President Zardari Reaffirms Pakistan’s Commitment to Global Climate and Sustainability Goals
- President Asif Ali Zardari says Pakistan remains committed to the Sustainable Development Goals and major international climate and environmental agreements.
- The Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2026 aims to plant 20 million saplings across the country.
- Citizens, particularly young people, educational institutions and communities, have been urged to plant and protect indigenous trees.
- The president says the campaign’s real success will depend on the survival and long-term growth of planted trees.
President Asif Ali Zardari has reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to meeting global climate and sustainability targets, stressing that protecting forests and restoring ecosystems have become both a national responsibility and a strategic priority as environmental challenges intensify.
In a message marking the launch of the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2026, President Zardari said Pakistan remained committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfilling its obligations under the Paris Agreement, the United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2017–2030, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on Biological Diversity.
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He said the federal and provincial governments, along with the governments of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan and other stakeholders, were working together to strengthen forest conservation, restore ecosystems and promote sustainable landscape management.
The president said this year’s monsoon plantation campaign should not be viewed simply as an exercise to plant trees. Instead, he described it as a broader call for long-term environmental responsibility and collective action across the country.
Under the Monsoon Tree Plantation Campaign 2026, Pakistan aims to plant 20 million saplings nationwide. President Zardari urged citizens to select suitable indigenous tree species and, more importantly, ensure that the saplings are protected and allowed to survive and mature.
He stressed that the success of the campaign should not be judged merely by the number of saplings planted, but by how many develop into healthy trees and forests over the coming years.
President Zardari called on citizens, particularly young people, educational institutions, public and private sector organisations and local communities, to actively participate in the campaign. He emphasised that their responsibility should continue beyond planting and include the long-term care and protection of saplings.
Extending his greetings to the people of Pakistan on the launch of the campaign, the president said the national initiative represented a shared responsibility to protect the environment, restore degraded landscapes and build a greener and more climate-resilient country.
Highlighting the importance of forests, President Zardari said they were among Pakistan’s most valuable natural resources, playing an essential role in sustaining biodiversity, protecting watersheds and combating desertification and land degradation.
He said forests also improve air quality, reduce the risks posed by natural disasters and contribute to both climate change mitigation and adaptation. With environmental pressures increasing, he said expanding and protecting Pakistan’s forest resources had become increasingly important.
The president highlighted several national initiatives already contributing to these objectives, including the Upscaling Green Pakistan Programme, restoration of mangrove ecosystems, sustainable forest management and community-based conservation programmes.
According to him, these programmes are helping expand tree cover, conserve biodiversity, improve livelihoods and strengthen communities’ ability to cope with the effects of climate change. However, he stressed that plantation initiatives must be accompanied by stronger protection for existing forests and measures to ensure newly planted trees survive.
President Zardari also highlighted the direct benefits of trees and forests for ordinary citizens. Trees provide shade in increasingly hot urban areas, protect soil and water resources, improve air quality and provide fruit, fodder and other resources for rural communities.
For farmers, families and communities dealing with rising temperatures, water shortages and extreme weather events, he said healthy forests and green spaces offered a practical way to strengthen resilience against environmental and climate-related pressures.
The president appreciated the efforts of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, provincial forest departments, the forest departments of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, development partners, civil society organisations and volunteers working to conserve the country’s forests and ecosystems.
He urged Pakistanis to work collectively towards a greener, cleaner and climate-resilient country, saying that protecting natural resources and caring for trees planted today would help provide a healthier environment and a better future for coming generations.
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