The Canadian High Commission in Pakistan presents a celebration of shared mountain and northern cultures

May 11, 2022

Today, May 11th 2022, the High Commissioner of Canada to Pakistan, Her Excellency, Wendy Gilmour hosted a celebration of shared mountain and northern cultures at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad. The chief guest was the newly appointed Federal Minister of Climate Change, Sherry Rehman.

Guests were specifically invited:

• To celebrate and encourage women’s empowerment which is being advanced considerably through federal sports programs and community-led sports clubs.
• To find ways to work together to protect the delicate mountain eco-systems, that, as evidenced in recent days, are constantly under threat form a fast changing climate.
• To celebrate winter sports in Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan and all the opportunities that winter festivals bring for these communities’ tourism and economic development, while also providing healthy winter activities for their youth.  

For over 60 years, Canada has been supporting community-driven projects in the remote mountain communities of Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral to improve health, education, food security, disaster risk reduction and response, and economic development with a focus on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. For the last three years, the Canadian High Commission in Pakistan has also been promoting winter sports where Canadian staff have been visiting communities during their winter festivals. Today was an opportunity to recognize those partnerships, the achievements, and to inspire new partners and stakeholders to come together to support these communities to thrive.

The event also launched a series of documentaries and a children’s book that showcase Pakistan’s climate heroes produced by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s SOC Films. The resources were funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives and will be distributed to classrooms across the country to inspire Pakistani youth to take climate action.

The main attraction for the evening was the screening of Canada’s Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour. The festival showcased short films and documentaries that celebrated mountain culture, sports, environmental protection, adventure and exploration. 

The Canadian High Commissioner, Wendy Gilmour in her opening remarks spoke affectionately about her travels throughout Gilgit-Baltistan and Chitral and how playing sports brings us together, as people, and as countries. 

The Chief Guest, Minister Sherry Rehman in her remarks spoke to the urgency of taking climate action and she called on Pakistan’s youth to lead the country.

This was the first public event the Canadian High Commission has been able to host since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. This event marked the beginning of celebrations for the 75th anniversary of Canada and Pakistan’s diplomatic relations. Also this week, the Pakistan High Commission in Canada will be hosting its first 75^th celebration in Ottawa.

See photos from Winter Sports: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UFg6jvVBreZW7xFn6

For further information, media representatives may contact:

Syed Mansoor Saeed
Public Affairs Officer, High Commission of Canada
Tel.: 051-208-6217
SyedMansoor.Saeed@international.gc.ca