Annual Report 2009-10 - Sustainable Development Policy Institute

Annual Report2009 - 2010develop a collective resolve among media persons to actively and positively contribute in theprocess of adaptation and mitigation of potential effects of rapid climatic changes and their associatedmulti-dimensional consequences.National Consultative Meeting/Solar Water Disinfection (SODIS) Project launchSDPI and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) jointly launched a national-leveladvocacy project on SODIS, which is an affordable water purification method at thehousehold level. All the participating stakeholders including the Planning Commission of Pakistan,Ministry of Environment and other government and non-government stakeholders discussedthe subject and resolved to jointly promote cost-effective household level water treatmentmethods such as SODIS at the national level as around 52 per cent of population in Pakistanhas no access to improved drinking water. Speakers said that in the face of the fiscal andenergy crises, the SODIS was a very sustainable and cost-effective water treatment option, despiteits apparent shortcomings in terms of the selectivity in the elimination of harmful substancesfrom drinking water.Pakistan's Energy Policy: Renewable vs. ExpandableThe speakers highlighted that Pakistan should realize its potential of natural energy resources toreduce the effects on climate change, end reliance on fossil fuels, and to meet its increasing energydemand amidst a growing population and industry. They said the SDPI has established aClimate Change Centre and has been taking different initiatives to promote a better understandingon the issue, to encourage debate and dialogue, and helps the government to make policieson different aspects of sustainable development. They urged the need for Pakistan to take significantadvantage of its indigenous energy resources such as hydro-electric, biomass-wasteproducts from the agricultural industry, municipal wastes to energy, biogas, solar energy, wind,tidal and geothermal. In utilizing such resources, Pakistan would reduce its contribution to theglobal emission of climate changing gases, improve its energy security and reduce the costs incurredby the importation of fossil fuels. The speakers said that development of only hydro resourcescould help Pakistan to sufficiently meet its increasing energy demand for decades.They added that there was clear evidence that human activity was adversely affecting theworld's climate, which was clearly evidenced in part by the recorded increase in carbon dioxideconcentrations since the European industrial revolution. They said that the revolution has movedfrom Europe and the Americas to Asia where industrial production was now centered with increasingdemand for energy coupled with a dramatic increase in population and large quantitiesof fossil fuels were burned to sustain the population.Human Rights/ GenderMilitancy, Security, Fundamental Rights and Role of Women in Peace BuildingNational Women's Day was organized at SDPI under the banner of Insani Haqooq Ittehad involvinga number of civil society organizations. Women representatives of civil society, humanrights activists and intellectuals participated in the event. Women and their male supporters firstparticipated in a discussion on “Women's perspective on Militancy, Security and FundamentalRights and Role of Women in Peace Building”. The participants also staged a march from SDPIpremises to the Parliament House in order to commemorate the day with placards and bannersinscribed with slogans in favor of women rights, human rights while condemning Talibanisation,obscurantism and bigotry.International Women's DayOn 8 March 2010, the Policy Advocacy and Outreach Unit organized a seminar on “BringingForth Ideas of Youth for Community Ownership of Violence against Women”. The main theme ofthe seminar was to create awareness amongst the youth specially university and college studentsregarding violence against women. Different universities and college students were invited.46S u s t a I n a b l e D e v e l o p m e n t P o l I c y I n s t I t u t e