UK, Pakistan ink £35m Green Compact

ISLAMABAD: British High Commissioner Jane Marriott met Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Dr Musadik Malik in Islamabad to discuss implementation of the Green Compact, a £35 million bilateral climate cooperation framework intended to strengthen Pakistan’s resilience to climate change, according to an official statement.

During the meeting, Marriott presented the Green Compact’s action plan and outlined its main priorities as well as proposed areas for joint work. The statement said Malik stressed that the framework should be geared towards initiatives that produce concrete, high-impact benefits for people in Pakistan.

Focus on youth and green innovation

The minister also updated the British high commissioner on progress towards setting up a Green University in Islamabad. He said discussions were under way with international partners, including Italy, and with stakeholders linked to the Arctic Circle initiative.

Malik also highlighted the creation of a Green Tech Hub at the National University of Sciences and Technology in partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination. According to the statement, the initiative is designed to support young entrepreneurs working on green technologies and sustainable business solutions.

The minister said young people should be enabled not only in green entrepreneurship but also in research and innovation capable of producing practical and scalable responses to environmental and climate-related challenges.

Disaster preparedness and resilience

Marriott also briefed Malik on the United Kingdom’s youth entrepreneurship programmes and ongoing projects being carried out in Pakistan with the British High Commission, particularly initiatives centred on climate resilience and green solutions.

The two sides also discussed improving early warning systems and strengthening preparedness for climate-related disasters. According to the official statement, both Pakistan and the United Kingdom reaffirmed their commitment to working under the Green Compact framework to deliver measurable results for vulnerable communities affected by climate change.