Pak’s Climate Fight Undermined by Bureaucratic Gridlock: Advisor

News Desk

Rome: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Climate Change and Water Resources, Dr. Syed Tauqir Shah, has said that Pakistan remains on the frontline of the global climate and water crises, yet continues to face major hurdles in accessing crucial climate finance due to bureaucratic delays and slow disbursement processes.

Addressing the FAO’s Rome Water Dialogue, Dr Shah presented Pakistan’s national statement before an international audience that included heads of government, ministers, civil society leaders, and development experts from around the world.

He said the global water crisis was no longer an abstract policy issue but “an existential challenge for many countries in the Global South.”

“Pakistan is the fifth most climate-vulnerable country in the world. Our water security — and by extension, our national food security — is under threat from extreme climate events and chronic resource stress. Today, Pakistan has crossed the critical threshold and is now officially a water-scarce nation,” he stated.

Highlighting the country’s dual water crisis, Dr Shah said, “This crisis manifests in two ways: first, in devastating abundance, as seen during the 2022 floods that affected over 33 million people, destroyed four million acres of crops, and left 10 million without safe drinking water. The recent 2025 floods have been equally catastrophic. Second, in crippling scarcity, where Pakistan’s total water storage capacity is limited to just 30 days of supply.”

He stressed that Pakistan urgently required massive and timely investments in climate-resilient water infrastructure — combining traditional high-storage systems with Nature-based Solutions (NbS), including restoration of floodplains, improved irrigation methods, and watershed management.

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Calling out global climate finance institutions, Dr Shah said that under Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the country needs between $7–14 billion annually for climate adaptation by 2030.

“Yet, we are met with a global finance architecture that has turned the required investment into a paradox,” he remarked.

Dr Shah noted that despite Pakistan’s enormous needs, the country had been unable to fully utilize available global climate funds because of complex and rigid international criteria requiring “highly specific and bankable project proposals” — a process demanding institutional capacity that takes years to develop.

He added that even after project approvals, disbursement rates remain slow due to multi-year legal procedures and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Criticizing the current financing model, the Advisor said, “We find that the maximum available climate finance comes as debt or concessional loans, with only a small portion available as grants. Debt is being loaded onto vulnerable economies already struggling with macroeconomic instability.”

“Global climate finance is held back by bureaucracy, not by lack of funds,” he asserted.

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Citing the Green Climate Fund’s (GCF) own Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) report, Dr Shah said the average project approval time is 24 months or more, while the first disbursement can take 9 to 18 months after approval. “The Fund’s internal processes are complex, fragmented, and marked by bottlenecks,” he added.

He urged international partners to reform the global climate finance system, shifting from an “architecture of complexity and debt” to one of “speed and trust.”

“We need financial innovation that leverages blended finance, green bonds, insurance mechanisms, and incubation programs to de-risk private investment and enhance access for smallholder farmers,” he emphasized.

Dr Shah warned that without addressing the financing challenges, achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 6 on clean water and SDG 2 on zero hunger would remain out of reach.

Concluding his address, he said, “Water is not just about rivers or canals — it is about people, dignity, and life itself.” He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to working with regional and global partners to safeguard a shared water-secure future.