Environment Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan has urged the developing nations to shift away from costly mega-projects toward protecting the most vulnerable.

“Development has no meaning if people continue to suffer from climate disasters and lack access to safe water,” she said at a reception held on Tuesday night at the 28th Sustainable Development Conference at Mövenpick, Centaurus Islamabad of Pakistan.

She urged developing countries to work together even without external funding, stressing the need for prioritising regional cooperation, community empowerment and people-centred policies.

She said that rising public frustration can be turned into positive change if governments, civil society, and the private sector act collectively.

True resilience must be built from the ground up through cooperation, behavioural change, and renewed public trust, said Rizwana.

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Warning that deep political divisions and narrow self-interest are weakening national and regional priorities, she said many countries are failing to seize opportunities for shared progress.

Citing recent political transitions in Sri Lanka to Nepal, she said such disruptions should be used to reset governance, rethink economic pathways, and create space for youth leadership.

Referring to global youth movements, she said young people today are demanding not only climate justice but also democracy, freedom, and dignity.

The adviser cautioned that the future world—marked by food and water insecurity, extreme weather, and mass displacement—will be unbearable for the next generation unless urgent reforms are made now.

On SDGs and climate finance, Rizwana said,” Developing countries have been handed a beautiful SDG menu, but with no resources to place an order.”

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 She condemned the empty Loss and Damage Fund and the practice of offering loans instead of justice to climate-affected communities.

Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani welcomed delegates from 23 countries.

The event was also addressed by Dr. Abid Q. Suleri, Executive Director of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), and Nabeel Goheer, Chief of Asia, Middle East and Europe, PATH.