President Zardari reaffirms Pakistan's commitment to global climate, SDGs

Islamabad (Web Desk): President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and honouring its responsibilities under the Paris Agreement, the United Nations (UN) Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on Biological Diversity.

“The Federal Government, Provincial Governments, the Governments of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, together with other stakeholders, are working to strengthen forest conservation, ecosystem restoration and sustainable landscape management,” he said in his message marking the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2026.

According to a statement issued by the President Secretariat Media Wing, President Zardari said that the campaign should not be viewed simply as an exercise to plant trees, describing it instead as an appeal for long-term environmental stewardship and joint efforts by society.

The president urged people across the country to choose appropriate native tree varieties for plantation and take responsibility for protecting them so they could grow and survive.

“The true measure of success will not be the number of saplings planted, but the healthy trees and forests that we nurture over the years,” he said, adding that the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2026 seeks to plant 20 million saplings throughout Pakistan.

President Zardari urged citizens, especially the youth, schools and other educational institutions, public and private-sector organisations and local communities to take an active part in the campaign while stressing that protecting and caring for the newly planted saplings was equally important.

He congratulated the people of Pakistan on the launch of the campaign, saying the nationwide initiative represented a shared duty to safeguard the environment, rehabilitate damaged landscapes and create a greener and more climate-resilient country.

“Forests are among Pakistan’s most valuable natural assets. They sustain biodiversity, protect watersheds, combat desertification and land degradation, improve air quality, reduce disaster risks and contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation,” the president said.

President Zardari noted that with environmental pressures continuing to grow, preserving and increasing Pakistan’s forest resources had emerged as both an essential national obligation and an important strategic goal.

“Our national initiatives, including the Upscaling Green Pakistan Programme, restoration of mangrove ecosystems, sustainable forest management and community-based conservation programmes, are helping to expand tree cover, protect biodiversity, improve livelihoods and strengthen resilience to climate change,” he added.

The president emphasised that these initiatives needed to move forward alongside continued efforts to preserve existing forests and make certain that newly planted trees were properly maintained until they reached maturity.

He noted that the benefits of such environmental efforts extend directly to people’s everyday lives, as trees offer shade in cities experiencing rising temperatures, help conserve soil and water, enhance air quality and supply fruit, fodder and other useful resources to rural populations.

The president said healthy forests and green areas were particularly important for families, farmers and communities dealing with rising heat, shortages of water and increasingly frequent extreme weather, providing practical support in building resilience against these challenges.

He also praised the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, provincial forest authorities, the Forest Departments of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan, development partners, civil society groups and volunteers for their contributions towards protecting the country’s forests and ecosystems.

“Let us work together for a greener, cleaner and climate-resilient Pakistan. By protecting our natural resources and caring for the trees we plant today, we can help secure a healthier environment and a better future for generations to come,” President Zardari said.