Canada committed to support remote communities of GB, Chitral: high commissioner

ISLAMABAD: High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan, Wendy Gilmour has said that Canada was committed to support community-driven projects in the remote mountain communities of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral.

Addressing at a ceremony on the shared mountain and northern cultures, organised by the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad, Wendy Gilmour said that the aim of the projects was to enhance women empowerment, and improve health, education, disaster risk management, besides economic development, according to a press release issued here on Thursday.

She said, “During the last three years, the High Commission has also been promoting winter sports where Canadian staff has been visiting communities during their winter festivals”.

“From soaring temps to water scarcity,food insecurity, dangerous glacial melt, Pakistan is facing a series of multiple stresses induced by global climate change. It is time to do more, both at home & abroad.” @ GB event by HC Canada @gilmour_wendy pic.twitter.com/iNsKXJHRYv

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— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) May 11, 2022

Wendy shared her wonderful travel experiences throughout Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral with the participants, and how playing sports brings people and countries together.

Read more: Pakistan records 32% exports growth to Canada

In her remarks, Federal Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman, as the chief guest, emphasised upon the urgency of taking climate action and called on Pakistani youth to lead in this regard.

The objective of the ceremony was to celebrate and encourage women’s empowerment, which is being advanced considerably through federal sports programs and community-led sports clubs, the speakers remarked.

Speakers also discussed how to work together to protect the delicate mountain ecosystems are constantly under threat from a fast-changing climate. The festival showcased short films and documentaries that celebrated mountain culture, sports, environmental protection, adventure, and exploration.

The event also launched a series of documentaries and a children’s book that showcased Pakistan’s climate heroes, produced by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s SOC Films. The resources were funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and will be distributed to classrooms across the country.