Karachi: A diverse coalition of human rights defenders, environmental activists, legislators, legal professionals, government officials and academic scholars on Tuesday raised urgent alarms about the prolonged suffering of vulnerable communities in the aftermath of the 2022 Sindh floods and underlined the need to protect the rights of underprivileged and vulnerable communities from the vagaries of climate change.
Speaking at a seminar, jointly organised by the Centre for Law, Justice and Policy, Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and Denning Law School, the experts emphasized the persistent challenges facing Sindh province, where victims of the devastating 2022 floods continue to struggle with rehabilitation more than two years after the catastrophic event.
The collective call underscores the critical intersection of human rights and climate vulnerability, drawing attention to the long-term impacts of extreme weather events on Pakistan’s most vulnerable popula
tions.
The unanimous voice comes as a stark reminder of the ongoing humanitarian crisis, with many flood-affected communities still grappling with displacement and inadequate recovery support. ‘Thousands of school buildings have been destroyed and still not repaired, thus the students of those schools are without education for the last two years,’ remarked by various speakers.
In his address as chief guest, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Sindh on Human Rights Rajvir Singh Sodh emphasized the Sindh government’s commitment to human rights legislation. He highlighted that inheritance rights are being ensured, and the government is working to address issues like displacement due to floods and inadequate infrastructure in rural areas.
Sodha called for action-oriented solutions, urging citizens of urban areas of Sindh to visit flood-affected regions to witness the challenges firsthand.
The Chairperson, SHRC Iqbal Detho, underscored the significance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), d
escribing it as the “Bible of Human Rights.” He highlighted its core principles, which include 30 articles encompassing political, civil, economic, social, and cultural rights. Detho noted that Pakistan is a state party to seven out of the nine core international human rights conventions.
He elaborated on the SHRC’s partnerships with Denning Law School and UNDP to promote human rights education. Proposals have been submitted to the Sindh government for internship opportunities in major universities, including Nusrat Bhutto University, Sindh University, and Karachi University, he remarked.
He informed the audience that the Sindh Human Rights Policy (2023-2026) has been made, which addresses climate change, gender-based violence (GBV), and labour rights.
A panel discussion focused on the human rights implications of climate change, particularly using the 2022 floods as a case study was held on the occasion. Panellists included Afia Salam, Zofeen Ibrahim, Zeenia Shaukat, Abeera Ashfar, Shahid Shah and Imdad S
iddiqui from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Sindh, who mostly highlighted the problems of vulnerable communities.
Afia Salam emphasized that marginalized communities face disproportionate climate impacts. She called for integrated approaches to solve these problems.
Senior environmental journalist Zofeen Ibrahim highlighted the devastating impact of the 2022 floods, noting that over 30 million people were affected, with 6.5 million displaced.
Zeenia Shaukat, Director of The Knowledge Forum, discussed vulnerabilities in rural areas and criticized weak labour rights protections and inadequate social security.
She highlighted that Karachi has faced at least seven heatwaves, with the 2024 heatwave resulting in 1,400 reported deaths.
Imdad Siddiqui, representing PDMA Sindh, shared the measures taken by the provincial government after the 2022 floods.
Abeera Ashfaq, a human rights advocate, water expert and journalist Syed Shahid Shah shed light on the environmental degradation of the In
dus Delta, where 3.5 million acres of land have been lost to sea intrusion.
Agha Shahnawaz, Secretary for Environment, Government of Sindh, acknowledged that climate change has become a critical challenge for all government departments.
Samad Aftab, a UNDP representative, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting Sindh in achieving sustainable development goals and protecting human rights.
Abdul Waheed Sheikh, Secretary of Training Management and Research Wing SGA and CD, Pervez Seehar, Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, Government of Sindh and others also spoke on the occasion.