Orientation session for integrating Climate Change with Public Financial Management (PFM)

November 4, 2018

Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Institutionalizing the expenditure tracking system is an important tool in adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change. In Pakistan, the Climate Change Financing Framework is helping create an enabling environment to mainstream climate change, and to identify the systems required to integrate climate change into public finance management.

In partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) organized a workshop on 25 October 2018 in Islamabad to sensitize Government officials on the measures needed to integrate climate change with the Public Financial Management Systems. 

The workshop representatives from federal and provincial governments, academia and research agencies.

The objectives of the workshop were to orient Government officials with reform measures needed to integrate climate change with the budgeting and reporting frameworks; generate public dialogue and strengthen linkages between the academia and research agencies with decision makers for more informed policy formulation.

The workshop sessions were led by the respective government agencies and research institutes. Ministry of Climate Change presented the significance of climate change, its impact and Government of Pakistan’s vision. The Medium Term Budgetary Framework Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance shared experiences with the Medium Term Budgetary Framework at the central government level and offered entry points for anchoring climate change in the  framework.The representative of the Controller General of Accounts elaborated on the climate change budget coding and expenditure-tracking framework and demonstrated the framework’s ability to increase its coverage to all provincial governments.

The findings of a study conducted by the Climate Change Center, University of Agriculture, Peshawar were presented, highlighting the 30 years climate scenarios and vulnerabilities for 10 districts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

The workshop included an exercise for the participants to support preparation of a budget proposal for the Ministry of National Food Security and Research.

The participants also engaged in a brainstorming session to discuss actions needed to mainstream climate change. Given the nuances in the Public Financial Management systems and practices, subsequent workshops will be held at the partner Line Ministries and the Provinces for targeted capacity building interventions.