Feature: "Dr. Tree" greens Hong Kong's urban concrete jungle


Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2024-12-22 
by Xinhua writer Wang Xinyi

HONG KONG, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- In the midst of Hong Kong's high-rises and concrete sprawl, where space for greenery is at a premium, there is a man who has spent the past forty-plus years preserving and creating pockets of nature in the most unexpected places.

Known affectionately as "Dr. Tree," Jim Chi-yung stands out as a champion of Hong Kong's green heritage. His pioneering work in urban forestry has helped transform the city's skyline into a greener, more sustainable space, offering a model for other cities grappling with the environmental challenges of rapid urbanization.

"People often think of my field as purely technical, but urban forestry is an interdisciplinary science," Jim, a research chair professor and advisor of Geography and Environmental Science at the Education University of Hong Kong, and a former head of the Department of Geography at the Univeristy of Hong Kong, told Xinhua. "It demands that we balance conservation with the many competing needs of urban development."

In September this year, a ranking by Standford University named Jim the world's leading forestry scientist, out of more than 35,000 researchers, who not only retained his top spot in the "Single-Year Impact List", but also topped "the lifetime impact list."

On the rooftop of CLP Power Hong Kong Limited (CLP)'s Chui Ling Road substation in Tseung Kwan O lies Hong Kong's largest "sky woodland." The rooftop brimmed with native trees, its walls draped with climbing plants, creating a strikingly verdant contrast amid the cityscape.

A walk through this green canopy feels like entering a natural forest, a haven for urban wildlife in the heart of a bustling city -- a brainchild of Jim's decades of research in initially soil science and later on arboriculture and urban ecology.

Jim's efforts are particularly evident in his preservation of "champion trees" -- mature, often ancient specimens that form the backbone of Hong Kong's green heritage. Many of these trees, such as the century-old camphor trees on Haiphong Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, have become at stake amid urban expansion and typhoons. Fortunately, Jim came to their rescue with his expertise.

"Champion trees are vital to Hong Kong's natural and cultural identity, and cannot be left unattended," Jim said. His advocacy also led to the creation of a government registry for ancient trees.

For decades, Jim has been trailblazing in shaping policies that protect these natural monuments. His influence was crucial in influencing the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) Corporation's decision to preserve the stone wall trees at Forbes Street during the construction of West Island Line's Kennedy Town Station.

Perhaps the most recent and transformative aspect of Jim's work is his focus on green infrastructure, transforming rooftops and walls into sustainable ecosystems. Unlike traditional green roofs that often rely solely on grass or shrubs, Jim incorporated native trees to create self-sustaining and biodiverse spaces.

Besides the CLP rooftop forest, Jim has designed more than 20 green rooftops in Hong Kong, including projects for the University of Hong Kong and Tai Po Market Station. "The environmental benefits of these green spaces go beyond aesthetics," said Jim, "They help cut energy costs through natural insulation, extend lifespan for roof waterproofing, improve air quality, and support biodiversity, which in turn helps cities adapt to climate change."

At 71, Jim's work is as relevant as ever. His current projects include improving the microclimates in Hong Kong's cramped subdivided homes, where many low-income families live. "Urban ecology is not just about trees, but about the quality of life in cities, particularly in areas where the environment has been compromised by rapid development," he said.

For decades, Dr. Tree's commitment has extended beyond research into mentoring the next generation of environmental scientists, including Benedict Essuman-Quainoo, a former PhD student and now a lecturer at the Education University of Hong Kong.

Benedict, originally from Ghana in West Africa, has embraced Jim's focus on "nature in cities," working to promote sustainable and resilient urban ecosystems in Hong Kong and elsewhere in the world, including his home country.

"In a city where every square foot counts, Dr. Jim has shown that there is always space for nature to flourish," Benedict said.

"Dr. Jim is so meticulous, from research design, and methodology to writing style, and is punctuate in everything," Benedict said. "He is such an inspiration for me, both in the past and now, with that passion for research and care for his students." ■

China takes steps against Canada institutions and individuals over Uyghurs and Tibet

Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses against Uyghurs, including forced labor in camps, and condemn its alleged oppressive rule in Tibetan areas. 

Dec 22, 2024

BEIJING –

China said Sunday it was taking countermeasures against two Canadian institutions and 20 people involved in human issues concerning the Uyghurs and Tibet.

The measures, which took effect on Saturday, include asset freezes and bans on entry and the targets include Canada's Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project and the Canada-Tibet Committee, China's foreign ministry announces on its website.

Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority that numbers around 10 million in the western region of Xinjiang, including the mass use of forced labor in camps. Beijing denies any abuses.

China seized control of Tibet in 1950 in what it describes as a "peaceful liberation" from feudalistic serfdom. International human rights groups and exiles, however, have routinely condemned what they call China's oppressive rule in Tibetan areas.

For the two institutions, China said it is freezing their "movable property, immovable property and other types of property within the territory of China." It is freezing the property in China of 15 people in the Uyghur institution and five on the Tibet commit

Cyclone Chido claims at least 94 lives in Mozambique

For the time being, Mozambique remains the country with the heaviest death toll.



Eduardo Mendes / UNICEF / AFP
This handout picture on December 17, 2024 shows children next to a damaged tree after Cyclone Chido made its landfall near Pemba in northern Mozambique. 

Cyclone Chido killed at least 94 people in Mozambique in its deadly rampage through the Indian Ocean last week, the country's disaster management agency said, raising a previous death toll of 76.

The cyclone, which devastated the French island territory of Mayotte before hitting the African mainland, also destroyed 110,000 homes in Mozambique, officials said on Sunday.

After making landfall the storm ravaged the northern province of Cabo Delgado with gusts of around 260 kilometres (160 miles) per hour, pelting it with 250 millimetres (10 inches) of rain in a day.

That part of northern Mozambique is both regularly ravaged by tropical storms and wrestling with unrest from a long-running extremist insurgency.

In the hard-hit Mecufi district a mosque had its roof stripped by the gale, as seen in images taken by UNICEF.

Fears of rising toll

For the time being, Mozambique remains the country with the heaviest death toll.

Seven days after the cyclone hit Mayotte, 35 people were reported dead and some 2,500 injured on that archipelago by the French Interior Ministry.

But it is feared the toll may rise sharply given the scores of undocumented migrants from the nearby Comoros islands, who tend to inhabit Mayotte's many shantytowns flattened by the storm.

After sweeping over Mozambique, the cyclone moved into Malawi.

Despite losing intensity it killed 13 people and injured nearly 30 there, according to the Malawian disaster management agency.

Destructive Cyclone Chido unearths tensions between locals and migrants in France's Mayotte

Cyclone Chido not only ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure but also laid bare deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population

BySAM MEDNICK Associated Press and THOMAS ADAMSON Associated Press
December 22, 2024

MAMOUDZOU, Mayotte -- Cyclone Chido not only ravaged Mayotte’s fragile infrastructure but also laid bare deep-seated tensions between the island’s residents and its large migrant population.

Thousands of people who have entered the island illegally bore the brunt of the storm that tore through the Indian Ocean archipelago. Authorities in Mayotte, France's poorest territory, said many avoided emergency shelters out of fear of deportation, leaving them, and the shantytowns they live in, even more vulnerable to the cyclone’s devastation.

Still, some frustrated legal residents have accused the government of channeling scarce resources to migrants at their expense.

“I can’t take it anymore. Just to have water is complicated,” said Fatima on Saturday, a 46-year-old mother of five whose family has struggled to find clean water since the storm.

Fatima, who only gave her first name because her family is known locally, added that “the island can’t support the people living in it, let alone allow more to come.”

Mayotte, a French department located between Madagascar and mainland Africa, has a population of 320,000, including an estimated 100,000 migrants, most of whom have arrived from the nearby Comoros Islands, just 70 kilometers (43 miles) away.

The archipelago's fragile public services, designed for a much smaller population, have been overwhelmed.

“The problems of Mayotte cannot be solved without addressing illegal immigration,” French President Emmanuel Macron said during his visit this week, acknowledging the challenges posed by the island’s rapid population growth,

“Despite the state’s investments, migratory pressure has made everything explode,” he added.

The cyclone further exacerbated the island’s issues after destroying homes, schools, and infrastructure.


Though the official death toll remains 35, authorities say that any estimates are likely major undercounts, with hundreds and possibly thousands feared dead. Meanwhile, the number of seriously injured has risen to 78.

The migrants' shantytowns, known as "bangas," have long been an issue in Mayotte.

“Can we solve the issue of shantytowns today? The answer is no. We will address it during the stabilization and rebuilding phase,” Macron said.

Most migrants have family links in Mayotte and speak the same language. They seek a better life on the island rather than aiming to reach the European continent.

For many like Nazca Antoiy, a Comorian who has lived in Mayotte for a decade, the cyclone has stoked fears of displacement.

“I heard that people were told not to reconstruct new houses. So we need to worry about that,” she said.

These fears are not unfounded. Last year, France launched Operation Wuambushu, a controversial campaign to demolish shantytowns and deport undocumented migrants. Macron hinted that similar policies could resume but stressed reconstruction efforts would take precedence.

Mayotte’s geopolitical position has long made it a hotspot for migration. While the island voted to remain French in referendums held in 1974 and 1976, neighboring Comoros has never recognized its sovereignty and continues to claim the archipelago as its own. This unresolved dispute has fueled waves of migration, with thousands risking perilous sea crossings each year.

Outgoing French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau recently reignited the debate, describing the situation in Mayotte as a “war,” earlier this week. Retailleau proposed stricter measures, including using drones and naval patrols to block further arrivals. “We must be much tougher on the Comoros,” he said, accusing the neighboring government of allowing migrants to leave its shores unchecked.

Retailleau’s calls to “change the rules” include proposals to restrict birthright citizenship in Mayotte, a policy already tightened in 2018 to require proof that at least one parent had been a legal resident for more than three months. Critics argue that these measures only deepen Mayotte’s divisions without addressing the root causes of migration.

A 2023 parliamentary report cited in French media warned that the island was a “ticking time bomb" while suggesting redistributing part of Mayotte’s migrant population to mainland France — a proposal unlikely to gain widespread support.

___

Adamson reported from Paris

ITALY

118,000 workers affected by industrial crises - CGIL

Negotiations to prevent, limit layoffs doubled in 2024

ROME, 22 December 2024, 
ANSA English Desk


- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

An estimated 118,000 workers have been involved in industrial crises in 2024, according to a dossier drafted by Italy's biggest labour union CGIL, a preview of which has been seen by ANSA.

In 2024, "negotiations at the crisis unit of the Business and Made in Italy Ministry (MIMIT) increased significantly" with a total of 105,974 workers involved in major industrial crises compared to the 58,026 reported in January this year.

In addition, 12,336 employees of small and medium-sized companies were laid off after fruitless negotiations between labour unions and the businesses' management, the union said.

The sectors affected ranged from fashion to energy and the chemical industry in a "discomforting scenario that risks to worsen", CGIL said in its updated dossier on 2024, ANSA can reveal.

Overall, "118,310 have already lost their jobs or are struggling to survive in negotiations", said CGIL.

In Jamaica's Rio Cobre oil spill case, activists and civil society say there are outstanding issues

The controversial legal conclusion notwithstanding, this matter remains unresolved in the eyes of environmentalists and governance advocates


Written by Emma Lewis

Posted 22 December 2024

Feature image via Canva Pro.    

This article was first published on Global Voices’ contributor Emma Lewis’ blog; an edited version appears below with permission.

We are not satisfied: that is the message from a large group of civil society organisations and individuals in an Open Letter to Jamaica's Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) regarding the extraordinary behaviour of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the government agency responsible for enforcing justice with regard to environmental crimes.

NEPA’s announcement in court on November 27, 2024, that it was withdrawing criminal charges against Trade Winds Citrus Limited for a December 2023 oil spill in the Rio Cobre that affected the water supply of neighbouring communities, was greeted with surprise and condemnation from many corners of society. The media started talking about a “secret deal” between NEPA and the company; the details of the mediation agreement were not even revealed to the judge in court because of a non-disclosure clause.

Subsequently, NEPA Chairman Weldon Madden was asked to resign, while Matthew Samuda, the minister with responsibility for the environment, issued a statement that “the Government of Jamaica is not satisfied that the issue was handled at the Board leadership level with the required standards of transparency and openness.” Under considerable pressure, details of the Mediation Settlement Agreement were finally published on NEPA’s website, where a Chronology of Events from the oil spill can also be found.

Jamaica's rivers — including the Rio Cobre — have often been under siege from industrial pollution. In 2021, The Rio Cobre suffered a spill of caustic effluent from the nearby bauxite plant – and this incident was not the first time. The West Indies Alumina Company (Windalco), which runs the plant, was a repeat offender that “received multiple breach notices” and were, at the time, “defendants in a legal case filed by NEPA over a 2019 discharge into the river which resulted in a massive fish kill and several persons falling ill.” Windalco later tried to restock the river with fish, but the transparency of that process was also called into question.

In this most recent case, there are a number of issues arising that warrant further investigation. NEPA’s comment, relayed by Minister Samuda, that it determined withdrawing the case was justified based on “the limited material impact of the incident and the comprehensive cleanup undertaken” has given some environmentalists pause. Whether the damage caused by the oil spill was extensive or not, and regardless of how many fish were killed or not, the issue goes beyond that. Trade Winds Citrus Limited committed an environmental crime, which NEPA was prosecuting with the go-ahead from the DPP since the crime does not amount to a few dead fish; rather, it has an impact on nearby communities and the ecosystem in general, which many feel were hardly taken into consideration.

Will this be NEPA’s modus operandi going forward? And if it is “business as usual,” then what does that consist of? The Open Letter, signed by 39 groups and individuals, including the Jamaica Environment Trust, Friends of Rio Cobre, Freedom Imaginaries, Jamaicans for Justice, Stand Up For Jamaica, Jamaica Accountability Meter Portal, and Jamaica Climate Change Youth Council, outlined these and other concerns to the DPP.

“Under the fiat granted by your office,” it said, “the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the administrative arm of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NRCA), is tasked with prosecuting environmental crimes. NEPA’s decision, however, to pursue mediation in this case raises serious questions about its commitment to environmental justice. We now urgently request a comprehensive investigation by your office into NRCA/NEPA’s actions. This is critical to restoring public confidence in environmental law enforcement and ensuring that agencies with prosecutorial powers act at all times in the public’s interest.”

Some of the issues identified included the fact that mediation was pursued in this case. “[I]ntended for compromise between private parties,” it said, the approach was “unsuitable for holding environmental offenders accountable, especially where there is significant public impact and public interest. It undermines deterrence and signals leniency toward environmental crimes.” The letter also criticised NEPA's narrow focus, which “prioritised the fish kill while disregarding the broader impacts of the oil spill on the river ecology, river users and the surrounding communities.”

Furthermore, NEPA dropped the case “based on vague assurances from TWCL, including commitments to best practices and collaboration, which lack clear enforcement mechanisms.” The signatories took this as a demonstration of “a lack of interest in prosecuting environmental crimes and a lack of intent to hold environmental offenders accountable within the criminal justice system,” especially when coupled with the fact that the agreement prevents “legal action by either party” and prohibits NEPA from assisting communities who may want to bring action against TWCL. This clause, it maintained, “stifles the communities’ and the public’s rights to seek justice, undermining and betraying public trust in environmental governance and the administration of justice.”

The group statement also alleges a lack of transparency or meaningful consultation with the affected communities, an exclusion that “denies stakeholders of their right to participate in the resolution of a matter directly impacting their lives and environment. The inclusion of a confidentiality clause in the mediation agreement, intended to shield its terms from public and judicial scrutiny, is unacceptable given the public nature and significant interest in this offence.”

The controversial legal conclusion notwithstanding, this matter remains unresolved in the eyes of environmentalists and governance advocates: “The public deserves full transparency and public accountability regarding NEPA’s decision-making processes and assurance that environmental laws will be enforced openly, vigorously and with due regard for environmental law standards, principles and best practices.

“Environmental crimes demand robust legal action — not alternative resolutions that fail to deliver justice or protection of natural resources. We urge your office to revisit this case, investigate NEPA’s actions, and undertake a long overdue broader review of NEPA’s prosecutorial effectiveness to strengthen environmental governance.”

PAKISTAN

WILDLIFE: AN ELEPHANT AND HER TYRE

Muzhira Amin 

December 22, 2024

DAWN

Madhubala with her tyre at Karachi Zoo | Four Paws

It was the last Tuesday of November and there was an air of anticipation at Karachi’s sprawling Safari Park. Outside the elephant enclosure, a curious crowd of reporters and activists stood with cell phones and cameras out, exchanging whispers. Madhubala, the lone elephant left at Karachi Zoo, had just been shifted to these bigger premises and was going to be making her first public appearance here.

On the other side of the fence, as the doors opened and the way was cleared, in walked Madhubala. Oblivious to the fanfare around her, she immediately latched on to a carefully placed tyre inside her new night room.

Madhubala, which literally means ‘sweet girl’, is named after the iconic Indian actress, just like her sister Noor Jehan — with whom she shared a pen at the zoo — was named after Pakistan’s melody queen. Until Madhubala’s relocation, the 17-year-old African elephant had been living in solitary confinement at the Karachi Zoo for over a year, since the death of Noor Jehan.

The tyre is all she brought along with her from the zoo, her old home — after all, it was her best friend.



Until her reunion with her long-separated sisters Malika and Sonia, lonely Madhubala’s best friend at Karachi Zoo had become a rubber tyre…

Madhubala has a very special relationship with her tyre. The bond was forged after the death of her long-time companion and sister Noor Jehan. Witnessing up close her sibling’s demise, and the events leading to it, had left Madhubala depressed, traumatised and, most concerningly, lonely.

AN ANTIDOTE TO GRIEF

Having spent a lot of time with the elephants, Mahera Omar, filmmaker and co-founder of the Pakistan Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), remembers all too clearly the circumstances around the last days of Noor Jehan and the effects it had on her sibling. Noor Jehan had fallen into a cement pond and could not get back up. Animal activists and caregivers had turned up the zoo to help in the recovery efforts as Noor Jehan’s situation became public knowledge.

“A thunderous clank of iron made us turn our heads towards Madhubala,” recalls Omar. She had crashed with all her might into the gate holding her inside her night cage at Karachi Zoo. “We knew Madhubala was angry and upset,” she tells Eos.

What followed over the next 10 days was agonising for the two elephants as well as animal lovers. “As Noor Jehan lay helpless, we watched Madhubala get increasingly restless, disturbed by the swarms of people that had descended on to the spectacle of animal suffering, the noise of the crane, the altercations between the zoo management and animal lovers,” she recalls.

In the long days of grief and loneliness that followed Noor Jehan’s passing, the tyre was where Madhubala found emotional support. “She would often be standing next to her sister’s grave, withdrawn and quiet, the tyre nearby,” Omar continues.

Soon, the tyre became her best friend. Both of them were inseparable. It was with her everywhere she went: the night room, the enclosure and even the storage area. She showed it off to visitors as well.

The tyre would be ever-present, just within her reach, even when she was in the presence of animal lovers and the team from Four Paws, a Vienna-based global animal welfare organisation. Four Paws had previously facilitated the relocation of Kaavan, dubbed as the world’s loneliest elephant, from a zoo in Islamabad to sanctuary in Cambodia. And it was engaged to help with Madhubala’s rehabilitation as well.

This is why, when the talks of Madhubala’s relocation to Safari Park finally materialised, Four Paws decided to bring the tyre with her to the new home.

“The decision was taken to provide her with comfort in the new environment and a sense of security,” Pia Einheimler, the Four Paws field mission coordinator tells Eos. “The first thing Madhubala did while entering her new enclosure at the Safari Park was to turn around, grab the tyre and place it next to her… it really functions as a comforting toy,” she points out.

Even when out exploring her new home, she took the tyre along with her as an all-time companion. Little did Madhubala know that what she was soon going to find would be far more precious than her tyre. A heartwarming interaction was waiting for her, just a few footsteps from her night room.

A FAMILY REUNION

When she was still a calf, back in 2009, Madhubala and her three sisters were cruelly captured by poachers in Tanzania. Their mother was shot dead in front of their eyes. The baby elephants, on the other hand, were packed up and found their way to Pakistan.

Two of them — Madhubala and Noor Jehan — came to the zoo, while Malika and Sonia were sent to Safari Park. More than a decade later, the siblings were reuniting, courtesy of Noor Jehan’s death. Madhubala, however, was unaware of this. Itwas a surprise that was revealed to her a day after the relocation to the Safari Park.

Einheimler described the sisters’ reunion as an emotional moment for everyone who witnessed it.

Madhubala was out exploring the outdoor enclosure of her new home, while Malika and Sonia stood in their night room, which was separated by a fence. But they could see each other. Her sisters were showing a lot of interest in their sibling but Madhubala was busy playing with her tyre. When the last few obstructions between the siblings were finally removed, Sonia, the braver one, crossed over to greet Madhubala, with Malika in tow.

Before Madhubala arrived at Safari Park, Malika was the matriarch — the leader among the two resident elephants. According to research, when confronted with a new elephant, matriarchs often become defensive towards them, to protect themselves and their family members. None of that unfolded at the Safari Park though, as Malika and Sonia immediately recognised Madhubala’s shining eyes.

“The three sisters gently touched each other with their trunks, exploring new smells and moving together with a sense of calm and friendliness. We could feel they remembered each other,” says Einheimler.

And then something beautiful happened. Madhubala placed her beloved tyre in front of Malika, a present for her siblings. It was an invitation for them to share her valuable tyre with them. Moments later, Malika turned her back to Madhubala, an offer to her sibling to become the new matriarch of the now three-member herd.

Following the exchange, the sisters made their way to a nearby pond and had their first drink together. The tyre, on the other hand, stayed back inside Madhubala’s night room — a relic of the past.

“The tyre is still very important for Madhubala, but it is losing its emotional attachment bit by bit,” Einheimler continues. “Now, Madhubala has transformed into a completely different elephant. She is kind, friendly and playful,” she adds.

Madhubala’s transformation is visible, as much from her demeanour and interactions as it is from the glint in her eyes, says Einheimler. Perhaps, it also shows the appreciation a pachyderm has for being treated in a more humane manner.

The writer is a member of staff. X: @NMuzhira

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 22nd, 2024


Read more


Free from zoo captivity, Madhubala reunites with sisters at Safari Park after 15 years

Madhubala finds three’s company!

Madhubala to reunite with sisters after 15 years in Karachi

EXHIBITION: SACRED FORMS

Ayesha Majeed 

 December 22, 2024  

DAWN

Agate Pendant


Calligraphy continues to be one of the key symbols and most fascinating aspects of Islamic culture and identity. It began with the writing of the Quran in the Kufic script. Later, classical and contemporary calligraphic styles evolved, and Islamic calligraphy expanded and developed to an unparalleled level of sophistication and usage.

Traditionally, calligraphy relied on the qalam [pen] and ink. But, with the passage of time, it expanded to encompass other mediums, as it was incorporated into architecture and in objects made of wood, metal, glass, ceramic, stones, fabric etc.

A visual representation of this creativity, beauty, and the aesthetic of formation and ornamentation was recently on display at the Ocean Art Gallery in Lahore. The gallery invited viewers to explore different calligraphic art forms immaculately presented by Shakil Ismail, a Karachi-based artist.

In his series of geometric-shaped calligraphic sculptures, Ismail has used scripts crafted out of rigid metallic surfaces, depicting the word ‘Allah’ in a repetitive manner. Drawing inspiration from the work of the old master Ibn Muqalla, Ismail has used a total of four different khat [calligraphy styles], with the most dominant being Khat-i-Sals. The flow and fluidity of the calligraphy is undeniable, exuding a certain grace.

Metal, glass and semi-precious stones are fused with calligraphic elements in Shakil Ismail’s singular creations

According to the artist, after repeated trials with electroforming techniques on metal, he developed his unique style of moulding metal surfaces through cold-welding with ice cubes and chemical currents. To enhance the beauty of these pieces, Ismail incorporated cast-glass intertwined with semi-precious stones in a range of beautiful colours.

Iqra



The strength of the sculptures lies in the integration of metallic elements, which imbue the work with a sense of permanence. Unlike paper, which can age and fade, metal retains its integrity, preserving the elegance of the calligraphy in its original form. The use of metal in the calligraphy also symbolises timelessness, strength and durability.

Ismail’s other artistic expression is his use of the cast-glass technique for wall hangings. Ismail creates the glass material by recycling pharmaceutical and beauty product bottles, melting them at temperatures of around 1,400 degrees Celsius. The brown glass, for example, is made from crushing and melting children’s cough syrup bottles. Numerous brightly coloured calligraphic canvases were also exhibited, showcasing a blend of spirituality and artistic brilliance.

For his handcrafted wearable art, Ismail drew inspiration from the ancient tradition of wearing naqsh or taweez — amulets or talismans — that were, and in some cases still are, worn for protection and blessings. He designed immaculate and contemporary jewellery pieces — including bracelets, rings and pendants — crafted from gold-plated bronze and silver. Each piece is studded with semi-precious stones such as marjan, jade, zircon, amethyst, ruby, agate, glass crystals, tourmaline and topaz.

Allah



The pendants, in particular, feature semi-precious stones caged in metal wiring. One pendant showcases an intricately chequered design carved from gold-plated metal and studded with a large, round topaz stone. The artist’s work seems to be inspired by Greek and Roman jewellery designs.

Through his innovative use of materials and his mastery of calligraphy, Ismail not only honours the rich traditions of Islamic art, but also pushes the boundaries of contemporary artistic expression.

‘Sculpting Words, Adorning Souls’ was on display at the Ocean Art Gallery in Lahore from December 3-7, 2024

The writer is an art critic and artist based in Lahore. She can be reached at ayeshamajeed2015@gmail.com

Published in Dawn, EOS, December 22nd, 2024

Beyond schools

Muna Khan 

December 22, 2024

DAWN

The writer is a journalism instructor


IN 2019, when I was teaching full time, our institute collaborated with a university in Canada in their Global Reporting Programme where three of our students, along with students in Kenya and the US, were selected to work on an academic year-long project. The three students and I would log on at 9pm on Zoom — before that became a thing — for a three-hour weekly class. That year’s theme was on how new curricula were transforming students around the world. Stories focused on education issues in Norway, Kenya, Nepal and for us, Pakistan’s efforts to include madressahs in the mainstream. The first semester we studied/ taught journalism preparing for our time in the field in the aforementioned countries, and then we were meant to go to Canada for post-production in March. But then, the pandemic happened and everything changed.

Since madressah registration is back in the limelight, I wanted to present a personal perspective from that academic year spent on our story. We instructors from all universities helped students flesh the story from so many angles — the history, the politics, the politicians, the opposition, the curriculum, but, most importantly, the students, past and present. The collaborative approach ensured no story was done through a Western or Eastern lens and to teach that reporting is not about parachuting into a country with minimum knowledge and reliance on fixers.

The students on the Pakistan story spent considerable time with SS, a young father of three, a madressah graduate whose three boys (then aged eight, 11 and 12) were also enrolled in a madressah; his six-year-old daughter did not go to any school. SS supported the push for the Single National Curriculum (SNC) and hoped the madressahs would incorporate math, English and science into their curriculum so his sons had better opportunities. His boys told us they wanted to become a doctor, army officer and engineer and their father was willing to put in the extra hours to help them fulfil their dreams. He himself wanted to become a nurse but couldn’t fulfil his dream because he had only studied religion. His parents, who opposed madressah reforms, had no regrets about sending their son to seminaries.

Many of the men who were pro-reform have since reneged.

Students at Jamia Binoria Alamiya seemed to have had a different experience, especially the many foreign students we met from countries as diverse as the US and Thailand. Everyone received both religious and (for lack of better word) regular education; they could even study Mandarin. Here young Pakistani girls told us they wanted to become doctors, pilots and engineers. We spent a good time discussing the school’s transformation with Mufti Muhammad Naeem, and his son, Noman who took over after his father’s passing in 2020. This madressah has been pitched as a model one and was a favourite destination for foreign dignitaries and reporters when Pakistan needed to show not all madressahs foster hate.

I was told to dress appropriately when visiting Mufti Taqi Usmani at the beautiful campus of Darul Uloom when I went with my male student. This was a pre-interview meeting where we talked about our project prior to the Canadians’ field visit. In that meeting, he did not address me and replied to my student. He, like everyone we met for this story, supported the mainstreaming of madressahs. Everyone would add that their institutions were not the source of contention or “problem” — I understood this as code for terror camps. We also flew to Islamabad to meet then education minister Shafqat Mahmood who discussed both the SNC and the madressah reforms, saying all students needed equal access to education and oppor­-tunities.

I’m giving you an overview of all stakeholders’ comments because, as the saying goes, this isn’t your first rodeo. You’ve long heard it­­erations of these co­­mmitments to ‘ref­o­­rm’/ ‘mainstream’/ ‘fix the problem once and for all on our terms’, etc., but you also know how deep the trust deficit is. Many of the men we met who were pro-reforms have since reneged. There are attempts to resolve this issue before it is taken to the streets where, you know as well as I, what will happen next.

As we watch to see how this plays out, the children of SS will not be near to having their dreams fulfilled.

In 2019, I suspected our story would have no ending. My co-instructors said it didn’t need to, we needed to report on the efforts, the challenges, the promises. How do you report that the powerful make promises they know they can’t (won’t) keep because that promise can be used as leverage later? People are pawns here.

We function in survival mode; it is the only one we know. We can’t imagine what thriving — growing, developing, prospering — looks like. Many reporters have been telling this story in the hope that one day it will change and we’ll have a different ending.

X: @LedeingLady

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024

Bold action to rescue SDGs 

The ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — launched in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all — are slipping out of reach.

Mohamed Yahya | Bilal Azhar Kiyani

December 21, 2024

DAWN


AS the New Year beckons, and the world begins to count down the final six years of the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, our shared vision of decisive progress towards sustainable development everywhere stands at a precipice. The ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) — launched in 2015 to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all — are slipping out of reach.

In recognition of this grave danger, UN Secretary General António Guterres has declared a “global emergency”, underscoring the urgent need for bold and transformative actions. The recently adopted UN Pact for the Future provides a renewed framework for re-energising Agenda 2030. Specifically, member states have reaffirmed their commitment to closing the SDG financing gap, through scaling up official development assistance, combating illicit financial flows, and mobilising domestic and private resources.

Pakistan exemplifies the struggle of low- and middle-income countries trapped in a web of debt, climate vulnerability, and under-investment in human development. Ranked 137th out of 166 nations in the UN Sustainable Development Report 2024, Pakistan’s SDG performance is off track. While modest improvements are noted in some areas, eight out of the 17 SDGs show stagnation, and three are regressing.


Gains that are made in human development terms are literally washed away by the effects of climate change on a regular basis.

An estimated 40 per cent of Pakistan’s population — approximately 97 million people — lives in poverty, with women disproportionately bearing the impact. Twenty-six million children do not go to school and half of the women population cannot read or write. Forty per cent of children under five are stunted.

These figures represent the enormous challenges Pakistan has to overcome to achieve sustainable development and improve the living standards of its people. While Pakistan has made progress in 2024 towards macroeconomic stabilisation, with inflation dropping to a six-year low, the financing gap for achieving the SDGs in the country remains staggering: a conservative projection puts it at around $60 billion annually, which is 16pc of GDP. The price tag of turning such indicators of deprivation around, and meeting the SDGs, dwarfs the country’s revenue base.

Without alternative sources of finance, we fear Agenda 2030 will not be accomplished.

As of September 2024, Pakistan’s total debt and liabilities stood at an estimated $308.2bn, representing 81.2pc of GDP. Of this, total external debt and liabilities amounted to $133.4bn. Debt servicing costs the government over half of its annual budget, leaving little room for investments in development priorities. Every dollar allocated to debt repayment is a dollar denied to building schools, improving healthcare, or mitigating the impacts of climate change. These issues are critical not only to human development in Pakistan, but also to the country’s future economic growth and prosperity.

Pakistan’s challenges are compounded by the global climate crisis it did not create. Gains that are made in human development terms are literally washed away by the effects of climate change on a regular basis. Contributing less than 1pc to global emissions, Pakistan is among the top 10 nations that are most vulnerable to climate change. The devastating floods of 2022, which submerged more than 10pc of the country, served as a stark reminder of how the Global South bears the brunt of a crisis driven by the industrialised world. Pakistan is obliged to take on more debt to recover from, and attempt to build resilience to, disasters caused by consumption patterns far away, perpetuating a cycle of dependency and vulnerability.

In the face of its SDG financing gap, it is time to consider bold options.

A six-year standstill on the Pakistan government’s external debt repayments would be one pragmatic and morally compelling solution. It would free up an estimated $108bn, providing the fiscal breathing room needed to invest in re-energising Agenda 2030 in Pakistan. With these resources, Pakistan could widen social safety nets, lifting an estimated 10m out of extreme poverty;reduce maternal and infant mortality; improve schoolenrolment rates; andinvest in climate resilience to protect millions from future shocks.

Critics will argue that implementing a debt standstill is fraught with challenges. Multilateral creditors may resist, citing preferred creditor status. Bilateral lenders may be reluctant to create a precedent. Private creditors may fear losses on bonds.

These concerns are valid, but not insurmountable. Indeed, the world came together during the Covid-19 crisis to implement not dissimilar debt standstills. Let us recognise that the remaining six-year window to deliver Agenda 2030 represents a crossroads that is equally perilous. And, of course, any debt standstill arrangement would require a robust governance framework be put in place to ensure that funds freed are transparently allocated to SDG priorities, with clear accountability mechanisms to ensure proper use.

Short of a full standstill, a break on interest payments can also be considered. Other countries have also experimented with “debt for development swap” arrangements.

The UN’s Pact for the Future provides a unique opportunity to align global priorities with the needs of vulnerable nations. Its call to mobilise resources comprehensively to galvanise progress towards achieving Agenda 2030 in this last six years must be heeded.

Let Pakistan breathe. Let it invest in its people and its future. And let this moment mark the beginning of a new era of global solidarity, where no nation is left behind in the quest for sustainable development. We are on the final stretch for the SDGs. It is time to be bold.

Mohamed Yahya is the United Nations resident and humanitarian coordinator in Pakistan.

Bilal Azhar Kayani is a member of the National Assembly and the convener of the National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs.

Published in Dawn, December 21st, 2024

From Baku to Belem

Imaduddin Ahmed

Published December 22, 2024 
DAWN

The writer sits on the Liberal International Climate Justice Committee



MANY climate-vulnerable nations hoped for more at COP29. However, the text leaves an opportunity for Pakistan’s freshest minds to seize on behalf of those who have most to lose from climate change.

The final document reflects the challenges of a multilateral process fraught with competing interests, including within the 60-year-old coalition of 134 developing countries called the G77. The interests of oil-rich and prosperous nations within the Arab Group, for example, do not align with those of climate-vulnerable, developing nations such as Pakistan.

The Arab Group worried that a new formulation of the contributor base for climate finance would explicitly put them on the hook for providing and reporting on support to developing countries alongside traditional developed countries like the US, both because of their capability to provide finance and their attributable greenhouse gas emissions. Six of 10 countries with the highest per capita consumption-based CO emissions belong to the Arab Group. Four of those members have GDPs per capita higher than $30,000; two of them with higher per capita incomes than the UK, France and Japan.

At the technical level, the Arab Group negotiators with oil-producing Bolivia persuaded the G77 to lose a week of negotiation time by not engaging with the text proffered by the UN Secretariat in October. This directly undermined the interests of countries trying to survive the impacts of climate change. This loss in negotiating time meant that no time was spent discussing items in the October text: how much developed countries exclusively would be on the hook for, what proportion of climate finance should be in the form of grant equivalent terms, and what proportion of finance should be allocated to adaptation and loss and damage.


Every government can regulate to reduce default risk from climate impacts.

To prevent this from happening repeatedly, Pakistani diplomats must be alive to when the Arab Group is pushing an agenda that makes no sense for Pakistan or the majority of developed nation allies within the G77, and be ready to push back.

To the quantum: in 2009 at COP15 in Copenhagen, countries set a $100 billion/year climate finance target for developed countries to mobilise for developing countries by 2020. That target was nominally surpassed for the first time in 2022. COP29 in Baku was about deciding what the new number would be. Two key numbers entered the text.

The public-based support goal for developing countries: $300bn/year to developing countries by 2035, without inflation indexing. It is this number that is most important for Pakistan’s resilience to and recovery from future floods, droughts and heatwaves as it does not predicate financing with a promise for profit. The number could represent at best a modest rise to, and at worst, a reduction of the ambition agreed to in 2009, depending on inflation. Moreover, unlike the previous commitment, this was not exclusively to come from developed countries. In theory, Pakistan and all developing countries are now invited to contribute to the core goal.

The investment aspiration into developing countries: $1.3 trillion per year, the number promoted by the Africa Group, reflecting the developing world’s climate finance needs today for adaptation, loss and damage, as well as low-carbon pathways to prosperity. This is a new target that is not yet tracked. Coupled with reference to a “Baku to Belem Roadmap to 1.3T” in the final text that Colombia and Kenya championed, this represents Pakistan’s best hope of receiving the quantum of climate finance it needs, but it requires a market-oriented mindset.

As previously argued, for adaptation and resili­e­nce, every government can regulate to reduce default risk from climate impacts. They can require pension funds and insurance companies to invest in an insurable world by inv­esting into adaptation and resilience to manage disaster, as well as emissions reductions and removals to prevent disaster.

The Baku to Belem Roadmap need not begin from a tabula rasa. The UAE COP28 Global Climate Finance Framework, which has the signature of 15 developed and developing national governments, speaks of the re-channelling of inefficient subsidies and IMF Special Drawing Rights, emissions pricing, and debt-for-climate-swaps and other interventions that can help mobilise the scale of finance required.

The Pakistan government needs to enter the conversation now. We all know our ideal stated positions, but it is time to think practically. Pakistan will need to empower its most agile brains to draw up solutions with those who have shown leadership in this space: Kenya, Colombia, Barbados, France, the UK, Germany, and the troika of COP presidencies.


Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2024