IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

About National and Regional Committees:

At the IUCN Congress at Montreal in 1996, National and Regional committees were termed as the main driving forces of the Union. Members of IUCN within a State, a Region or a part of a Region may organize committees restricted to members of IUCN or their representatives to facilitate cooperation among members, coordination of the components of IUCN, and a participation of members in the Programme and governance of IUCN. National and Regional Committees have their own separate legal personality, are self governing, and work in partnership with the Secretariat and the Commissions to formulate, coordinate and implement the Programme of IUCN within their State or Region.

At a meeting on 6 July 1996 at Quetta, the members of IUCN Pakistan agreed to form the Pakistan National Committee (PNC) of IUCN. The PNC is a self-governing independent body within the framework of the objectives provided by the Statutes, Rules and Regulations of IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The PNC has been formed to achieve eight main objectives:

• To facilitate cooperation, cohesion and coordination among the members of the Union in Pakistan.
• To promote the participation of members in the planning of IUCN programmes.
• To develop networking among members, National and Regional Committees of IUCN in order to accomplish the objectives of IUCN.
• To promote the transition to sustainable development in Pakistan and to this end contribute towards the effective implementation of the National Conservation Strategy (NCS).
• To support the ratification and implementation of international environment treaties and conventions in Pakistan.
• To ensure that the views of the Pakistan members make an effective contribution to IUCN, and to facilitate the work of IUCN Pakistan members towards IUCN objectives.
• To work on issues within the scope of IUCN that have implications beyond the borders of Pakistan and in which the members in Pakistan have some legitimate concern or interest.
• To facilitate dialogue and arbitration among stakeholders on major developmental projects in the country with the potential of impacting adversely on the lives of the people.