ISLAMABAD: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam on Monday will inaugurate the ‘Urban Slum COVID-19 Response Programme’ in collaboration with the UN-Habitat.
Other collaborating partners for the initiative include Shehersaaz, National Cleaner Production Center (NCPC), Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Trust (AHKMT), Aman, and Rawalpindi Waste Management Company, a news release said.
The decision regarding the launch of the novel initiative, which aimed to respond to growing vulnerabilities of the urban settlements to COVID-19, was made during a meeting held at the Ministry of Climate Change, chaired by Malik Amin Aslam.
Addressing the meeting, the adviser explained that the project had been conceived in response to the need highlighted by the prime minister for protecting the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable segments of the society living in urban slums areas.
The overall objective of the programme was to prevent spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) in urban slums and empowering local communities to mitigate the economic impact of the virus, he added.
Among others, the meeting was attended by the Secretary Ministry of Climate Change, representatives of UN-Habitat, National Cleaner Production Centre, Shehrsaaz and other senior officials of the climate change ministry.
UN-Habitat’s Country Manager in Pakistan, Jawed Ali Khan briefed the meeting, saying that on the basis of the lessons learnt from this pilot project would be launched on a full scale in collaboration with federal and provincial governments and other stakeholders.
The UN-Habitat would seek cooperation from the interested federal and provincial governments, UN Agencies and donors to join hands in implementing the PCUSRP at the country level, he added.
The meeting was also briefed that the programme was being piloted in Dhok Hassu and Dhok Mangtal areas of Rawalpindi, targeting 50,000 slum community members.
