Islamabad, January 15, 2026. The President of the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA), Pakistan, Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal HI (M), paid a visit to the COMSATS Secretariat and held a meeting with the Executive Director of COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria. The meeting was attended by senior officials from both entities and focused on strengthening institutional cooperation in areas intersecting maritime affairs, environmental systems research, and science-informed climate governance.
During the interaction, Ambassador Zakaria outlined COMSATS’ intergovernmental mandate, its role in promoting South–South and triangular cooperation, and the function of its Network of International Science and Technology Centres of Excellence in addressing development-oriented scientific challenges. He highlighted COMSATS’ ongoing engagement in global climate and sustainability processes, including its participation and side-event engagements in previous Conferences of the Parties (COPs) under the UNFCCC framework, with a focus on science-informed policy dialogue and capacity development for developing countries.
Rear Admiral Javaid Iqbal briefed the COMSATS officials on NIMA’s mandate as a national think tank on maritime affairs, emphasizing its work on maritime security, ocean governance, blue economy, and climate-related risks in the maritime domain. He noted the growing relevance of maritime dimensions in global climate negotiations and expressed interest in structured collaboration with COMSATS in areas where scientific research and policy analysis converge.
Both sides reviewed the scope of cooperation envisaged under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between COMSATS and NIMA in June 2025 and discussed practical avenues for operationalizing the partnership. These included joint analytical work, applied research, capacity-building initiatives, and the development of policy-relevant proposals on coastal resilience, marine ecosystems, climate-induced risks, and data-driven maritime decision-making.
The discussion also considered opportunities for coordinated engagement in forthcoming international climate processes, including potential collaboration around COP31, particularly in relation to ocean–climate linkages, resilience of coastal and small island contexts, and the representation of Global South perspectives in technical and policy forums. The meeting concluded with a shared understanding to move beyond conceptual alignment and to identify specific, implementable activities that reflect the respective institutional strengths of COMSATS and NIMA, while contributing constructively to national, regional, and international sustainability objectives.
