Pakistan

Key Results

A network of environmental human rights defenders (EHRD) from all four provinces of Pakistan was established as a platform for dialogue and quarterly discussions on how to address the challenges they are facing and reinforce protection mechanisms. In 2023, the network expanded from ten to 60 members, including 21 women.

UNDP-convened consultations led to the finalization of Balochistan’s Climate Change Policy. Youth representatives, EHRDs, civil society activists and representatives from marginalized groups were consulted to integrate youth perspectives into policy formulation and environmental decision making. As of the end of 2023, the Climate Change Policy was awaiting governmental approval.

UNDP’s global expertise on business and human rights informed activities that explored the nexus between access to environmental justice and business activity, in coordination with the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. Five consultation sessions held to discuss the impact of businesses on the environment reached 86 companies from the textile sector.

UNDP enhanced the capacity of the Ministry of Human Rights of Pakistan to implement the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP), spurring the government towards developing a human rights due diligence (HRDD) policy framework. Over 90 Japanese and Pakistani companies received training on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), including collaboration with an automobile market leader in Pakistan to build its capacity to address human rights risks across its value chain.

In Pakistan, climate cataclysms continued to cause destruction and loss of lives, livelihood and property, in particular, in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces. In 2020, the country ranked fifth in the list of counties most vulnerable to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index, 1 and this ranking has remained unchanged. Climate crises exacerbated the already fragile situation in Balochistan which is affected by national and regional instability, as well as ethnic, religious and tribal divisions. In this context, marginalized groups are disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change.

Against this background, UNDP implemented its project on access to environmental justice in Balochistan and parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, applying a human rights-based approach in all its interventions. UNDP consistently engaged youth, women and girls, transgender persons, persons with non-binary gender identities and others to integrate perspectives from the most-at-risk individuals and communities, receive their recommendations on existing environmental justice mechanisms, increase public participation, transparency and access to information in environmental matters. 

This project, funded by UNDP’s Global Programme for Strengthening the Rule of Law, Human Rights, Justice and Security for Sustainable Peace and Development (the Global Programme), followed a two-pronged strategy. It targeted government institutions to strengthen legal frameworks and capacities and ensured direct community engagement by working with civil society and environmental human rights defenders. 

A network of environmental human rights defenders (EHRD) from all four provinces of Pakistan was established as a platform for dialogue and quarterly discussions on how to address the challenges they are facing and reinforce protection mechanisms. In 2023, the network expanded from ten to 60 members, including 21 women, giving voice and visibility to those who need it most, and advocating for access to environmental justice for all in the country. In coordination with OHCHR, UNDP facilitated a workshop for the network on the UN Special Procedures as an international avenue to bring governments to account, as well as on advocacy strategies and the use of domestic remedial mechanisms, such as the Environmental Protection Agency and Environmental Protection Tribunals to pursue environmental rights in Pakistan.

UNDP convened consultations to finalize Balochistan’s Climate Change Policy. Twenty-five youth representatives, EHRDs, civil society activists and representatives of marginalized groups were consulted to integrate youth perspectives into policy formulation and environmental decision making. This consultation was jointly conducted by UNDP’s Decentralization, Human Rights and Local Governance Project and the Resilience, Environment and Climate Change Unit at UNDP Pakistan’s Country Office. As of the end of 2023, the Climate Change Policy was awaiting governmental approval. 

Over 30 women, transgender persons and persons with non-binary gender identities participated in the consultations conducted within the project to ensure the integration of gender-responsive measures and inclusive approaches towards the improved access to environmental justice. Balochistan Commission on the Status of Women led the provincial multi-stakeholder coordination mechanism meeting on access to environmental and gender justice, highlighting the need and ways to ensure implementation of the Climate Change Policy in a gender-responsive manner. 

UNDP worked closely with the National Commission for Human Rights leveraging its role as the national lead agency in human rights protection, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. UNDP’s research on the redress mechanisms 2 for environmental rights violations will serve as a blueprint for the Commission and its climate action in Pakistan. To ensure better cooperation between state and civil society actors, UNDP facilitated workshops in which 60 stakeholders, including 26 women and transgender persons in Balochistan, discussed mechanisms and provincial initiatives to improve access to environmental justice.

One of the project components was to explore the nexus between access to environmental justice and business activity. UNDP’s global expertise on business and human rights informed these initiatives that were implemented in coordination with OHCHR and the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights. Five consultation sessions were held with 86 companies from the textile sector to discuss the impact of businesses on the environment and outline ways in which their adverse environmental impacts can be reduced. As a result, a human rights due diligence Code of Conduct for the textile sector in Pakistan was developed to be adopted by the Pakistan Textile Council. This work will be a primary intervention area under UNDP Pakistan’s upcoming Human Rights Programme that has engagement with businesses, chambers and other actors on human rights and environmental justice as its core component.

BUSINESS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Launched in 2022 and funded by the Government of Japan, the Business and Human Rights Project in Pakistan expanded its support in 2023. This initiative aids the Government of Pakistan in implementing the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights (NAP) and assists the private sector in understanding and enhancing their human rights due diligence (HRDD) capabilities within the B+HR Academy initiative.

The policy support to the Government of Pakistan included launching a website to provide information on the NAP and resources related to business and human rights. The Ministry of Human Rights uses this site for stakeholder coordination and raising awareness of the NAP and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). UNDP also enhanced the Ministry’s capacity for evidence-based implementation by jointly commissioning a research on business-related human rights issues. These initiatives significantly enhanced the government's ownership and capacity to advance the UNGPs in Pakistan including progressing towards the development of an HRDD policy framework. Furthermore, UNDP’s efforts increased policy coherence in Pakistan's decentralized governance through federal and provincial government coordination mechanisms, making business and human rights a nationwide agenda. Additionally, the Country Office facilitated South-South exchanges between the Governments of Nepal and  Pakistan in early 2023, contributing to Nepal becoming the second country in South Asia, after Pakistan, to adopt a NAP.

Under the B+HR Academy, UNDP trained over 90 companies in Pakistan through seminars and individual guidance sessions, helping businesses to understand and respect human rights, as well as be aware of the human rights expectations of governments, consumers and major economies. Among participating companies, an automobile market leader in Pakistan and a subsidiary of a Japanese automotive brand, demonstrated a keen interest in collaborating with UNDP to enhance its technical capabilities for conducting HRDD. In response, UNDP conducted a comprehensive pilot study with the company to identify human rights risks across its value chain and provided technical guidance to mitigate these risks. This helped the company integrate human rights provisions into its supplier purchase agreements. Moving forward, UNDP will work with the company to develop an HRDD Checklist, Reporting Scorecard, and Award Criteria to evaluate and incentivize human rights compliance among its suppliers, thereby contributing to improving the rights-respecting culture in Pakistan's automotive sector.

Lessons learned and good practices

UNDP facilitated the establishment of the Multi-Stakeholder Coordination Network as a platform for dialogue for government departments to discuss action on environmental degradation and access to environmental justice. This was the first time these issues were discussed among the state actors in Balochistan, allowing for greater ownership and sustainability of the project, along with the capacity building sessions for the Environmental Protection Agency, Environmental Protection Tribunals and other departments. In addition, activities pertaining to environmental and gender justice have been included in the EU funded Human Rights Programme which will span over 2024-2027, and will be implemented by UNDP across Pakistan. The programme will keep the focus on the environmental justice and the support to environmental human rights defenders, demonstrating the catalytic impact of the 2023 project financed by the Global Programme.