Community Dialogue in Flood Affected District: Raising Awareness Against Corruption and Improving Climate Governance Accountability District Jafarabad Balochistan
Community Dialogue in Flood Affected District: Raising Awareness Against Corruption and Improving Climate Governance Accountability
Venue: UC Rehmatullah Chawan District Jafarabad Balochistan
Day & Date: Monday, 18 December, 2023
Transparency International Pakistan organized a Community Climate Dialogue in a flood-affected district Jaffarabad, Balochistan. The primary objective of the dialogue was to raise an awareness regarding community participation in climate change policies and empower local communities with social accountability tools to participate in climate planning and decision making. Around 55 members of the local communities participated in the community dialogue, including 24 male and around 30 females.
Ms. Noor Memon, Executive Director Nisa Foundation, District Jaffarabad, Baluchistan, welcomed the community members and shared that the objective of TI Pakistan community dialogues is to advocate for participatory climate planning at the local levels because the solution to climate change lies at the local level and it is imperative that the climate action is inclusive of the needs to the communities which are most affected by the climate change.
Afterwards, Ms. Nasreen Memon, Project Coordinator TI Pakistan briefed the community on TI Pakistan’s work around promoting inclusive and transparent climate response. She highlighted that TI Pakistan is engaging with communities in calamity-hit districts to raise awareness about climate change, its effects and tools for citizen participation. She highlighted that the district Jaffarabad face severe climate vulnerability due to its arid climate, water scarcity, and susceptibility to extreme weather events such as droughts and heatwaves. The region’s reliance on agriculture makes it particularly sensitive to changes in precipitation patterns, posing risks to food security and livelihoods. In this context, she discussed basic concepts of climate change, environmental corruption, its forms and climate mitigation strategies which communities can employ at their individual and community level to deal with the challenges of climate change.
Ms. Nasreen shared that Balochistan province is currently developing its climate change policy. She highlighted that TI Pakistan is advocating with the provincial government to ensure that community participation through community driven initiatives, community led monitoring of climate projects and community led social audits is enshrined in provincial climate policy response.
Moving on, Ms. Nooran, a community activist, spoke in detail about the impact on district during 2022 floods and highlighted that Jaffarbad witnessed human losses, infrastructural damage and loss of agriculture and livestock. She also highlighted how the response from the district administration was marked by poor governance and shared that communities are still awaiting promised assistance and rehabilitation.
Next, Ms. Nasreen Memon delivered a detailed session on Social Accountability Tools for Public Participation and Monitoring Transparency in Climate Response. She highlighted that public consultation in climate related projects is the key for effective and transparent climate response. She encouraged participants to keep an eye on government’s work around climate change at the local level and make their voices heard. One of the tool to participate in climate decision making is Right to Information. She aware participants that Balochistan has recently enacted Balochistan Right to Information Act 2021 which empowers the citizens to ask questions from the government and hold them accountable. Despite the passage of the law, the Information commission has not been established yet. She also highlighted that though the Public Information Officers (PIOs) are not appointed but citizens can file RTI requests with the head of the department. She also conducted training on writing an RTI request and encouraged communities that RTI empowers community members to hold climate related departments accountable and raise voice against irregularities including
Towards the end, Ms. Nasreen informed the community about Transparency International Pakistan’s Advocacy and Legal Advice Center (ALAC). ALAC serves as a dedicated resource for victims and witnesses of corruption, providing essential guidance and support. This initiative reflects TI Pakistan’s commitment to aiding those directly impacted by environmental corrupt practices.
The dialogue was concluded with community and partner organization expressing gratitude to TI Pakistan for their active participation, emphasizing the importance of collective efforts in addressing climate change and corruption.
