By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Another proud moment for Pakistan after receiving huge admiration and praise at global foras for effective climate change mitigation and adaptation measures its first scientist Muhammad Arif Goheer has been elected as chair of Consultative Group of Experts (CGE) of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Head-Agriculture and Coordination, Global Change Impact Studies Centre (GCISC) ‘“ a research arm of the Ministry of Climate Change, Muhammad Arif Goheer said in the 24th UNFCCC conference of parties (COP24) held in Katowice, Poland, he was nominated by the Government of Pakistan and elected as a member representing Asia and Pacific region in the 24-member group.
In February 2019, in the 1st Meeting of CGE held in Bonn Germany he was elected as the Rapporteur, based on the unanimous decision of nomination from CGE members, of Asia, and in the 3rd meeting held almost a month ago, he has been elected as the Chair of the CGE. His election as a Chair is a matter of pride for Pakistan, Mr Goheer noted.
He had a wide experience of research on climate change, agriculture and food security issues besides having a long expertise in the preparation of Green House Gas inventories.
He has the experience of working with World Meteorological Organization as member of Commission on Agricultural Meteorology. He was a fellow of International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA, Austria), Australian National University (Canberra, Australia) and LEAD-Pakistan. He has contributed to seminal National documents of Second National Communication, Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the leading roles and has also represented Pakistan in the negotiations on climate change pertaining to agriculture and food security and adaptation & mitigation.
Arif Goheer has taken charge of the CGE as it chair at a very critical time when the world was looking for enhanced climate action, especially when there is a dire need to explain and capacitate the developing countries in reporting their emissions, planning and designing actions enabling the flow of support and reinforcement of global greening since the Paris Agreement could only work if transparency was in place.
The Consultative Group of Experts on National Communications from Parties not included in Annex I to the Convention (CGE) was established by the Conference of the Parties (COP) at its fifth session, in 1999, as an expert group to assist developing countries in improving their National Communications (NCs), and since COP 19, their Biennial Update Reports (BURs).
The CGE assists non-Annex I Parties by providing them with technical support and advice in an effective, adequate and sustainable manner to build the countries’ capacity in meeting their reporting requirements to the Convention.
The CGE is composed of 24 members representing: five members each from Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and the Caribbean; six members from Annex I Parties; one member each from three international organizations, and one observer representing non-Annex I Parties from Eastern Europe.
