooperation Center at the China Energy Research Society)
After all representatives spoke, GCIC presented Munir Akram with a donation and best wishes, hoping to support Pakistan's relief efforts as much as possible.
(Image caption: Munir Akram receiving a commendation letter from GCIC after the donation ceremony)
Assisting Pakistan in its flood relief efforts is just the first step for GCIC in combating the global impacts of climate change. As global temperatures rise, GCIC hopes to bring together more partners dedicated to low-carbon and environmental issues, actively supporting the UN's "Path to Zero Carbon" initiative and working toward the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.
To achieve these aspirations, GCIC aims to transform sustainable development goals (SDGs) and carbon neutrality principles into innovative sustainable solutions and practices that help individuals, organizations, and countries attain sustainable development across economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Specifically, we will focus on three key areas: talent development, industry research, and green investment. We invite everyone to work together to promote the achievement of sustainable development goals across multiple dimensions:
1.Customized Solutions: GCIC will provide tailored solutions for different target audiences, including training programs, certification projects, cutting-edge industry-academic-research initiatives, and career planning consultations for youth, university students, professionals, and executives. For enterprises, GCIC will offer support for high-level carbon-neutral ESG talent, bridging the gap between quality job seekers and reputable companies, and facilitating sustainable talent output to society, enterprises, and universities.
2.Resource Aggregation: GCIC will gather top-notch faculty, think tanks, research centers, and international organizations from around the world to establish a data repository focused on low-carbon emissions and ESG. We will publish cutting-edge information, in-depth research reports, and industry white papers on climate change and low-carbon emissions to provide an information platform for our audience.
3.Support for Startups: GCIC will provide investment, consulting, and other services to low-carbon startups and the renewable energy investment sector worldwide.
GCIC sincerely hopes to leverage its resources from domestic and international universities, enterprises, UN agencies, and various embassies to engage in extensive collaboration with partners in the sustainable development field, striving to overcome the global challenges outlined in the "2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development" and to create a healthier, safer, cleaner, and more resilient world for future generations.