From Charity to Climate Justice: Reimagining Social Work Practice in Climate Vulnerable Indigenous Communities of Pakistan – A Qualitative Systematic Review

Abstract

Pakistan is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world with respect to climate change, and indigenous peoples are the most affected, yet they emit least. This is a qualitative systematic review (QSR) with a thematic synthesis approach to understand the interventions of social work in the climate vulnerable communities of Pakistan and whether such work is charity-based or justice-based. A detailed examination of 26 peer-reviewed articles, policy documents, NGO reports and case studies between 2015 and 2025 shows that the primary approach in these documents is the application of a top-down charity model where Indigenous communities are depicted as recipients of aid, not rights- and knowledge-holders. Indigenous people are being systematically excluded from climate policy-making and adaptation planning, are facing existential threats to land, culture and livelihoods (Khan, Khan, & Kamal, 2024). At grassroots, alternatives motivated by a desire for justice are being developed, such as DASTAK Foundation's FIERCE program and Madat Balochistan's community-based resilience efforts (Global Solutions Initiative, 2025; DASTAK Foundation, 2025). The article ends by visualising social work practice in Pakistan based on the principle of climate justice which includes advocacy, cultural sensitivity, and integration of Indigenous knowledge and policy engagement.