The workshop currently ongoing, aimsto build capacities of the stakeholders and Third Party Monitoring Consortium in partnership with KfW MIS experts. The consortium has developed a logical framework, monitoring tools, methodologies and conducted preliminary assessment of the selected sites all over the country.

The TBTTP is the largest afforestation programme in the country which comprises of tree plantations/ assisted natural regeneration and also supports implementation of targets 15.1, 15.2, 15.5 and 15.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The programme targets will also help in mitigating the impact of climate change in the country. The increase in vegetative cover will prevent land degradation and will also help in soil stabilization.
IUCN will facilitate the Ministry of Climate Change for overall coordination, development of Logical Framework and in undertaking the Biodiversity Assessment. FAO will extend support for regular field data collection and periodic forest cover change assessment through remote sensing and provide technical support in the integrated watershed management and forest landscape restoration. WWF Pakistan will be responsible for the field sampling and monitoring.
The Consortium partners were represented by Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Country Representative IUCN Pakistan; Dr. Faiz-ul-Bari, NRM Advisor, FAO Pakistan, Senior Director WWF, Mr. Rab Nawaz. The inaugural session of the national workshop was attended by representatives of international development partners and government agencies.
The project is designed to foster and strengthen national and provincial climate change adaptation through field intensive activities and in meeting Pakistan’s global environmental commitments.

In his key note address Capt. (Retd) Sikander Qayyum, Federal Secretary Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan said that the TBTTP is a key initiative of Ministry of Climate Change and a flagship programme upscaled on the basis of successful implementation of Billion tree Afforestation Project in KP. Afforestation at larger scale has been targeted all over the four provinces of Pakistan, AJK and GB The international development partners have shown key interest in supporting the activities scheduled under this programme and the project management unit with the support of provincial teams and field staff is doing a remarkable job and the only need is to ensure sustainability of the project interventions. The success of this green initiative is well acknowledged at various international platforms.

Mr. Hasan Sukhera, National Project Manager, Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme (TBTTP) provided overview of the TBTTP Programme. In his remarks he said that technology is playing a key role in reporting and monitoring the project progress. He apprised that the data reporting and processing system will remain useful for decision makers.

In his welcome remarks, Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Country Representative IUCN Pakistan said that the consortium comprising of FAO, WWF and IUCN will independently monitor the programme activities using the methodologies and tools developed during pilot monitoring. The findings of pilot monitoring were given due weightage by the MoCC and the report of pilot monitoring was shared with SAPM Malik Amin Aslam and Prime Minister Imran Khan. Mr. Cheema thanked the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) for its financial support in undertaking the full fledge monitoring process. He also appreciated the role of KfW during the planning phase and finalization of Log-frame for the independent third party monitoring of the TBTTP.

In her remarks, a representative of the Embassy of Federal Republic of Germany, Ms. Antonia Peters, First Secretary, Development Cooperation said that Germany would be fully engaged in providing technical and financial support for the implementation of various environmental and climate change-related initiatives launched under the clean and green Pakistan initiative.

The next two days of workshop will comprise of technical sessions on monitoring and evaluation.    

For more information, please contact:

Hammad Saeed
Manager Information and Knowledge Management
IUCN Pakistan
Cell: 0307-7773801
E-mail: hammad.saeed@iucn.org