Pakistan's climate policies lack formal approval, hindering budget allocation

Pakistan's climate policies are frequently announced with fanfare but lack the necessary formal approval and gazette notification to be legally binding or eligible for national budget funding. This disconnect leaves many climate initiatives in a precarious state, existing on paper or at international forums but without domestic legal force.

The Federal Appropriation Act can only fund programs rooted in policies formally approved by the relevant authorities and published in the Gazette of Pakistan. However, many of Pakistan's climate strategies, such as the 2021 updated National Climate Change Policy, the National Forest Policy (2015), the Biodiversity Strategy (2015), the Urban Policy (2021), and the Clean Air Policy (2023), exist only as ministerial documents. Despite being cited internationally as foundational to Pakistan's climate architecture, they hold no domestic legal standing.

The National Climate Finance Strategy, launched at COP29 in Baku in November 2024, exemplifies this issue. Presented as a cornerstone of Pakistan's Paris Agreement commitment and cited in donor documents, it was never formally approved by the Cabinet nor gazetted. The Finance Minister launched it without his ministry having officially adopted it, leaving it an official document without the legal authority to match its ambitions.

The National Adaptation Plan stands out as a rare success. Approved by the cabinet in July 2023, it binds all federal ministries through collective responsibility. This formal endorsement is crucial, demonstrating that when climate policies follow the proper approval channels, they can gain the domestic legal standing necessary for effective budgeting and implementation.