ISLAMABAD      -   President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday said that Pakistan despite contributing less than 1% to global warming was amongst the top ten most affected countries by climate change and global warming. Addressing the International and National Donors Conference for relief and rehabilitation, organised by the Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), he said that by 2050 Pakistan would become one of the most vulnerable countries to face the brunt of climate change. The President called upon the entire nation and relevant organisations to brace themselves with the help of international community to minimise the negative impacts of climate change. The conference was attended by Minister for National Health Services, Regulations & Coordination, Abdul Qadir Patel, Chairman PRCS, Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari, representatives of international and national organisations, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), diplomats and others. While highlighting the importance of first-aid training, the President urged the Pakistan Red Crescent Society and other such organisations to launch comprehensive training and skill-imparting programmes to train the youth in first-aid techniques and expertise with the aim to provide immediate relief to the affected population during manmade or natural calamities. He said that in order to counter the negative fallouts of climate change, the government had taken and was taking multiple steps in different directions at the international, regional and local levels which were, however, hampered periodically by events and shocks taking place in some other parts of the world. The President said that the world had become a small place and any negative development like war and natural or manmade disasters taking place in one part of the world affected countries all around the globe. He said that now the world should move from the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction towards the concept of Total Peace. This, he added, would save trillions of dollars spent on producing weapons of mass destruction and could be diverted towards saving humanity from hunger, disease and poverty and improving and rejuvenating the environment to save the endangered flora and fauna from extinction. “The people of the country possess an outstanding philanthropic spirit and they always come forward to donate generously in cash and kind and volunteer themselves for rescue and relief efforts to alleviate the suffering of the population affected by manmade and natural calamities,” he remarked. He said that all people of the world should be treated on the basis of equality dignity, respect and honour, without any discrimination on the basis of colour, creed religion, language or race and the world resources should proportionally be allocated to enable all the people to realise their full potential. Chairman Pakistan Red Crescent Society Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari said that millions of people were in the need of medical help in the flood-affected areas. He said that Red Crescent was working in all districts in the flood-affected areas which were declared calamity-hit-areas. Sardar Shahid Laghari said that since the first day, the Red Crescent has been in the service of flood victims and playing its fullest and effective role in relief operations. “The Red Crescent has gone above and beyond and is now focusing on the resettlement and reconstruction phase. The PRCS, in collaboration with its partners, will strengthen government initiatives and will ensure the rehabilitation of flood victims,” he added.