By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), in collaboration with the World Bank, successfully held a National Workshop on the iCARE Innovations Fund in Islamabad.
The event marked a significant milestone in advancing climate adaptation and resilience efforts in Pakistan under the Climate Adaptation and Resilience (CARE) for South Asia project, a news release said.
The workshop brought together over 80 representatives from various government departments, development partners, international organizations, civil society, and academic institutions. Participants engaged in discussions on the progress and potential of innovative projects funded by the iCARE Innovations Fund, a crucial component of the CARE project aimed at enhancing climate resilience across South Asia.
During the event, three key innovators—Inara Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), and University of Agriculture Faisalabad—presented their pioneering work. These projects focus on critical areas such as climate-smart agriculture, integrated water resources management, and climate information analytics. Lt. Gen (R) Nadeem Ahmed, Advisor of the CARE project, emphasized the importance of knowledge exchange during his opening remarks. He highlighted the role of the iCARE Innovations Fund in fostering innovative solutions to address Pakistan’s pressing climate challenges.
The workshop featured two panel discussions on the sustainability and scalability of climate innovations and to explore the role of multi-partner collaboration in promoting climate resilience. Both sessions underscored the need for adaptable and sustainable innovations supported by strong partnerships across sectors.
Panelist for the sessions were Faizan ul Hassan from PCRWR, Ms. Isabel Bogorinsky from WHH, Azmat Khan from FRD, Khalid Iqbal from Punjab Agriculture, Asif Sherazi from Islamic Relief, Hamad Bashir from UNIDO, Muhamad Nawaz from USAID, Sohail Malik from CRCC and Ali Iqbal from Sybrid.
The event concluded with closing remarks by Idrees Mahsud, Member DRR NDMA, who acknowledged ADPC’s efforts in establishing the iCARE Innovations Fund. He praised the innovative projects for their potential to build climate resilience in Pakistan and congratulated the innovators on their progress.
The workshop successfully showcased significant advancements made by the selected projects and promoted a culture of innovation in addressing Pakistan’s climate challenges. The event also generated actionable recommendations to further enhance the effectiveness of these initiatives in building a more resilient future for the country.
