xt-align: justify;">ISLAMABAD, Sep 12 (APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to conserving its marine ecosystems and coastal areas by addressing challenges such as sea pollution and climate change.
xt-align: justify;">The president expressed these views while talking to the visiting Secretary General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr here.
xt-align: justify;">Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmad Sheikh, Chairperson Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Senator Sherry Rehman, and senior government officials attended the meeting.
xt-align: justify;">The president said that maritime pollution was a major concern for Pakistan as it was negatively affecting aquatic life, causing a decline in the growth of the country’s fisheries sector.
xt-align: justify;">Welcoming the secretary-general, the president said that focusing on the blue economy was a cornerstone of Pakistan’s development strategy as Pakistan was keen on modernizing its fisheries and shipbreaking sectors under the Special Investment Facilitation Council.
xt-align: justify;">He said that Pakistan was taking effective steps to tackle the effects of climate change.
xt-align: justify;">President Zardari said that Pakistan wanted to improve its marine ecosystem and would welcome IMO’s assistance and expertise in this regard.
xt-align: justify;">In order to mitigate the impacts of climate change, he highlighted that Pakistan had planted mangroves over a million acres in Sindh and also sold carbon credits in the international market.
xt-align: justify;">He informed that plans were afoot to plant mangroves on another two million acres of land.
xt-align: justify;">The president also highlighted Pakistan’s strong commitment to adhering to IMO regulations and standards for maritime safety, security and environmental protection.
xt-align: justify;">He said that Pakistan was looking forward to exploring potential areas for future collaboration with IMO, including technical cooperation and expertise-sharing to improve Pakistan’s maritime sector.
xt-align: justify;">The secretary-general said that Pakistan had great maritime potential, adding that IMO would continue to support Pakistan in advancing collaborations and promoting a sustainable and efficient maritime industry.
xt-align: justify;">The president congratulated the secretary-general on his election as the 10th Secretary General of IMO and expressed confidence in his leadership to advance the organization’s mission for a fair and effective regulatory framework for the global shipping industry.
