An international workshop on disaster risk reduction and green development for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has concluded after bringing together experts, researchers and policymakers from across Asia.

They discussed climate resilience, sustainable development and disaster preparedness, according to a statement issued by the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), according to a Gwadar Pro's report.

The five-day ANSO-CPJRC-COMSATS International Training Workshop on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Green Development for CPEC was held at COMSATS University Islamabad from June 18 to 22.

The event was endorsed as an official activity of the United Nations International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD 2024–2033).

The workshop featured 18 speakers from China and Pakistan who delivered lectures and training sessions on subjects including landslide dynamics and geophysical flow modelling, glacier systems and high-altitude hazard monitoring, disaster risk assessment, early warning systems, resilient infrastructure and de-risking investments under CPEC.

Participants also examined climate science, carbon cycles and environmental change, as well as policy-oriented approaches such as the “Two Mountains” Concept, circular economy practices, resource efficiency, ecological protection in transboundary regions, renewable energy policy and regional energy cooperation.

More than 70 participants from Pakistan attended the workshop alongside international participants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Somalia and Syria. Organizers said the training enhanced technical capacities, encouraged professional networking and opened avenues for future research collaboration and knowledge exchange.

The workshop was sponsored by the Alliance of National and International Science Organizations for the Belt and Road Regions (ANSO) and co-organized by the China-Pakistan Joint Research Center on Earth Sciences (CPJRC), COMSATS, the UNESCO Chair for Mountain Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience, and the Alliance of International Science Organizations on Disaster Risk Reduction (ANSO-DRR).

COMSATS Executive Director Ambassador Mohammad Nafees Zakaria emphasized the importance of anticipating risks and reducing vulnerabilities through science, technology and innovation, while COMSATS University Islamabad Rector Prof. Raheel Qamar highlighted the need for collaborative solutions to climate-related hazards affecting the CPEC corridor, particularly in the Himalaya, Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountain ranges.

Organizers said the workshop aimed to strengthen international scientific cooperation and promote innovation-driven approaches to disaster risk reduction and sustainable development across the CPEC corridor and the broader Belt and Road region.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP) — Pak-China