Inclusive and coordinated action for building Pakistan’s climate resilience
Climate change increasingly disrupts livelihoods and damages vital infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and power grids - elements directly linked to other economic sectors. The rising costs of reconstruction and maintenance demand a fundamental shift in how infrastructure is planned, designed, and operated. Adaptation now requires a rethinking of both physical infrastructure and socio-economic practices to reduce the impact and frequency of climate-induced disasters.
The Challenge: Designing Climate-Resilient Projects
Transitioning to climate-resilient project planning presents significant challenges. It requires detailed assessments of climate hazards at specific locations, evaluations of infrastructure and community vulnerabilities, and comprehensive climate risk analyses. The results of these assessments must then inform the design of tailored adaptation strategies - be they physical, spatial, community-based, or institutional.
However, this process is highly technical and capacity intensive. Many departments lack the technical know-how and tools needed to implement climate considerations into project design and planning. Moreover, adaptation planning is not just about infrastructure. It requires mainstreaming gender responsiveness, community inclusion, and economic viability, adding further layers of complexity.
The National Adaptation Plan (NAP): A Strategic Blueprint
To address these challenges, Pakistan developed its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) in 2023, led by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination (MoCC&EC). The NAP offers a structured and inclusive roadmap for climate adaptation across the country. It emphasises inter-agency coordination and stakeholder engagement while providing the foundation for mobilising climate finance and guiding sectoral adaptation measures at both the national and provincial levels.
Complementing this, the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (MoPD&SI) published the “Handbook on Climate Risk Screening for Policy Planning”, which calls for a shift away from traditional development planning. These guidelines require the integration of climate-risk and gender-responsive indicators into all development projects to ensure long-term sustainability and resilience.
How is Germany Supporting Climate-Smart Planning?
To reinforce national efforts, GIZ Pakistan launched the “Supporting the Implementation of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP)” project in August 2023. Commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), this project focuses on Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces and helps embed climate resilience into sectoral project planning. With Germany’s support, Pakistan is moving beyond reactive disaster response toward proactive climate adaptation.
Watch the video below to discover how Pakistan is preparing for a safer and more climate-resilient future.