Ali Tauqeer Sheikh

Ali Tauqeer Sheikh is Pakistan’s leading expert on climate risk management, international climate finance, and sustainable development. He currently serves on the Pakistan Climate Change Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, and represents the country on the international Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss & Damage (FRLD). A 2024 recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, he frequently serves as amicus curiae for superior courts on national environmental policies.

Mr. Sheikh is the principal author of Pakistan’s National Climate Finance Strategy (2024) and the 2021 Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) submitted to the UNFCCC. His expertise has shaped several national and provincial climate policies, strategies, and frameworks. As Advisor on Climate Change to the Planning Commission, he has spearheaded the climate-proofing of Pakistan’s policy planning documents (PC-I to PC-V) and developed the Handbook on Climate Risk Screening for Policy Planning that has become a mandatory tool for all Public Sector Development Programs (PSDP).

From 1995 to 2019, he was the founding CEO of LEAD Pakistan, where he established the nation’s longest-running leadership development program for sustainable development, training three generations of decision-makers. Internationally, he has held senior roles including Director Asia for the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and civil society representative on the World Bank’s Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) boards. He writes a bimonthly column for the daily Dawn on climate risk management; is a frequent commentator for global outlets such as Al Jazeera, BBC, CNN, and DW; and has been cited by publications including National Geographic, the New York Times, Financial Times and The Guardian.