Dr Shafqat Munir Ahmad specializes in SDGs, human rights, peace-building, disaster risk reduction, climate change, urban risks and development and sustainable development. Currently Dr. Shafqat Munir Ahmad works with Sustainable Development Policy Institute as Deputy Executive Director (Policy)/Head of Sustainability and Resilience Programme. He specializes in Research, grants and projects management- from project development to implementation and M&E- in Education, Health, and other areas relating to SDGs, Human Rights, especially rights of minority and marginalized groups, Countering Violent Extremism (CVE), Rights in Crisis amid disasters and conflicts, resilient development (Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation), Strategic Propositions and Policy development, Power Analysis, Policy Outreach, Lobbying and Media, Campaign and Advocacy, Social Impact Investment (CSR+) with Research, Policy, Networking, Capacity Building, Communications and Quality Documentation and Strategic Programmes Development and Management Skills (especially people’s management, strategic thinking in grant management, programme planning, development and training). These specializations and skills build nexus among development, humanitarian and policy influencing and research work to track achievement on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ranging from no poverty to climate action, urban development to risk sensitivities due to climatic hazards and disasters. During over 30 years, he has undertaken dozens of projects in thematic areas of human rights, women and children’s rights, minority rights, countering violent extremism (CVE), disasters, urban risk sensitivities, climate change, SDGs, CSR+ and other policy issues.
Before joining SDPI, he had served with UNDP/UNMC, Oxfam GB, and Actionaid (Bangkok, Thailand regional offices of the three organizations) on Asia regional positions, specializing in policy influencing on humanitarian and climate change policy work in the context of building community resilience to disasters, climate change, and conflicts. On the regional positions, he had worked with multiple partners and country teams (of UNDP, Oxfam GB, and Actionaid) in South and South East Asian countries including regional bodies of both sub regions-SAARC and ASEAN.
In his regional role and in current role, he had been part of the Climate Action Network South Asia and at COP13 in Bali (2007) worked with Climate Action Network International and other leading networks. Since Bali (2007) to Sharm-El Sheikh (2022), he has been associated with the COP processes and used to research and analyze the policy discourses in Pakistan and regional context. He also specializes in strategic media and communications influencing work and had exhibited skills and expertise in global influencing and campaigning work while in the regional and country positions. He had served with Pakistan’s leading English daily newspaper ‘The News International’ at senior editorial position and currently writes Op-Ed with the similar media group.
Dr Shafqat Munir Ahmad has earned his PhD in Pakistan Studies (Human Rights Policy and Influencing) from ‘Quaid-e-Azam’ University, Islamabad. He is an Ashoka Fellow- News and Knowledge Initiative, Ashoka Foundation, United States since 2008, (https://www.ashoka.org/en-us/fellow/shafqat-munir-ahmad). He serves on the Pakistan Supreme Court’s Technical Evaluation Committee as member. He is a visiting faculty at the Information Services Academy, the Federal Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Islamabad. He delivers lectures on humanitarian, climate change, and conflicts related issues at the senior level management course for the bureaucrats. He has served as a visiting Faculty at the Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad. He is on the Board of Infochange Pakistan, The Network for Consumers Protection, and Pakistan Coalition for Education (PCE). He is the member of PHAP (Professionals in Humanitarian Assistance and Protection)- Belgium and member of International Advisory Board, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economic and Environment (SAWTEE)- Nepal and a member Amnesty International (AI). He is ex-member, Working Group of Planning Commission of Pakistan on Social Capital Development.
Pakistan's Voluntary National Report for the Midterm Review of the Implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (MTR SF)" May 2023, published as Pakistan’s country report on UNDRR website on the 4th of July 2023, Dr Shafqat Munir Ahmad (Lead), Muhammad Awais, Salman Danish, and Ali Rehmat. https://sendaiframework-mtr.undrr.org/publication/pakistan-voluntary-national-report-mtr-sf
Research Chapter No: 4 on ‘Clearing Misconception about Civil Society in Pakistan’ in a book ‘Re-Interrogating Civil Society in South Asia Critical Perspectives from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh’ published by the Routledge (2021) Click Here
Conducted a research study on “Content Analysis of Hate-Speech discourse in religious publications in Punjab, Pakistan” which has been published in Journal of Contemporary Studies, Summer 2018, National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan. https://jcs.ndu.edu.pk/site/article/view/137
Contributed a research paper on ‘Consolidating gender barrier: Mediatization of politics in Pakistan’’ co-authored by Hassan Shehzad & Shafqat Munir, published in ‘CSR and Sustainable Development: A Multinational Perspective (Pages 156-173)- e-book (ISBN: 9781634153270) published by Society for Education & Research Development India, 2015 Click Here
Contributed a paper ‘Media Analysis of Women’s Participation in Politics’ co-authored by Shafqat Munir, Hassan Shehzad and Aoun Sahi, published in Mass Communication and Journalism’, 2014 (4:3), http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2165-7912.1000183
Contributed a research-based chapter in a book “Forests, Livelihoods and Power Relations in North-West Pakistan”-Sang-E-Meel Publications, Lahore Pakistan 2013. My chapter entitled: “Forestry and Newspapers: Bridging the Gap between Policy and Practice (268-290)
Contributed a research paper on “Child labour and combating strategies in Pakistan”. This paper was presented on my behalf at an Asia Pacific conference at the Charles Stuart University, Waga Waga, Australia in March 2005.
Contributed chapter 4 titled “Recognising Farmers’ Rights as Human Rights’ in the book ‘Farmers’ Rights to Livelihood in the Himalayas’ published by the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Nepal in 2003 http://www.sawtee.org/publications/Book-9.pdf
Research paper on “TRIPs and Public Health: What needs to be done in human rights perspective?” has been published by the South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), 2004, Nepal.
Fostering anticipatory action to climatic and socio-economic risks at sub-national scales in the Hindu Kush Himalaya region
Policy Advocacy Initiatives calling for Integration of Climate Resilient WASH in Public Sector Plans and Policies to ensure increased Financing for Climate Resilient WASH
Partnership for Influencing Climate Justice Agenda- Anticipatory DRR, Climate Financing and Localization of CCA in Pakistan
Partnership for Influencing Climate Justice Agenda- Anticipatory DRR, Climate Financing and Localization of CCA in Pakistan
