Training Workshop on “Green Climate Fund (GCF) & Mass Transit Projects under CPEC”

The training workshop titled “Green Climate Fund (GCF) & Mass Transit Projects under CPEC” was organized as collaborative activity of Centre of Excellence-China Pakistan Economic Corridor (COE-CPEC) and NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi. Dr. Saleem Janjua, Policy Head, Urban Development Division and team members facilitated the workshop held on 25-01-2018 at NED University of Engineering & Technology, Karachi.

GCF is a financial mechanism under the UNFCCC which helps fund climate finance investment in low-emission, climate-resilient development through mitigation and adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries. The purpose of GCF is to make a significant and ambitious contribution to the global efforts towards attaining the goals set by the international community to combat climate change.

CPEC billion dollar project that prioritizes investments into energy, infrastructure and transport sectors. In the transport sector, 4 rail based mass transit projects are being implemented in urban areas of Pakistan. The transport sector is further expected to experience growth due to the implementation of the mass transit projects. This, however, will also lead to an increase in CO2 emissions.

Exploring GCF opportunities under CPEC mass transit projects is highly needed as number of mitigation options, adaptation strategies, and technological  advancements exist under CPEC mass transit projects that can be well explored with the GCF financing window both by the private sector and the public sector. A well exploration of GCF opportunities under CPEC mass transit projects will add to the sustainability of CPEC portfolio.

With this background, the idea of the execution of a training workshop on the subject topic for the relevant stakeholders was initiated by Dr. Saleem Janjua, Head of Policy, CoE-CPEC. The aim of the training workshop was to build the capacity and awareness raising among all relevant stakeholders of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) project for GCF project assessment and implementation; thus to develop and submit GCF projects for the transport sector especially for the mass transit project of KCR under CPEC

The workshop was structured into 4 sessions. The first session was the “Inaugural Session” that started off with the welcome address by Prof. Dr. Mir Shabbar Ali, Dean Faculty of Civil and Petroleum Engineering. The opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Saleem Janjua, Head of Policy, CoE-CPEC. The training workshop then proceeded with technical Session 1 titled “Setting the Baseline – Urban Transport, Climate Change & GHGs”. The session was addressed by eminent scholars and practitioners. Technical Session-2 and Technical Session-3 revolved around GCF modalities including the preparation guidelines for GCF projects. The last session was the closing session that finally concluded with the vote of thanks from Dr. Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, Vice Chancellor, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi. The speakers, guests, dignitaries, and other concerned officials, present at the training workshop, appreciated the timely conduction of the training on an important topic that may add strength to the CPEC portfolio.