Strengthening Environmental & Social Governance in Punjab’s Cities!
Punjab Municipal Development Fund Company (PMDFC), in collaboration with the World Bank, organized a consultative workshop under the Punjab Inclusive Cities Program (PICP) to review the draft Environmental & Social Systems Assessment (ESSA) and gather multi-stakeholder feedback.
💬 Ms. Asia Gul, Special Secretary, Local Government Department Punjab, emphasized the importance of building the capacity of municipal institutions to ensure environmentally responsible and inclusive urban development.
💬 Mr. Syed Zahid Aziz, MD PMDFC, highlighted that PICP is helping realize the Chief Minister Punjab’s vision by upgrading sewerage and water supply systems on modern, eco-friendly lines. He also shared updates on initiatives like engineered landfill sites and stormwater drainage systems.
💬 Mr. Imran-ul-Haq, Senior Social Development Specialist, World Bank, gave a detailed presentation on the Bank’s environmental and social safeguards and stressed the need to address the environmental risks posed by poor industrial and wastewater disposal. He reiterated the Bank’s commitment to supporting local governments for improved service delivery.
👥 The workshop was attended by administrators, chief officers, and municipal officers from 15 partner cities, as well as representatives from UNICEF, WaterAid, Urban Unit, Environment Protection Department, Waste Management Companies (Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad), and civil society organizations.
🌐 World Bank officials Suhaib Rasheed, Azharuddin, Sarah Khokhar, and Hafeez Buzdar were also present and contributed to the discussion.
✅ Stakeholder insights will help finalize the ESSA and ensure sustainable and socially inclusive infrastructure development across Punjab’s intermediary cities.
#PICP #PMDFC #WorldBank #ESSA #UrbanResilience #EnvironmentalGovernance #InclusiveDevelopment #SustainableCities
