Oxfam aid worker talks to Birmingham about climate change

• Mar. 17 by Hanna Tidd (0)

Birmingham University’s Oxfam Outreach Society hosted a talk last night by Oxfam aid worker Arbab Shakar as part of his tour of the UK.

The event took place at The University of Birmingham and aimed to raise awareness of the impact of climate change in Pakistan by providing an insight into the first hand experiences of a charity worker.

Shakar has been working with Oxfam for 2 years at the Pakistan office based in Islamabad and currently specialises in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate change.

Shakar’s role as a Programme Officer involves helping to build communities’ capacity to mitigate and address future impacts of climate change. Shakar also explained the importance of strengthening communities’ own coping mechanism against disasters.

He expressed particular concern that the impact of climate change in Pakistan is not widely known in Pakistani communities living outside of their country of origin, saying:

‘I would like the people of Birmingham to know that their contribution can and will go a long way to improving the lives of people in poor countries. Their continued support and care will ultimately bring positive results.’

If you were unable to attend the event but still wish to hear more, Arbab Shakar is participating in a climate change debate on 18 March at 1pm which is being broadcast live here.