Sustainable Development Policy Institute

Recent Interventions

Past Achievements

Recent Interventions January- August 2005

Interface and links with policy makers, public sector and NGOs

• SDPI participated in and hosted 1 WTO Watch Group (WWG) steering committee meeting, 1 Sustainable Agriculture Action Group (SAAG) Advisory Board meeting and 2 SAAG steering committee meetings. As part of its work on WTO, SDPI also jointly organized the First Study Group meeting on WTO in collaboration with UNDP’s Trade Initiatives for Human Development (TIHP) project.
• SDPI participated in the Swiss Development Corporation (SDC) partners meeting during which SDPI was included in SDC’s community of practice for a collaborative work on poverty reduction.
• SDPI is a member of the following forums, networks and expert steering committees: International Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Elimination Network (IPEN); IPEN Global POPs Biomonitoring project; Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAT/Net); Global Alliance for Incineration Alternatives (GAIA) and Safe Drinking Water Group Pakistan (SDWG-Pak). During Jan-June, extensive collaborative research work was done with these alliances.
• SDPI is also the co-chair of: PCB, Dioxin and Waste Group; and IPEP, South Asia. During this phase, SDPI hosted two meetings of both.
• SDPI gave input in several meetings solicited by the National Steering Committee for UNDP’s project on Trade Initiatives for Human Development (TIHP).
• Researchers from the Institute also became part of the technical group on Sensitive (agricultural) Products arranged by IDS.
• As part of the Pakistan Network for River, Dams, and People, SDPI provided technical input in their workshop on World Day Against Big Dams. SDPI’s paper was on Social Consequences of Big Dams.
• SDPI also participated in the Peer’s review of the Program for Environmental Research and Training (PERT) project, ENERCON.
• SDPI provided CIDA with policy recommendations regarding the areas of Trade and Gender and Water and Gender.
  

SDPI's membership of various sustainable development committees, commissions and task forces and liaison with government ministries and related departments

• During the past eight months contacts with various Government of Pakistan (GoP) ministries, working groups were strengthened: Federal Forestry Board, Ministry of Environment; Trade and Environment, Ministry of Commerce; Agreement on Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture; National Forestry Facility Program, Ministry of Environment; and Agreement on Agriculture, Ministry of Commerce.
• The Institute also met with Pakistan’s negotiators on Agriculture in WTO Geneva, as well as the Secretary Commerce to discuss Pakistan’s strategy for the upcoming Hong Kong Ministerial.
• SDPI was also solicited by the Ministry of Environment to give input on the national draft law on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS). SDPI is pursuing the World Trade Review for a joint advocacy campaign on ABS.
• SDPI is also spearheading interaction with relevant stakeholders (govt. and civil society) on Institutional Reforms in the forest sector of NWFP.
  Researchers contributed a chapter on the Environment for the Economic Survey of Pakistan.
• At the request of the GoP: Detailed comments were sent to the NWPF-EPA and Pak-EPA on the EIA report entitled Exploration and Production Activities in Tal Block; EIA Guidelines for gas and oil exploration; the National Environment Policy, 2005 and the draft Trade Policy 2005-2006.
• Meetings have been held with DG, Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA), Director, NWFP EPA, National Project Manager (NPM) POPs enabling activities to appease them about SDPI’s study on a DDT Factory, Nowshera.

Policy briefs/papers

1. Future Policy Options for Afghan Refugees (esp. women and children) in Pakistan is being compiled.
2. Resource Mobilization for Pakistan’s Healthcare: Myth or Reality has been published by SDPI.