Carbon market policy
Led Pakistan’s Carbon Market Initiative as Additional Secretary, Climate Finance, including work on the national policy and the design of a dedicated Secretariat, MRV framework, registry concept, and draft rules.
Policy • Investment • Partnerships
Zulfiqar
Younas
Connecting climate ambition with finance, institutions, and investment.
Climate finance expert working across carbon markets, Article 6, national climate policy, investment pipelines, and international partnerships.
Explore my work ↗Professional profile
Country priorities.
International opportunity.
My work brings together public policy, financial strategy, and practical project development to help countries mobilize climate and carbon finance.
As Senior Advisor, Climate Finance at the CVF–V20 Secretariat, I support engagement across South & West Asia, climate prosperity investment pipelines, carbon market readiness, and international partnerships. I also serve as Director at Pak-Iran Investment Company, Islamabad.
My experience spans senior roles in Pakistan’s climate, finance, customs, governance reform, and trade and investment institutions, alongside engagement in international carbon market rule development.
Selected contributions
Building the foundations
for climate finance.
Article 6 integrity
Served as an Asia-Pacific member of the UNFCCC Article 6.4 Supervisory Body during 2024–2025, contributing to discussions on methodologies, additionality, baselines, leakage, and permanence.
Financial architecture
Led work on Pakistan’s Green Taxonomy with the State Bank of Pakistan and World Bank, and contributed to the National Climate Finance Strategy and climate investment alignment.
Adaptation & resilience
Contributed to Pakistan’s National Adaptation Plan, climate authority operationalization, NDC development, and Global Shield engagement.
Access to climate funds
Served as national focal point for GEF and GCF during 2023–2025, connecting national priorities with international climate finance processes.
Private sector engagement
Developed executive learning and dialogue on carbon finance, helping business leaders connect climate action with project preparation and revenue opportunities.
Current work & priorities
Moving from readiness
to transactions.
Climate Prosperity Plans
Support project preparation, financing pathways, and investor engagement for country-led climate prosperity pipelines, including Pakistan.
China engagement
Advance dialogue with Chinese institutions and partners on climate finance, technology, and investment opportunities for vulnerable economies.
Gilgit-Baltistan
Develop the proposed Climate Finance Council and project preparation platform to support climate and carbon finance mobilization.
Carbon Finance for CEOs
Lead executive discussions and training with NUST IEDC, Nutshell Group, and CVF–V20 on translating climate action into business opportunity.
Carbon market partnerships
Develop opportunities for institutional collaboration, host-country readiness, and links between project developers and carbon finance partners.
Implementation & investment
Prioritize bankable project preparation, credible MRV, buyer engagement, and financing structures that connect national climate plans with delivery.
Speaking & convening
Ideas, dialogue,
and practical action.
Keynote addresses, guest lectures, panel contributions, and moderated conversations on climate finance, carbon markets, and resilient development.
Keynote speaker · 6 February 2025Climate finance for renewable energy
UNDP, MoCC&EC, Ministry of Energy and PPIB consultation, Islamabad. Addressed Pakistan’s climate challenges and access to international finance for renewable energy.
Event group photograph: UNDP. Event report
Keynote speaker · June 2025China & green development
Institute of Regional Studies dialogue on China’s role in advancing green development across the Global South. Discussed climate cooperation, clean technology and disaster risk finance.
Archival speaking photograph, credited by The News to spar6c.org; not a photograph of this specific dialogue. Event report
Opening remarks · 2 July 2025Waste management through carbon markets
UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre / SPAR6C webinar, “Advancing Waste Management through Carbon Markets in Pakistan.” Addressed private-sector capacity building, developing local expertise through training of trainers, and ensuring that carbon credit initiatives benefit local communities.
Photograph and event report: SPAR6C. Read the report ↗
Pre-arranged disaster finance
“The Next Disaster is Coming: The Role of Pre-arranged Financing and Opportunities for Reform,” Centre for Disaster Protection, World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings Civil Society Policy Forum, Washington DC.
Role documented in the official programme. Programme
CIFTIS, Beijing
CVF–V20 carbon finance session, “From Carbon Potential to Market Access,” Shougang Park. Convened international perspectives on carbon finance and market access.
Engagement details supplied by Zulfiqar Younas; moderation also referenced in public LinkedIn posts.
Carbon Finance for CEOs
NUST IEDC, Nutshell Group and CVF–V20 executive programme at Marriott Karachi. Led discussion on the business relevance of carbon markets and pathways from projects to revenue.
Engagement details supplied by Zulfiqar Younas.
Civil Services Academy
Climate finance lecture at the Civil Services Academy, Walton, Lahore, connecting policy, institutional capacity and implementation.
Engagement details supplied by Zulfiqar Younas.
Conference speaker · 2025Green Industrialization
Listed speaker on the Green Industrialization conference’s official speaker page, representing Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination.
Speaker portrait: SPRC conference website. Speaker profile
Climate-Resilient Mental Health Systems
Pakistan Global Mental Health Summit 2026, Serena Hotel, Islamabad. Participation in the session on resilient mental health systems, bringing a climate vulnerability, finance and resilience perspective to the mental health agenda.
The official programme lists the “Launch of the Policy on Climate-Resilient Mental Health Systems” on 1 October, 12:40–1:15 PM.
Session participation supplied by Zulfiqar Younas; listed among the summit’s key participants. Photographs supplied by Zulfiqar Younas from the GIHD summit gallery. Select a photograph to view it full size. Gallery · Programme · Participants
Climate Finance for CEOs
CEO Club Summit, Serena Hotel: “Turning Climate Action into Revenue.” A planned high-level session connecting corporate leadership, financial institutions, regulators and climate finance partners.
Upcoming engagement; session details supplied by Zulfiqar Younas.
Engagements in focus
Partnerships in practice.
Career & recognition
A career across policy,
finance, and public service.
Climate leadership
Senior Advisor, Climate Finance, CVF–V20 Secretariat; former Additional Secretary, Climate Finance, Ministry of Climate Change & Environmental Coordination.
Economic policy
Former Special Assistant to the Finance Minister and Additional Finance Secretary; governance reform experience through the Pakistan Resource Management Programme.
Public institutions
Former Director, Civil Services Academy; Trade & Investment Counsellor in Warsaw; senior customs leadership and intelligence roles.
Recognition
Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for Public Service, 2023; Prime Minister’s Special Award, 2024.
Education
MSc Business & IT, Aston University; BE Civil Engineering, UET Lahore; BA Journalism, University of the Punjab; doctoral coursework in Economics at SGH Warsaw.
Biography for reuse
LinkedIn-ready introduction.
I work at the intersection of climate policy, finance, and investment, with a focus on carbon markets, Article 6, climate prosperity pipelines, and international partnerships. As Senior Advisor, Climate Finance at the CVF–V20 Secretariat, I support country-led efforts to turn climate ambition into investable projects across South & West Asia. My public service experience includes leadership roles in Pakistan’s climate and finance ministries, contributions to national carbon market policy and green finance frameworks, and service on the UNFCCC Article 6.4 Supervisory Body during 2024–2025. My priority is to connect credible policy and institutional readiness with practical financing solutions that deliver resilience, sustainable growth, and measurable climate outcomes.
External profiles
International Growth Centre.
The International Growth Centre maintains a profile of Zulfiqar Younas, listing his role as Additional Secretary, Climate Finance, Ministry of Climate Change, Government of Pakistan.
This external profile reflects a previous government role.
View IGC profile ↗Connect
Let’s advance climate
finance together.
For policy dialogue, project development, executive education, and international partnerships.