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The document argues that CPEC's first decade has failed to deliver broad-based development or stability in Pakistan, as state-led growth has not reduced conflict or poverty. It highlights how domestic political fragmentation, weak governance, and security threats—including attacks on Chinese personnel—have hindered progress. The brief notes a shift in Chinese strategy from government-to-government loans to business-to-business collaboration and warns that Pakistan's strategic balancing between China and the US complicates alignment. It concludes that the top-down, centralized approach has led to uneven benefits, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and recommends more inclusive, transparent, and community-based development strategies for the next phase.

An event attribution study by World Weather Attribution found that human-induced climate change, primarily from fossil fuel combustion and deforestation, has increased the intensity of 30-day maximum rainfall in northern Pakistan by approximately 15%. The study highlights that while the event had a return period of about five years, the resulting high death toll—300 fatalities nationwide as of August 3, 2025, including 140 children—was exacerbated by rapid urbanization, informal settlements, and poor building code enforcement. The report emphasizes a significant funding gap for adaptation, noting that Pakistan requires US$152 billion for adaptation between 2023 and 2030, much of which remains unfinanced.

The report evaluates the revitalization of Sherwan Hill Adventure Park in Abbottabad, Pakistan, as part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Cities Improvement Project. Using the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology, the analysis compares a nature-based infrastructure scenario—including reforestation and expanded green areas—against a business-as-usual scenario. The findings indicate that the project provides a significant return on investment, with every USD 1 spent yielding USD 2.49 in benefits over 30 years, totaling PKR 1.8 billion in avoided costs and gains across health, employment, property values, and climate resilience.

The study analyzes severe flooding in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran during April and May 2024, which caused hundreds of deaths and significant infrastructure damage. While the event occurred outside the typical winter rainfall season, researchers found that a declining El Niño increased the likelihood of such rainfall by approximately two times and intensity by about 8% compared to neutral years. The analysis concludes that human-induced climate change cannot be definitively attributed as the main driver due to discrepancies between observational data and climate model signals, although a 40-year observational trend shows an increase in heavy rainfall. The report emphasizes that high vulnerability—driven by deforestation, unplanned urban expansion, and limited water management—exacerbated the disaster's impact.

The ACAP Gender Assessment identifies systemic gender inequalities in Pakistan's agricultural sector, where women provide essential but largely unpaid and unrecognized labor while facing severe barriers to land ownership, credit, and education. The report highlights that Pakistan ranks first in Asia on a climate-agriculture-gender inequality hotspot index, leaving rural women particularly vulnerable to climate disasters. To address this, ACAP intends to apply a gender lens to its investments using 2X Challenge criteria, provide technical assistance for female farmers, and require portfolio companies to implement Gender Action Plans and SEAH (sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment) protections.

The document argues that while climate change drives extreme weather in Pakistan, such as the 2022 floods, the resulting devastation and security risks are multiplied by systemic governance failures, socioeconomic inequality, and political instability. It highlights a pattern where comprehensive strategic documents are produced following disasters, but implementation is hindered by a lack of localized governance and a political focus on short-term power over long-term resilience.

The 'Recharge Pakistan' project is a 7-year initiative designed to shift Pakistan's flood and water management from a reactive, grey-infrastructure-based approach to a proactive, nature-based strategy. With a total budget of approximately 77.8 million USD, the project focuses on four sites in the Indus Basin: DI Khan, Ramak, Chakar Lehri, and Manchar Lake. Key activities include restoring 14,215 hectares of degraded watersheds, implementing 127 green infrastructure measures (such as recharge basins and retention areas), and updating national and provincial water policies to prioritize EbA. The project also aims to improve the livelihoods of over 50,000 smallholder farmers through climate-smart agriculture and support the incubation of seven sustainable businesses. It is expected to benefit 687,336 direct and over 7 million indirect beneficiaries.

The 'Recharge Pakistan' project aims to shift Pakistan's flood and water management from a reactive, grey-infrastructure-based approach to a proactive, nature-based strategy. Implementing interventions across four sites in the Indus Basin, the project focuses on restoring degraded watersheds, establishing green infrastructure like recharge basins, and updating national and provincial water policies. It also targets the resilience of smallholder farmers through climate-smart agriculture and supports the development of sustainable, climate-resilient businesses. The project is managed by WWF-US as the Accredited Entity and WWF-Pakistan as the Executing Entity, with a total budget of approximately 77.8 million USD.

The Zu Peshawar project replaced an unreliable, private transport patchwork with a state-of-the-art Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system designed for inclusivity. By incorporating gender-sensitive features and accessibility tools, the system significantly increased female ridership from 2% to 20% and provided step-free access for wheelchair users. The project also included a Bus Industry Restructuring Program to transition former operators into formal employment with better conditions. Utilizing diesel-hybrid buses to reduce emissions, the system serves an average of 250,000 passengers daily and has inspired other Pakistani cities to upgrade their transit infrastructure.

The report analyzes gender disparities, gender-based violence (GBV), and socio-economic conditions in four project sites in Pakistan to integrate gender-responsive strategies into the Recharge Pakistan project. It identifies significant gaps in women's access to land, decision-making, and education, while highlighting the disproportionate impact of climate change on rural women. The document concludes with a Gender Action Plan that includes specific targets for women's participation in EbA interventions, the establishment of survivor-centered grievance mechanisms for GBV and SEAH, and capacity building for both community members and WWF staff.

The Pakistan Distributed Solar Project (PDSP), submitted by JS Bank, aims to increase the adoption of distributed solar PV systems in Pakistan. The project requests USD 10 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), consisting of a USD 9 million Pro-Rata Risk Sharing Guarantee and a USD 1 million grant for awareness and capacity building. The project targets the installation of approximately 43.15 MW of solar capacity for 4,000 customers across residential, agricultural, and SME sectors over 10 years. It specifically focuses on reducing collateral requirements and improving financial access for women entrepreneurs and women-led households. The project expects to reduce GHG emissions by 848,700 tCO2eq over a 34-year lifespan.

The project aims to enhance Pakistan's capacity to access result-based payments (RBPs) by validating REDD+ systems and implementing complementary mitigation activities. It focuses on filling technical gaps in the Warsaw Framework, such as refining Forest Reference Emission Levels (FREL) and establishing a national carbon registry. The project will use the Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Project (TBTTP) as a platform to demonstrate the reduction of deforestation drivers through the promotion of alternative energy (solar, biogas, micro-hydel) and the improvement of non-timber forest product (NTFP) value chains. With a total cost of USD 17.787 million, the project expects to sequester 459,520 tCO2eq and benefit approximately 2.55 million people.

The 'Recharge Pakistan' project is a 10-year initiative (2020-2030) designed to shift Pakistan's flood management from a reliance on 'grey' hard-infrastructure to 'green' ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). With an indicative total cost of USD 150 million, the project aims to reduce flood risk and enhance groundwater recharge at six selected sites along a 1,300km stretch of the Indus River. The project targets direct benefits for 10 million people and indirect benefits for 20 million others by restoring wetlands, managing hill torrents, and diversifying community livelihoods. It is led by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as the Accredited Entity, with the Federal Flood Commission and the Ministry of Climate Change serving as executing entities.

The document provides a comprehensive review of Pakistan's vulnerability to climate change, focusing on the gap between national policy goals and actual implementation. It identifies critical risks to water, food, and energy security, and notes that while the government has established a National Climate Change Policy and an implementation framework, progress is hindered by weak governance, limited funding, and a lack of capacity at the provincial level following the devolution of responsibilities under the 18th Amendment. The report also catalogues 26 discrete adaptation projects, noting a heavy focus on research and water management, while highlighting significant gaps in health, forestry, and gender-sensitive adaptation.

The report analyzes the Afghan madrasa sector, highlighting its diversity and the complex transnational links between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It examines the role of these schools in radicalization and militancy, while assessing the Afghan government's efforts to reform religious education to curb extremism and enhance state control.

The report identifies a significant gap between the environmental focus of the Sarhad Province Conservation Strategy (SPCS) and the immediate social priorities of local stakeholders, such as poverty and food security. It highlights critical deficiencies in data collection, noting a lack of systematic monitoring for water and air quality and the absence of provincial macroeconomic data. The author argues that the current centralized data system is inadequate for sustainable development monitoring and recommends a phased, decentralized approach using simple, action-oriented indicators to guide implementation.

The report details a three-phase process (preparatory, evaluation, and implementation) for establishing a sustainable development measurement system in the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan. It emphasizes the need for indigenous capacity, the use of specific physical indicators over macro-indices, and a participatory approach to selecting key issues. The proposed institutional arrangement involves a quasi-independent team hosted by the office of the chief economist and formally established by provincial Round Tables.

The report investigates the 2022 Pakistan floods, focusing on two event definitions: 60-day maximum rainfall in the Indus basin and 5-day maximum rainfall in Sindh and Balochistan. While observational trends suggest that a 1.2°C warmer climate increased 5-day rainfall intensity by about 75% and 60-day rainfall by 50%, the authors refrain from a precise quantitative attribution due to high rainfall variability and climate model limitations. However, models project that a further 0.8°C of warming (reaching 2°C above pre-industrial levels) will significantly increase the intensity and probability of short-duration extreme rainfall. The study also highlights that the disaster's scale was exacerbated by outdated river management, high poverty, and gender-based vulnerabilities.

The ESMP for Activity 1.1.1 of the Recharge Pakistan project outlines the mitigation of environmental, social, and security risks associated with restoring 2,050 hectares of land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Key measures include a contingency-based forest fire management plan, a structured security protocol for high-risk areas, and the use of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) through Terms of Partnership (ToP) with tribal communities. The plan emphasizes local labor hiring, the establishment of Village Development Committees (VDCs), and a multi-level Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) to ensure community ownership and safety in the D.I. Khan, Tank, and South Waziristan regions.

The document establishes a comprehensive management plan for Activity 1.1.1 of the 'Recharge Pakistan' project, funded by the Green Climate Fund. It focuses on restoring 2,050 hectares of land in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to improve watershed resilience against floods and climate change. Key components include a Forest Fire Management Plan, a detailed Security Management Plan for high-risk areas like South Waziristan, and a framework for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) with tribal communities. The plan mandates the use of local labor, GPS-tracked travel during daylight, and the establishment of Village Development Committees (VDCs) to ensure community ownership and long-term sustainability.