The News
Published Date: May 31, 2013
Kakakhel elected chairman of SDPI BoG
United
Nations Environment Programme former deputy executive director Shafqat Kakakhel
has been elected as sixth Chairperson of Board of Governors, Sustainable
Development Policy Institute.
Kakakhel
was a member of SDPI BoG since 2009 and succeeded Dr Saeed Shafqat, V A
Jaffary, Dr Amer Mehmood, Shamsul Mulk and HU Beg.
Kakakhel
was Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Kenya, Uganda and Ambassador to Ethiopia
from 1994-1998. He was appointed as Deputy Executive Director of UNEP with rank
of Assistant Secretary General in August 1998. He retired from UN in December
2007. He was elected member of the Executive Board of the Clean Development
Mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol as a nominee of the Government of Pakistan
in December 2008. He is also Member Advisory Board of Ministry of Environment
and National Task Force on Climate Change.
In
outlining his vision for the organization, Mr Kakakhel said that since its
inception in 1992, SDPI played an invaluable role in highlighting the
importance of sustainable development in Pakistan through its research and
advocacy work for which it received appreciation and support within and outside
the country. He particularly appreciated the efforts made on the need for
sustained and inclusive economic growth, sustainable energy, food and human
security, gender equality, progressive democratic governance and regional
peace, development and cooperation.
He
said that problems become more grave and urgent today and a number of new
threats emerged such as intolerance toward women, minorities, wanton terrorism
in the name of religion and widespread corruption.
He
hoped that the Board of Governors of SDPI will guide the Institute to continue
to promote options for addressing these perennial and emerging threats to the
viability and prosperity of Pakistan.