LEAD Pakistan holds 2nd session of Cohort 19 of Leadership Development Program

KARACHI - Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) Pakistan CEO Ali Tauqeer Sheikh on Friday said that urbanisation is no more a "to be or not to be" question, while stressing the need to reduce the vulnerability of bustling urban populations.

While welcoming participants to the second session of Cohort 19 of the Leadership Development Program (LDP) on Friday, he said Cohort 19 focused on the emerging issues and approaches to building the resilience of cities, while harnessing their economic growth, social development and climate mitigation potential.

Eminent urban sector experts, including Tasneem Siddiqui, Arif Hasan, Roland D’Souza, Dr Shaukat Hayat Khan and Shahnaz Wazir Ali shared their knowledge and expertise on the subject.


Thought-provoking lectures and presentations were a regular feature during various sessions. The participants also visited the headquarters of Karachi Investment Development Corporation Limited (KIDCL) to learn about various aspects and features of the planned Mass Transit Lines in Karachi city.

D’Souza was of the view that our consumption patterns and increased greed for a larger chunk of resources was the major cause of climate change and the increased frequency of natural disasters. The interactive session formulated policy recommendations for decision makers to help improve resilience and sustainability of major cities of Pakistan.

LEAD’s Fellowship Program exclusively aims to build the capacity of professionals from various sectors across Pakistan. This year, the theme of Cohort 19 focuses on cities and their sustainable development as urbanization has increased manifold and Pakistani cities have become vulnerable to extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, cloudbursts, flash floods and cyclones.


The training program comprises four learning sessions on Sustainable Urban Planning, Urban Resilience, Low Carbon Development and Role of Cities to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

LDP is LEAD Pakistan’s most popular and vibrant capacity building program, which has completed 18 cohorts (batches) to date.

Participants of LDP training program acquire the skills and knowledge to become cross-sectoral leaders in their own communities and on the world stage.

Currently, there are over 200 professionals from Pakistan and over 3,000 LEAD members across the world that have completed this program and become Fellows of LEAD’s global network.