CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (Green Development) PROGRAM (CPEC-GDP)

CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (Green Development) PROGRAM (CPEC-GDP)

Timeline: May 2022 - April 2023

Background

Given the recent commitment of green and sustainable development under the green Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), CPEC is becoming a priority in gaining facilitation and support in Pakistan's green development, mainly in energy, infrastructure, and agriculture sectors. While the Chinese government is in full support of Pakistan's green endeavours and “Clean Green Pakistan” initiative, it becomes apparent that the green cooperation and response to the two-fold challenges of environment and climate change is a mutual aspiration of both countries. This is evident through China’s increased investments in the renewable energy sector of Pakistan in the year 2020.

Launched in August 2018, China Study Centre is a broader initiative of Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) to bridge the research-policy gap on the issues of global relevance such as energy, trade, technologies, climate change, tourism, business, finance, and Pakistan-China relations. The Centre strives to foster research, knowledge, and expertise on China, profoundly relevant to our engagement with China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). With a large network of universities, government bodies, business and civil society organizations, the Centre aims to promote collaborations, capacity building and technology transfer based on lessons learnt and experiences of China, attributed to their scientific knowledge and policy instruments. This requires a deep insight into Chinese history, culture, and socio-economic contexts. Such an approach is essential to catalyze the active engagement with China to address the economic and development challenges towards achieving sustainable development.

Owing to the current prominence of CPEC and President Xi's commitment and vision in this regard, we feel the time is ripe to reach out and forge new alliances to boost economic growth and prosperity of the country with an increasing role of environmental conservation and sustainable development goals in the development priorities of CPEC.

In this backdrop, SDPI has launched the “CPEC-Green Development Program”, with key objectives as follows:

Green growth and green GDP: To engage and support different stakeholders to exchange information (research) on the opportunities in the development priorities of CPEC to help achieve common sustainability goals. This will include green financing, green banking, green budgeting etc.
To facilitate a constructive dialogue between the Chinese government and investors to lead and support the CPEC green development roadmap towards delivering the SDGs, and climate targets while ensuring socio-economic development in Pakistan.
To replicate the best practices from China to Pakistan in terms of knowledge sharing, capacity building, technology transfer, and science for policy.

Thematic areas of cooperation

Renewable energy and energy efficiency;
Nature based solutions and ecosystem management;
SDGs capacity building;
Green finance and investment;
Circular economy, sustainable consumption and production;
South-South environmental cooperation;
Sustainable transportation;
Environmental laws, regulations and standards.

In-house Team at SDPI

Lead: Dr Hina Aslam,

Visiting Research Fellow: Dr Hassan Daud Butt

Research Associates: 2

Communications and Outreach

1. Podcast series on CPEC and Sustainability

2. Sustainable Development Television (SDTV) Talk show series on “CPEC Sustainability Xchange”

3. Documentaries on CPEC projects

4. Op-eds, blogs and magazine articles.

Outcomes

China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Green Development High Level Policy Dialogue
Research report on “Role of Chinese banks, investors and financial institutions in green financing of CPEC projects”
Consultative Session on the “Prospects of Green Transportation Corridor in Pakistan”
Private Sector Engagement on “Renewable Energy Investments under CPEC”
Advanced Training on “Greening BRI and CPEC”
Capacity Building Workshop on “Climate Smart Agricultural Cooperation under CPEC”
Policy Brief on “Green Transportation under CPEC”
Policy Brief on “Green Transportation Guidelines under CPEC”
Policy Brief on “Opportunities and Cooperation in Greening BRI”
Policy Brief on “Key Takeaways from the Capacity Building Workshop”
Launch of the Steering Committee for CPEC-GDP and convening of a high-level policy dialogue
Research and Communications Outreach on “Role of Chinese Banks, Investors, and Financial Institutions in Green Financing of CPEC Projects”
Capacity building around Green Transportation and Climate Smart Agriculture under CPEC.
To conduct advocacy and communications outreach around prospects of greening developments under CPEC

Project Team: Zaineb Abid & Maaz Sherani

Chinese Version

中国-巴基斯坦经济走廊绿色发展 (CPEC-GDP) 计划

背景介绍

鉴于最近在绿色《一带一路》 (BRI) 倡议下对绿色和可持续发展的承诺，CPEC 正在成为巴基斯坦绿色发展中获得便利和支持的优先考量，主要是在能源、基础设施和农业等所有发展领域。虽然中国政府大力支持巴基斯坦的绿色努力和《巴基斯坦清洁绿色》的倡议，很显然的，绿色合作和应对环境与气候变化的双重挑战是两国的共同愿望。我们可以从中国在2020年增加对巴基斯坦可再生能源领域的投资中可以看得出来。

2018年8月启动的 SDPI 中国研究中心是可持续发展政策研究所 (SDPI) 的一项更广泛的措施，皆在弥合能源、贸易、技术、气候变化、旅游、商业、金融和巴中关系等全球相关问题上的研究政策的差距。该中心努力促进关于中国的研究、知识和专长。这与我们参与中巴经济走廊 (CPEC) 的工作有着深刻的关系。该中心拥有一个由大学、政府机构、商业和民间社会组织组成的庞大网络，皆在根据中国的经验教训促进合作、能力建设和技术转让，并归功于其科学知识和政策手段。这需要对中国的历史、文化和社会背景有深刻的了解。这种方法对于促进中国的积极接触应对经济和发展挑战实现可持续发展至关重要。

基于 CPEC 目前的突出地位和习主席在这方面的承诺和远见，我们觉得现在正是我们接触与建立新联盟的最好时机，以促进国家的经济增长和繁荣。在 CPEC 的发展重点中，环境保护和可持续发展目标的作用越来越明显。

在此背景下，SDPI 希望制定一个《CPEC-绿色发展》，其主要目标如下：

· 绿色增长与绿色GDP：让不同的利益相关者参与并支持他们就 CPEC 的发展重点中的机会交流信息（研究），以帮助实现共同的可持续性目标。这将包括绿色融资、绿色银行、绿色预算等。

· 促进中国政府和投资者之间的建设性对话，领导和支持 CPEC 绿色发展蓝图，以实现可持续发展目标和气候目标，同时确保巴基斯坦的社会经济发展。

· 将中国在知识共享、能力建设、技术转让和科学政策房勉的最佳做法复制到巴基斯坦。

合作的专题领域1

· 可再生能源和能源效率

· 基于自然界的解决方案和生态系统管理

· 可持续发展目标的能力建设

· 绿色金融和投资

· 循环经济、可持续消费和生产

· 南方-南方环境合作

· 可持续交通

· 环境法律规章和标准

SDPI的内部团队

领导人： Hina Aslam 博士

客座研究员： Hassan Daud Butt 博士

研究助理： 2 位

宣传与推广

1. 关于CPEC和可持续性的播客系列

2. 可持续发展电视 (SDTV) 关于 “CPEC 可持续性交流” 的系列讲座

3. 关于CPEC项目的纪录片

4. 专栏文章、博客和杂志文

Status: Completed