Asia

This manifesto shares the thoughts, expectations, concerns and recommendations of Afghan women in relation to women’s political participation, their role in security sector as well as their engagement in peace process in Afghanistan.

Hungary has reached a point where people fleeing from war and persecution can be detained, beaten and deprived of their rights, while those who endeavour to help them are cast as national security risks.

A small group discussion concerning Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was held at the office of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung (hbs) Pakistan in 2017. Experts from the field of environment and former government officials who had been part of the EIA process were brought together. Some environment journalists were also in attendance.

The “Pakistan Climate Change Portal” is an online repository of Pakistan-specific knowledge on the subject of climate change. It has been developed by the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC), a registered consortium of civil society organizations working for climate action in Pakistan, and made possible with financial assistance from Heinrich Boll Stiftung and European Union.  

Representatives of political parties and civil society all echoed in same voice for the increased representation and participation of women in decision-making forums in the political and social arena by ensuring level-playing field to them. They shared these views at the launching of the Gender Action Manifesto, policy paper, organised by the Heinrich Boell Stiftung in collaboration with the Women's Parliamentarian Caucus on 13th October, 2017 in Islamabad.

This essayistic anachronism imagines Böll's novella The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1974) as if it were unfolding in contemporary times in an era of populism and rising conservatism, in which female sexuality is still richly milked as a sensational cover for abuse of patriarchal power.

Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS) Pakistan through its project “Journalists on Resource Equity and Climate Change” organized a workshop followed by a capacity building field visit for environmental journalists based in Lahore, to highlight the environmental degradation caused by cement factories in Kahoon Valley, District Chakwal. The three cement factories in Chakwal have already led to fast depletion of natural ponds and groundwater resources. Still two more factories are pushing their way into the beautiful valley thus threatening the remnants of environmental, social, economic and biological life of the local communities. The news reports prepared by the journalists after the field visit have brought about tremendous attention of the provincial government and the judiciary to this issue.

The Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) was formed to strengthen civil society's active participation in decision making processes on climate change in Pakistan. As a proponent of collective action towards climate change Heinrich Boell Stiftung Pakistan thought it worthwhile to support CSCCC.

It is not always the lack of attention from policy makers but their capacities and knowledge on environment related issues that put environment on the back-burner. In Pakistan unfortunately there is less sensitivity about environment and ecological considerations in policy making circles.

The World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and Heinrich Bӧll Stiftung Pakistan (hbs) have been working together for the growth of Renewable Energy (RE) in Pakistan since 2013. In 2017 both partners are joining hands once more for holding RE Dialogues across Pakistan. Some of the main reasons of slower RE growth in Pakistan are lack of coordination between federal and provincial governments with regards to RE development, and lack of awareness among different federal and provincial agencies about their mandate relating to RE deployment especially, after 18th amendment to the Constitution. The RE dialogues assess institutional landscapes of RE at federal as well as provincial levels through engaging multi-stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector.