Sustainable Development Policy Institute

Recent Interventions

Past Achievements

• The main recipient of advice is the Pakistan Environmental Protection Council (PEPC), the highest policy-making body in the country on environmental conservation. Since the activation of PEPC in late 1994, several policy briefs have been submitted to it on a number of issues, including:

  1. economic incentives for pollution control,
  2. implementation of National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS)
  3. clean fuels program.
  4. the textile industry
  5. the pulp and paper industry
  6. provincial conservation strategy
  7. urban environmental problems
  8. information and communication issues
  9. global environmental issues
  10. environmental legislation
• The Ministry of Environment has also been a recipient of policy advice on a number of issues, including marine pollution, bio-diversity, climate change, urban environment and habitat issues.
• SDPI has been called upon to provide advice to the Federal and Provincial levels of government on World Trade Organization related positions, dynamics and concerns that are in the best interests for Pakistan's socioeconomic development.
• SDPI-Business-Government Roundtable on Environment to finalize the consensual policy proposals for PEPC is a significant success. SDPI has also proposed an alternative program framework for implementation and monitoring compliance with NEQS.
• SDPI was party to the struggle for the Environmental Protection Act. It played a leading role in lobbying for the legislation. The act was finally signed by the President and became a law in December, 1997.
• The Swiss Funded Technology Transfer for Sustainable Industrial Development (TTSID), was a unique project of SDPI. The program offers training and technical assistance to industry for in-plant control measures and end-of-pipe treatment of effluent streams. The project worked closely with the Environmental Protection Agencies in developing viable monitoring systems and regulations. SDPI is currently working on a software package (SMAR-T) that will assist in the dissemination of sustainable industrial development information to industry players.
• SDPI has been rendering advice to the Planning and Development Division, and is actively contributing to its deliberations upon the 2010 Program. The Institute is also actively involved in the preparation of the 9th Five Year Plan.
• Advice has been rendered to the Government of NWFP on information issues, urban environmental problems, research program and the provincial conservation strategy.
• SDPI reviewed the PC-1 prepared by ENERCON on Fuel Efficiency in the Transport Sector. Most of the SDPI's recommendations were incorporated in the revised PC-1. SDPI was a member of the Clean Fuels Committee and is the Secretariat for the Pakistan Environment Standards Committee, which were constituted by PEPC.
• SDPI has represented Pakistan on a number of conferences, including meetings of the CSD, the Social Summit, The GEF Council, the ESCAP Conference on Environment and Development, the Habitat II conference and has contributed to the work of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change and the Beijing Follow-up Unit. A background paper was written in co-ordination with the Advocacy Development Network for the World Food Summit.
• Another way of rendering policy advice is through holding conferences and meetings. In this connection, Annual Sustainable Development Conferences (ASDCs) are held regularly. The first conference of this series was held in September, 1995, under the title of Green Economics Conference. In August 1996, the Second ASDC was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Urban Affairs and Wild life. The Third ASDC, funded by the World Bank, is intended to be a policy dialogue on the environment. A large number of individuals from government, academia, NGOs and media participate in these conferences. Emphasis is placed on emerging sustainable development issues in Pakistan. Besides the ASDCs, there are a number of conferences and workshops, covering a range of issues of social relevance and public interest, regularly organized by the Institute.
• During 1997 the following events were arranged in collaboration with other friendly institutions: symposium on Community Development; conference on Sustainable Livelihoods - Rethinking Employment and Income Generation; workshop on Women's Participation in Local Bodies; conference on Elections in Retrospect - Analyzing the Foreign and Local Observers' Reports, and conference on Trade and Environment.