Civil society organizations play a key role in advancing progress on climate change issues in Pakistan. They are indispensable partners for government and its line agencies, and are often consulted on climate policy and program related matters. In an effort to institutionalize this role, the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change (CSCCC) was formed to strengthen civil society's active participation in decision making processes on climate change in Pakistan. The CSCCC is dedicated to highlighting climate change issues and in promoting informed climate action at the national, sub national, regional and international level through research, knowledge-sharing, advocacy and providing a networking platform for bringing stakeholders together to work with a “Whole of Government” and a “Whole of Civil Society” approach. As a proponent of collective action towards climate change Heinrich Boell Stiftung Pakistan thought it worthwhile to support CSCCC.
The formation of CSCCC is in line with the Lima-Paris Action Agenda and the principles of the Open Government Partnership (OGP). In order to prepare for COP23, the Ministry of Climate Change and the Civil Society Coalition for Climate Change collaborated to organize a series of six consultative dialogues in July- August 2017, bringing together government officials, civil society members, academia, journalists, and experts to discuss key agenda items for COP23 in line with Pakistan's priorities and policies. As a proponent of collective action towards climate change, Heinrich Boell Stiftung Pakistan thought it worthwhile to support the initiative. The recommendations for each thematic area were compiled to produce a comprehensive report.
The objective of the consultative dialogues was to frame Pakistan's agenda for COP23 and the report is designed to share policy recommendations from civil society on key policy issues to supplement the official brief of the Pakistani delegation attending the COP23 Climate Talks in Bonn in November 2017. The report provides background information on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) negotiations. It will also serve as a toolkit for the non-governmental organizations attending the COP and help them to understand processes and conference workings so that all Pakistani participants can leverage opportunities at COP23 to highlight national perspectives on climate change more effectively.
The policy recommendations presented in the report are based on the consultations held with the Pakistani civil society, along with agreed policy positions of the G77 + China and Like Minded Developing Countries (LMDCs). As in the past, Pakistan has aligned its policy stance with these groups and therefore, the recommendations should help the Pakistani delegation to actively engage in the consultations of the G77 + China and LMDCs with a view to ensuring that (a) Pakistan's positions are in harmony with those of the developing countries with similar conditions and challenges, and (b) to secure the support of other developing countries for Pakistani perspectives on international climate issues.