Head of IUCN visits CIIT Abbottabad
23 June 2009, Department of Environmental Sciences
Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema, Head of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Islamabad office visited COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad on June 23, 2009. He was accompanied by Mr. Saadullah Ayaz, Climate Change Coordinator of Abbottabad for IUCN and Mr. Muhammad Arshad Gill, Pakistan’s National Programme Officer for Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The purpose of this visit was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between IUCN and CIIT Abbottabad. Dr. Haroon Rashid, Director CIIT Abbottabad signed the MoU on CIIT Abbottabd’s behalf, while Mr. Mahmood Akhtar Cheema signed it on the behalf of IUCN. This MoU will help to implement Pro-Poor Environmental Fiscal Reforms in Pakistan referred to as “EFR Project”. IUCN is currently working to implement EFR project in Abbottabad. Following are the five components of the project;
- - Enabling institutional, legal and policy framework,
- - Capacity building,
- - Piloting select EFR options,
- - Wider dissemination of Replication and
- - Action Research and awareness raising.
The outcome of this MoU will be in terms of two IUCN funded projects for CIIT Abbottabad. One of these projects will aim to investigate the options for disposal of solid waste in Abbottabad while the other will ensure safe drinking water supplies for the community.
