Asia

The provincial level resource equity dialogs were initiated based on the recommendations from the Federal level dialog on resource equity. The topic for each dialog at provincial level was selected around the water, land and energy nexus which was defined through the federal level dialog. The framework of each dialog was set around hbs' resource equity memo-“Resource Politics for a Fair Future”, so that the participants could be introduced to the global debate on resource equity.  Province-specific ecological case studies were also shared based on the book titled “Water in the Wilderness” to create a wider understanding of the basic ecological landscape of the province.

Heinrich Boell Stiftung along with other partners supported a stakeholder dialog titled “Framing the Pakistan Agenda for COP 22”. The event was held with two main objectives; firstly to discuss various issues pertaining to climate policy and future for Pakistan and its agenda during COP22.  Secondly, the event was also a launch of a new initiative called “the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change” (CSCCC), a new platform of like-minded organizations formed with the objective of raising awareness, strengthening adaptive capacity and fostering partnerships that will contribute towards building climate change resilience and reducing vulnerability in Pakistan.  The CSCCC is led by the Mountains and Glaciers Protection Organization (MGPO).

For those who have held the U.S. as the bastion of all things good and right, this may be a wake-up call.

Pakistan might be one of the most vulnerable countries in the world when it comes to climate change – ranking seventh in this year’s Long-Term Climate Risk Index brought out by Germanwatch – but it still not focused on protecting its 200 million strong population from serious impacts such floods, glacier lake outbursts, and sea level rise.

"One Cube" Three, yet one! - is a documentary film by Pramod Dev. Depicting three women who work in export-oriented sectors of India's economy, the film shows how the demands of trade impact upon the personal, familial, social, economic and cultural aspects of the lives of the protagonists.

Recent infrastructure projects and developments have become a threat to National Parks all over the world. Large companies and businesses want to invest in precious land, therefore, the National Parks become the apple of the eye. In Pakistan the malpractices around development projects, personal interests and corruption are having a toll on the National Parks. The violation of National Parks’ law is a common practice thus increasing wildlife vulnerability, pollution, and deforestation. To understand the gravity of the problem and discuss possible solutions, hbs initiated visits to National Parks in Pakistan that are threatened and are going through a struggle of existence.

India likes to consider itself the “world’s largest democracy”. In practice, however, there are many restrictions on the freedom of expression. The space available to civil society organizations for action is increasingly restricted.

It is not always the lack of attention from policy-makers but their capacities and knowledge on environment-related issues that put the environment on the back-burner. In Pakistan, unfortunately, there is less sensitivity about the environment and ecological considerations in policy-making circles. Therefore hbs initiated a Green Parliamentarians’ Caucus in collaboration with a premier think tank of Islamabad, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

President Duterte is the most controversial figure in the Philippines today, and arguably in the ASEAN region. He is now President of the Philippines, which chairs ASEAN in 2017. What is in store for the Philippines and for the chairmanship of ASEAN? 

A three day (29th, 30th August and 1st September 2016) initiative called “Reclaim Ecology in the Heart of Islamabad” was launched by Heinrich Boell Stiftung in partnership with Pakistan Youth Climate Network. It was part of hbs’ larger campaign on climate change and environment conservation called “there is no planet b.”