United Nations Pakistan: Magazine, Issue No. 3/2016

UNITED NATIONS PAKISTAN Magazine 3 / 2016

Focus on The media serve as our eyes and ears.

This is your right!

Right to information in Pakistan.

Freedom of expression and access to information: achieving Agenda 2030.

On being a woman in Pakistani media .

Freedom of press in Pakistan.

Effective ‘Right to Information’ legislation required at Federal level and in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces.

The Finlandia Declaration: a plead for free and pluralistic media.

The World Press Freedom Day 2016 in Pakistan: focus on access to information and safety of journalists.

A conversation with Asad Baig on World Press Freedom Day.

Real lives: stories that inspire us Empowering women through livelihood training.

Page 16

NEWS AND EVENTS

Recovering and developing agricultural economy in FATA. Page 21

ONE UNITED NATIONS

What we need from the Humanitarian Summit Page 77

GUEST IN TOWN

UNICEF supports raising standards for Mother and Neonatal Health Care systems in Swat Valley Page 84

ON AIR

A live chat with people of Pakistan to celebrate UNIDO’s 50 years; together for sustainable future.

Page 86

MESSAGES FROM SECRETARY-GENERAL World Migratory Bird Day. Page 88

PHOTO ALBUM Page 92

The United Nations Pakistan Newsletter is produced by the United Nations Communications Group

Editor in Chief: Vittorio Cammarota, Director, United Nations Information Centre Sub Editors: Fatima Rauf Producer (photography): Umair Khaliq Producer (content): Myrah Nerine Butt Graphic Designer: Mirko Neri Contributors: Asif Shehzad, Mahira Afzal, Muhammad Ajmal, Rizwana Asad, Jawad Aziz, Muhammed Benyameen, Syed Saghir Bokhari, Henriette Bjoerge, Jannat Durrani, Muhammad Nader Farhad, Kendra Gregson, Syed Saad Hussain Gilani, Naveed Hussain, Basharat Hussain, Fatimah Inayat, Zara Jamil, Vibeke Jensen, Lucie Kanova, Abid Niaz Khan, Duniya Aslam Khan, Riaz Karim Khan, Abdul Sami Malik, Mashhood Ahmad Mirza, Zubair Muhammad, Waqas Rafique, Edward Rees, Zikrea Saleah, Emma Sykes, Faria Salman, Muqaddar Shah, Asif Shahzad, Hiba Siddiqui, Tabida Siddiqi, Javaria Tareen, Maryam Yunus, Midhat Zaidi, Rihab Abdalhafiz

Index

United Nations Pakistan / Magazine / 3 / 2016

|4| Note from the editor

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| 5 | The media serve as our eyes and ears | 6 | This is your right! | 7 | Right to information in Pakistan | 8 | Freedom of expression and access to

information: achieving Agenda 2030.

| 11 | Effective ‘Right to Information’ legislation

required at Federal level and in the Sindh and

Balochistan provinces

| 14 | A conversation with Asad Baig on World Press

Freedom Day

| 12 | The Finlandia Declaration: a plead for free and

pluralistic media

| 10 | Freedom of press in Pakistan

| 13 | The World Press Freedom Day 2016 in Pakistan: focus on access to information and

safety of journalists

real lives: stories that inspire us

|49| Menstrual Hygiene Day 2016

|81| PR training for UNCG members

|50| Ending AIDS

|82| Ms. Ingrid Christensen joins ILO as the new

Country Director

| 9 | On being a woman in Pakistani media

|16| Empowering women through livelihood training |17| Children are the best agents for behaviour change |18| The best way to bring about change is to step forward |19| First steps towards success |20| Changing behaviours through communication campaigns news and events agriculture and food security

|21| Recovering and developing agricultural economy in FATA |22| No landing, no pirates: Port State Measures

Agreement can sink illegal fishing |23| Relief distribution of Saudi dates |24| Australia supports sustainable fortification |25| Contribution from Australia to temporary

displaced persons and returnees |26| U.S. government announces $21 Million in food assistance cultural heritage

|27| Celebrating cultural diversity for dialogue and

development disaster risk management

|28| Sixth humanitarian response facility inaugurated

|51| Health equity and human rights curricula on way

to being finalized |52| Equity and human rights based approaches for

access to health care |53| Closing the immunity gap among Pakistan’s

most vulnerable industrial development

|54| UNIDO celebrates its 50th anniversary |55| Cutlery manufacturers receive new polishing

machines |56| Sustainable energy for all |57| Promoting leather, footwear and accessories sectors |58| International conference & expo on biomass

gasification technology |59| Gilgit Baltistan: roof of the world |60| UNIDO Cleantech Programme’s National Academy labour

education

|34| Aligning SDG 4 with area policy priorities |35| Pakistan completes first phase of SDG-4

consultation at federal and provincial level |36| ‘Education Cannot Wait’ fund launched to >

address global education crisis gender equality and women’s empowerment

|37| Status Report on Women’s Economic Participation & Empowerment |38| Tales of displacement and survival by ordinary

people |39| Government urged to take action against

‘honour’ killings |40| ‘Safeguarding the rights of vulnerable groups

during disasters |41| Pakistan’s delegation at the World Humanitarian Summit |42| A conversation with Hajra Khan: challenging

gender stereotypes health

|45| Landmark decision by Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court

to prohibit HIV discrimination |46| ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ global campaign |47| Breaking the silence around menstrual hygiene

management |48| Laws to protect breastfeeding inadequate in most countries

|85| WFP Director Human Resources, Prereana Issar

visited Pakistan |86| UNHCR Chief Urges for inclusive education for all

including Afghan refugees on air

|86| A live chat with people of Pakistan to celebrate UNIDO’s 50 years; together for sustainable future |87| Talking about youth on Radio Pakistan |87| Under Secretary-General Cristina Gallach on

Radio Pakistan |87| Promoting zero hunger through arts in Pakistan

|88| International Day of Families, 15 May

|65| Promoting safe migration from Pakistan: Code of

Conduct on Ethical Recruitment

|33| Meeting on human trafficking and migrant smuggling

|84| UNICEF supports raising standards for Mother

and Neonatal Health Care systems in Swat Valley

|62| Effects of climate change on the labour market

|29| UNODC Country Office Pakistan – a close partner

of the Government of Pakistan in the struggle

against drugs and transnational organised crime

|32| Specialist investigative techniques training

guest in town

messages from secretary-general

drugs and crime

|31| Regional training of trainers on the UNODC toolkit

for law enforcement officials

|83| FAO staff remember Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad

|61| National Strategy for the Elimination of Child

and Bonded Labour in Pakistan

|63| Implementation of Pakistan’s Decent Work

Country Program 2016-2020

|30| Coordination between the police, FIA and civil

society is crucial in the Hazara Division

|83| UNICEF alarmed at refugee and migrant deaths

in the Mediterranean

|64| Women in the informal economy

migrants

|66| Stamping out child labour in agriculture peacekeeping

|67| Honoring Pakistan’s peacekeepers - serving the

world for peace

|88| World Migratory Bird Day |88| World Tele-communication and Information Society Day, 17 May |89| International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May |89| International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, 23 May |89| International Day of UN Peacekeepers, 29 May |89| World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2016 |89| World Environment Day, 5 June |89| World Oceans Day, 8 June |90| World Elder Abuse Day, 15 June

|68| A conversationwith Shahzadi Gulfam: living my dream

|90| World Day to Combat Desertification and

Drought, 17 June

|69| Major General Per Gustaf Lodin appointed Head of

mission UNMOGIP in India and Pakistan

|90| Africa Day, 25 May

|90| The Day of Vesak, 20 May

poverty

|90| International Widows’ Day, 23 June

70| UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry meets children facing immense challenges in Vietnam

|90| International Day in Support of Victims of Torture,

26 June

refugees and displaced persons

|91| World Refugee Day, 20 June

|71| Education is the key to success and development

|91| International Day of Yoga, 21June

|72| Global refugee youth consultations in Islamabad

|91| The Day of the Seafarer, 25 June

|73| UNHCR doubles voluntary repatriation grant

for registered Afghan refugees opting to return to Afghanistan water and sanitation

|74| Rehabilitation of drinking water scheme to

benefit over 80,000 people youth

|75| Launch of the ‘We The People, We the Arts’ Competition one united nations

|77| What we need from the Humanitarian Summit |78| UN Wall Chalking campaign inaugurates two

walls in NCA Rawalpindi and GCU Lahore |79| A conversation with students of NCA Rawalpindi

on the UN Wall Chalking campaign |81| UN Wall inaugurated in a girl’s primary school in Nowshera

|91| Public Service Day, 23 June |91| Message on the International Day Against Drug

abuse and illicit trafficking, 26 June photo album

|92| Photo album

note from the editor

Dear readers, The third edition of the UN Pakistan magazine focuses on the crucial issue of the freedom of press. Following World Press Day 2016, celebrated across the globe and in Pakistan, we bring you stories from journalists and members of the media who share their perspectives on essential topics such as the right to information, gender equity in the media, safety of journalists and the importance of free media.

We are also sharing the stories of success in cleaning up the various parts of Jacobabad and the manner in which citizens and in particular children, have worked together to create change in the hygiene and sanitation conditions.

Stories on disaster reduction and management are featured prominently: we highlight the work of numerous UN agencies working together to empower vulnerable populations, in particular women, to mitigate the effects of disasters.

Human trafficking and migrant smuggling are well covered: from training law enforcement officials to encouraging liaisons between the various agencies and civil society, we report on the concerted efforts being made to tackle this dangerous and ongoing problem.

We’ve also featured the UN Wall Chalking campaign, a campaign for Pakistani youth to disseminate the key values of the United Nations.

Over the last two months, new UN Walls have been inaugurated in var-

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ious locations across the country.

We have also included the voices of students from NCA Rawalpindi who share their views on the campaign and what significance it holds for them.

I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the UN Communications Group and the UN Country Team who collaborate together to make this magazine possible. Collectively, we aim to document the work done by the 19 UN agencies, funds and programmes operating in the country, for the benefit of the Pakistani people.

Vittorio Cammarota Director, United Nations Information Centre

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The media serve as our eyes and ears Human rights, democratic societies and sustainable development depend on the free flow of information.

And the right to information depends on press freedom. Each year, we observe World Press Freedom Day to emphasize these fundamental principles, to protect the independence of the media and to honour media workers who risk and have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

This year, World Press Freedom Day coincides with three important milestones. It is the 250th anniversary of the world’s first freedom of information law, covering both modern-day Sweden and Finland, and it is the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Windhoek Declaration of press freedom principles. Finally, 2016 is also the first year of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals.

Press freedom and the free flow of information are necessary not only to inform citizens about the Goals but to enable them to hold their leaders accountable for fulfilling the pledges they have made. The media – including, and increasingly, new online media -- serve as our eyes and ears. We all benefit from the information they provide.

A free, independent and safe media environment is essential. Yet, all too often, journalists are threatened, harassed, obstructed or even killed in the pursuit of information. Many

languish in detention, some in appalling conditions, for shedding light on governance failures, corporate malfeasance or societal problems.

I am very concerned about the increasingly restrictive environment for media workers in many countries.

Constraints on freedom of expression place shackles on progress itself. On this World Press Freedom Day, I urge all Governments, poli-

ticians, businesses and citizens to commit to nurturing and protecting an independent, free media. Without this fundamental right, people are less free and less empowered. With it, we can work together for a world of dignity and opportunity for all.

Ban Ki-moon Secretary-General of the United Nations

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This is your right!

Access to Information is a fundamental freedom and part of the basic human right to freedom of expression. Receiving and imparting information, both offline and online, is a cornerstone of democracy, good governance, and rule of law.

Last year, the world agreed on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to guide all efforts over the new fifteen years, to end poverty, to protect the planet, and to ensure prosperity and lasting peace for all. The new Sustainable Development Goals include a target on public access to information and the protection of fundamental freedoms -- two interrelated objectives that are key accelerators of progress across all of the new agenda.

At this time of turbulence and change across the world, including

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new challenges that require global cooperation and action, the need for quality information has never been so important – this requires a strong environment of press freedom and well-functioning systems to ensure the people’s right to know.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, the first formal Right to Information legislation was enacted in what is today Sweden and Finland. A historical breakthrough at the time, this still provides inspiration today, as Governments increasingly adopt laws that allow public access to information. Twenty-five years ago, in then newly-independent Namibia, the historic Windhoek Declaration on Press Freedom was adopted, paving the way to recognition by the United Nations of World Press

Freedom Day. In marking these anniversaries, World Press Freedom Day this year highlights the importance of free and independent journalism for advancing the 2030 Agenda. This includes the safety of journalists, at a time when, tragically, a media professional is killed every five days.

This cannot stand, and guided by the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity, UNESCO is working with Governments around the world to create a free and safe environment for journalists and media workers everywhere.

In this spirit, I call on everyone to stand united in defending and encouraging press freedom and the right to access to information.

This is essential for human rights and dignity, for our aspirations for sustainable development, for common determination to build lasting peace.

This Is Your Right!.

Ms Irina Bokova Director-General of UNESCO

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Right to information in Pakistan

Pakistan inherited a number of secrecy laws at the time of independence such as the Official Secrets Act 1923, and enacted many similar laws in the following decades.

The dominant view in the government was that all official information should ordinarily be treated as classified. This system continued unchallenged, despite the fact that Pakistan became a signatory to several international human rights treaties. The Constitution of Pakistan 1973 also did not include a right to information in its chapter on fundamental rights, although its Article 19 recognized the freedom of speech and expression.

The situation, however, began to change in the 1990s when corruption was recognized as a major impediment to the development

of Pakistan and international financial institutions began to focus on governance. Thus, the interim government led by Prime Minister Malik Miraj Khalid promulgated the Freedom of Information Ordinance 1997 but the successive elected government did not enact it. However, the demand in the media and civil society for a strong right to information law continued to grow.

In 2002, the Federal Government promulgated the Freedom of Information Ordinance, which provided a mechanism for the disclosure of certain limited categories of information. This Ordinance is only applicable to the Federal departments, but the provinces of Balochistan and Sindh replicated it in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Again, the media and civil society rejected these laws for being too weak and demanded more robust laws instead.

In 2013, Punjab and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces enacted strong right to information laws, which are broadly consistent with international best practice. These laws provide a legal framework, which ensures maximum disclosure of information in response to information requests filed by citizens.

The Information Commissions established under these laws have been adequately empowered to create public awareness, train gov-

ernment officers, summon record and witnesses, decide complaints and direct disclosure, and punish officers, who delay or deny access to information.

Despite good laws, the experience of Punjab and KP shows that implementation remains a challenge due to poor record management in public bodies, lack of public awareness, resistant official attitudes and continued existence of laws and rules which still talk about secrecy.

However, on the positive side, the Commissions in the Punjab and KP are quite assertive and are making proactive efforts to facilitate citizens as well as public bodies in accessing information and implementation of the Act. In Punjab alone, over 2500 complaints were filed during the first 2 years, out of which over 50 percent were decided and, almost in all cases, disclosure was ordered.

Mukhtar Ahmad Ali Information Commissioner, Punjab Information Commission

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Freedom of expression and access to information: achieving Agenda 2030

Journalists and media workers around the world gather every year on 3 May to mark the World Press Freedom Day. For them, the Day is an opportunity to stress the continued struggle to ensure freedom of expression, access to information and the safety of journalists. This year, the Day coincided with the launch of the Sustainable Development Agenda, 2030, which has a specific reference in Goal 16, target 10 to the need for ensuring ‘public access to information and protection of fundamental freedoms’.

Access to information and freedom of expression are fundamental building blocks for democracies to develop and grow. Without access to information and freedom of expression, it is impossible to achieve sustainable, inclusive and transparent societies

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that are peaceful and respecting cultural diversity. All concepts at the core of the new development agenda.

A precondition for achieving freedom of expression and access to information is of course that those - the journalists and media workers - who are supposed to facilitate the provision of it, are secured the necessary working condition sand space to do their jobs. Journalists and media workers all over the world are taking significant risks for themselves and their families almost on a daily basis. As citizens, we are all dependent on them, and States should provide them with a certain level of protection and security. If things do go wrong, we owe to them and their families that thorough investigations are undertaken, offenders brought to court and justice provided.

The 2016 World Press Freedom Index ranked Pakistan 147 out of 180 countries indicating that there is still quite some work to be done in Pakistan to improve both access to information, freedom of expression and promote the safety of journalist.

To take this work forward, UNESCO and our partners the Royal Dutch Embassy, Media Matters for Democracy and the Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives organized on 3 May 2016 with the Federal Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Provincial Information Commissions and many other

stakeholders, a one day event aimed at producing concrete suggestions for moving the freedom of expression agenda forward.

The meeting applauded the recent efforts in KP and Punjab on improving access to information by adopting model laws, which in both cases are very comprehensive and following international best practices. Other provinces and the federal level are strongly encouraged to follow suit.

The Federal Government was also congratulated for the on-going work on a Journalists Protection and Welfare Bill. Such a Bill is much needed.

A strong recommendation from the participants, though, was to keep the two apart: One Bill for the Safety issues and another one for the Welfare issues as the two are distinctively different in nature.

Updated legislative frameworks and policies are needed. But as always, it is only when they are implemented in accordance with the spirit that we see the real impact and value. UNESCO and the broader UN Family stand ready to work with all partners in support of the Government’s efforts to protect journalists and end impunity.

Vibeke Jensen UNESCO’s Representative to Pakistan

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On being a woman in Pakistani media

As a Pakistan woman, I joined the media expecting a tough time, but it has simply been interesting.

I started in 2004 and had the naivety with which young students approach new challenges. This actually helped and so the first time, when as a trainee I received a 2:00am flirtatious call from a colleague, I didn’t dwell upon the power dynamics at play and called him out publicly. In hindsight, I reacted without giving thought to potential consequences. It worked for me then, but for most women, such call outs result in victim blaming and being labeled a troublemaker.

Within the field, I faced the challenges that are common to women professionals around the world; the pay gap is very real, women in newsrooms are often treated

as symbolic gender diversity hires and given lighter beats to focus on and routinely find themselves at a disadvantage, often having to face harassment and the unwanted advances from their male news subjects. For me, one of the most difficult aspects of working within the newsrooms was the rampant sexism. From jokes to direct jibes, it is common for women in the newsrooms to be questioned and belittled for their perceived shortcomings within the family and home grounds.

As a media development professional now, I sometimes have trouble being taken as seriously by journalists as my males colleagues are. While the sexism in media is overt, it takes a more covert form in the development sector. The

sector is filled with its own share of abusers, who hide behind their activism, publicly using the correct jargon, while continuing the cycle of misogyny within their closer professional spheres.

Yet, all is not bad.

I have had the opportunity to learn and grow, enjoy access to people and information that would otherwise be unapproachable. Personally, having a good support circle and strength, I have been able to make my own way despite these challenges. From the first newsroom I worked in to my current position at MMfD, I have progressed and held on my own. At times, the lack of women in media regulation and safety is frustrating but I am satisfied knowing that more and more young women are interested and appear stronger and better equipped to deal with the challenges. So I look forward to an era when more women join the field and stand alongside their male colleagues in decision-making roles.

Sadaf Khan Director Program, Media Matters for Democracy

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Freedom of press in Pakistan

Journalist Manzoor Ahmed was frail but returned home alive after almost 20 months in captivity since he was reported missing on November 7, 2014, from Quetta. His family remained tightlipped regarding the details of the saga. ‘What is more important is that he is alive and has reunited with the family finally,’ one of his relatives confided two days after his discovery in mysterious circumstances.

Press freedom and journalists’ safety has taken a hard hit since Pakistan joined the international coalition against the War on Terror and the government launched a definitive operation some two years back against armed groups in particular.

Both sides to the conflict worked hard to control information, which was regarded as a key part of the strategy.

Resistance from the media invited

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the harshest penalty – death. The country lost many journalists. While the casualty figures vary, the number stands well over 60.

In between threats to Press freedom and journalists’ safety, impunity became order of the day. We don’t know who held Manzoor in captivity for so long and why. Out of all the journalists killed, only three of them have been through legal process to prosecute the killers.

Journalists’ safety was nowhere near a national priority. The media did not seriously report the attacks and the government, media houses and journalists’ representative bodies had an unconcerned attitude. The first safety training for journalists was held relatively recently, in 2007 when the International Federation of Journalists and the International News Safety Institute sent in an Australian trainer to equip journalists from conflict regions with some basic tools to stay safe while working in dangerous places.

The rescue operations were gaining momentum by the day and the international community was funding even greater initiatives to provide an enabling environment for the Pakistani journalists. The latest initiative is the safety hubs at five of the six biggest press clubs Resistance to these initiatives was equally dangerous. In October 2013, the UN Plan of Action was launched under which Pakistan was chosen as one of the five pilot coun-

tries to rally around all stakeholders on a single point agenda of journalists’ safety and the issue of impunity. The ‘Islamabad Declaration’ defined roles and responsibilities for each stakeholder.

Indeed, implementation of the Plan of Action has been an issue but nevertheless, a milestone was achieved – journalists’ safety is a national agenda for every stakeholder today.

As the government appears resolutely committed to getting Pakistan rid of terrorism, a similar commitment to keeping journalists safe is required.

Iqbal Khattak National Coordinator of Pakistan Coalition on Media Safety

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Effective ‘Right to Information’ legislation required at Federal level and in the Sindh and Balochistan provinces

The World Press Freedom Day 2016 held in Islamabad had a number of workshops on issues that affect journalists and media practitioners. Natalia Tariq, Program Officer at the Open Society Foundation Pakistan (OSF) and Zahid Abdullah, Program Manager at Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives, conducted a workshop titled ‘Right to Information legislation in Pakistan’. Two Right to Information Commissioners from Punjab and KPK, respectively Mukhtar Ahmed Ali and Abdul Matin, attended this workshop, as well as government officials, journalists and lawyers.

‘Having legislation that allows people to access public information gives them the possibility of participating more actively in decision

making processes, pushes governments to be more transparent, accountable and to combat corruption’, said Natalia. She explained that the Right to Access to Information is integral to effective and transparent governance that goes hand in hand with the improvement of socio-economic development indicators. For example, Sustainable Development Goal 16 stresses the link between the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies with the provision of access to justice for all and building effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

She explained that it was a productive session since it brought together various stakeholders: government representatives, civil society, donors and media. While she felt that the government was being secretive as they refused to share the draft of the Federal RTI bill, she stated there was healthy debate and some progressive decisions reached. For example, the civil society members managed to convince the KP Information Commissioner that an ID card copy should not be required when submitting complaints.

Furthermore, the working group asked the government experts to share the Federal Right to Access Information draft bill with different stakeholders and amend laws,

rules and procedures that are in conflict with the spirit of the Right to Information.

‘We still need to enact effective laws at Federal level and in Sindh and Balochistan. Also, enacting legislation is only half of the battle and sustained efforts must be made for effective operationalization and implementation of Right to Information Laws’, Natalia concluded.

Natalia Tariq Program Officer, Open Society Foundation Pakistan (OSF)

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The Finlandia Declaration: a plead for free and pluralistic media

The World Press Freedom Day was commemorated this year at Helsinki, Finland where over a thousand media and government stakeholders called on UNESCO’s 195 member states to respect the freedom of press and take serious measures to protect journalists.

During the conference, the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, the Prime Minister of Finland, Juha Sipilä and the host country’s President, Sauli Niinistö, highlighted the paramount importance of press freedom and freedom of information for sustainable development, good governance and as a basis for all freedoms.

The Former President of Finland, recipient of the UNESCO Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize 2007 and the Nobel Peace Prize in

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2008, Marti Ahtisaari, also spoke of the link between press freedom and peace building during his address to participants at the close of the event.

The ‘Finlandia Declaration’ was adopted to ensure press freedom, access to information, safety of journalists and cultural diversity by media practitioners. The participants stressed the importance of these values and stated should be respected by all member States as they represent a fundamental right of all citizens in the world.

The commemoration focused on Sustainable Development Goal 16.10: ‘Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements’ and recognised that

this was relevant to achieving all SDG goals, in particular SDG 5 on gender equality.

The Finlandia Declaration stresses the importance of access to information and the States responsibility for making the information online and offline accessible to their citizens, and promoting universal access to the internet. It also calls member States to ensure the safety of journalists by setting up an effective safety mechanism to monitor, prevent, investigate and punish attacks against journalists and others exercising their right to freedom of expression, and to protect those at risk of attack.

Moreover, the Declaration recognises the pertinence of the UNESCO Convention in the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005) under which artistic freedom is an integral part of human rights and fundamental freedoms of expression, information and communication.

Participants at the event lauded UNESCO’s Executive Board decision to celebrate an International Day for Universal Access to Information on 28 September every year. Around 100 World Press Freedom Day events were organized around the world this year.

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The World Press Freedom Day 2016 in Pakistan: focus on access to information and safety of journalists

This year, the World Press Freedom Day in Pakistan, held on 3rd May in Islamabad focused on two burning issues related to Press Freedom. First, the Right to Information Legislation (RTI), in particular the lessons learnt from KPK and Punjab, and second, safety of journalists online and offline, with a specific focus on the Journalists Protection and Welfare Draft Bill.

The event titled “Right to Information Legislation and Safety of Journalists in Pakistan” was organized by UNESCO with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) and Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI). Technical support was offered by Foundation Open Society Institute-Pakistan and UNIC Islamabad.

Two morning workshops, attended by 30 participants, were held to seek recommendations on the Right to Information Legislation and the issue of safety of journalists. This was followed by an official opening presented by UNESCO representa-

tive to Pakistan, Ms. Vibeke Jensen, Ambassador of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Pakistan, Ms. Jeannette Seppen and Parliamentary Secretary for the Information, Broadcasting Secretary and National Heritage Ministry, Mr. Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjah.

The first workshop “Right to Information Legislation in Pakistan” made recommendations concerning the future Federal Right to Information Law and the importance of replicating this law in other provinces (Sindh and Balochistan), where this law is nonexistent. The recommendations included that the process of Right to Information law making should be transparent and participatory, and laws, rules and procedures that have redundancies or are in conflict with the spirit of the Right to Information should be amended.

During the second workshop ‘Safety of journalists in Pakistan’, the discussion focused on the existing draft bill.

It was suggested that the bill should not merge the security protection

and welfare but rather create a specific journalist and media workers safety bill. A centralized authority was recommended to bring together investigation and prosecution. A commission could be established to do so entitled ‘The National Commission for the Safety of Journalists.”

Following the formal opening, a panel discussion comprising senior journalists took place to highlight the main issues facing Access to Information and Safety of Journalists in Pakistan.

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interview

A conversation with Asad Baig on World Press Freedom Day What were the key events that stood out for you?

The World Press Freedom Day organized by UNESCO Headquarters in Helsinki, Finland highlighted this year the link between freedom of information and the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 16 . Over 1000 experts from the field of Freedom of Expression coming from all around the globe attended this event.

Asad Baig from Media Matters for Democracy, Afzal Butt former president Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Owais Aslam Ali from Pakistan Press International represented Pakistan at this event.

We met Asad Baig to discuss the event and its main outputs.

The first-hand stories from warstruck regions like Syria and Iraq, and the day-to-day operational challenges local journalists have to deal with. Particularly, the pre-conference sessions were much-more handson and subject specific. For me, one pre-conference session stood out. It was hosted by International Media Support in partnership with Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) and UNESCO. The session marked the launch of a report authored by Toby Mendel (CLD) on ‘establishing legal safety mechanisms for journalists’. The discussion focused on the standards that should be considered if and when creating specific legal defenses for safeguarding journalists. The panelists included Toby himself, Frank William La Ru (Previous Special Rapporteur), Tahmina Rehman (Article 19) and Morten Ostervang (IMS).

How did your participation at the World Press Freedom Day impact your work in Pakistan?

International Media Support partially (subject to approval) committed to provide support for the legal review of draft model legislation that is currently under works in Pakistan.

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Since we are actively seeking supports for legal review, to me this is the single biggest achievement and contribution to our work.

The World Press Freedom Day is known as a networking event, did you identify counterparts that you could exchange best practices with?

WPFD was a unique opportunity for all players to gather and exchange best practices, and notes on challenges and opportunities. A number of partners and friends from various media development organisations were also participating. I managed to personally speak on a range of issues with personnel from many other regional groups present at the event.

In the session Safety of Journalists – Strengthening the momentum, Mr. Owais Ali, Chairman at Pakistan Press International and Executive Board Member at International Press Institute, was a panelist. What was the main highlight from Pakistan?

Yes, I attended it and it was one of the most interesting sessions. Owais Ali made a very comprehensive presentation on the current situation in

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Pakistan (regarding media freedom and crimes against journalists) and the civil society responses. One particular initiative that captured everybody’s attention was ‘Editors for Safety’ - the highlight was, I would say, experience sharing by the representatives of all the regions present at the panel, especially the Arab region.

In Pakistan, World Press Freedom Day 2016, organized in Islamabad, highlighted two burning issues: The right to information legislation in Pakistan and the safety of journalists online and offline. Did you talk about the Pakistani context? If yes, how was it received?

ing of WPFD 2016 which pleads for free and pluralistic media.

How do you see its implementation in Pakistan?

The declaration calls upon the civil society actors ‘to promote and support investigative journalism and to raise awareness about the value of journalism in the implementation of right to information’ which is central to the advocacy work that we do.

We, I feel, as civil society leaders are mandated to take this declaration and its recommendations forward, and get our government(s) to implement it in letter and spirit.

I spoke on the status of the proposed legislation on safeguarding journalists in Pakistan and gave an overview of the (drafting) process.

I was not surprised to see a number of panelists and participants had a very good understanding of the status of media freedom in Pakistan.

The representatives of CPJ and RSF especially proved to be a great resource in-terms of global knowledge and best practices.

Finally, UNESCO adopted the Finlandia Declaration at the clos-

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real lives: stories that inspire us

Empowering women through livelihood training The October 2015 earthquake heavily impacted both the Shangla and Chitral districts in the Malakand division of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Many lives were lost and basic infrastructure was largely destroyed. The two districts were the most inaccessible due to their hilly terrain and damaged roads which made communication difficult as well.

WFP, with its cooperating partners CARAVAN and Aga Khan Rural Support Programme - AKRSP Pakistan immediately initiated relief assistance and livelihoods recovery interventions to assist vulnerable families.

Interventions included awareness raising sessions on disaster risk reduction and capacity enhancement training which was specifically designed for women. Topics in the capacity enhancement training included disaster awareness, preparedness and risk mitigation measures and enhancing skills of embroidery, handicrafts production and enterprise development. Developing linkages and market access were crucial components of this training. Since December 2015, 853 women have been trained under the initiative.

Ms. Shaheen Bakhsh is one of the women who received WFP’s livelihood trainings. She is a resident of

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the Serai Union Council in Shangla (KP). She lives with her husband and three young children. Her husband works as a laborer and his income varies on a day-to-day basis. If he is lucky, he may earn up to 8,000 rupees a month. Unfortunately, there are days when he is unable to find work, which means no wages for the day.

The earthquake reduced means of livelihoods and consequently, her husband was unable to find any work. ‘We felt helpless and had no idea what the future would hold for us. During these desperate times, I came to know of a training especially designed for women in the affected areas to assist them to contribute to the household income’ she said.

Shaheen completed the training and learnt a new skill called ‘Crushi’, a type of embroidery. She is now making embroidered dresses and shalwar

kameez and sells them at the nearby market. She is relieved that she is able to contribute significantly to the family income and is planning on saving some of the money she earns for her children’s education and to purchase food for the household.

real lives: stories that inspire us

Children are the best agents for behaviour change 8 year old Aarfa lives in the Sarki Muhallah in Jacocabad and has benefited from the behaviour change campaign run by UN-Habitat and UNICEF which aims to sensitize communities regarding proper maintenance of health and hygiene standards. Diseases such as diarrhoea and polio stem from unhygienic living conditions and can be fatal, especially for children under five.

In districts like Jacobabad, where infrastructural facilities are improper, safe drinking water is inaccessible and sanitation is poor, an increasing number of children are falling ill and a recent case of polio was also found in the region. There is a dire need to improve the health, sanitation and hygiene conditions of this district.

Children, in specific, are the focus of this campaign as they have been identified as the best agents for behaviour change. Aarfa’s mother, Sajida claims that Aarfa was not previously accustomed to washing her hands with soap but she noticed a visible change in her behaviour when she regularly starting washing her hands with soap after using the toilet, after playing or before eating meals.

She further mentioned that Aarfa now tells all the family members too that they should take care of sanitation and wash their hands at critical

times. Her face was beaming with joy when she further added that, ‘one day, after using the toilet, I did not wash my hands and came sat with Aarfa to have a meal but she would not allow me to touch anything and instead urged that I go and wash my hands immediately. I was so happy that my daughter did not forget what was taught to her regarding proper sanitation even though it had slipped my mind.’ Sajida confessed that she never un-

derstood the real meaning of sanitation and maintaining hygiene standards at home even though she was a mother of two. It was only because of the Urban WASH team and her daughter that now their entire house is not just apparently neat and clean, but hygienic as well. They have witnessed a radical drop in their health expenditures and consequently their living conditions have improved.

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real lives: stories that inspire us

The best way to bring about change is to step forward

Gul Hassan Tallani believes in working for his community and it is this innate quality that urged him to improve the living conditions of his hometown, Brohi Muhalla in Jacobabad. Unhygienic conditions, improperly disposed of waste, unclean streets, overflowing drains, unmanaged garbage dumps, and community residents defecating openly are only some of the issues of the muhalla. To the complete disappointment of Tallani, nobody from his Muhalla was willing to initiate change, so he decided to be the pioneer himself.

It was Tallani’s undying love for his community that led him to work tirelessly to improve the environment of Brohi Muhalla voluntarily.

The first step was to sensitize people about the health hazards of an

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unhygienic atmosphere, especially open-defecation. Tallani therefore undertook a Muhalla-wide awareness campaign, with the help of the Urban WASH team working in Jacobabad under an initiative by UN-Habitat and UNICEF, regarding the importance of water, sanitation, and hygiene. In light of his enthusiasm and integrity towards the cause, Tallani was also appointed as the Chairman of the Muhalla WASH Committee. In his new role, he began undertaking cleanliness campaigns throughout Brohi Muhalla, and gained the support of his community residents who also stepped forward voluntarily to clean the town. Since Tallani was already an influential person, he arranged dumpers and trucks to collect garbage from the streets and then

further contacted North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC) to remove the solid waste from the town.

Tallani has become a favorite in his Muhalla and the community residents listen to his advice regarding the development of the area. Furthermore, he has been elected as a member of the City Forum to improve Jacobabad city. He suggests taking action to improve things rather than waiting for them to happen. ‘If you go out and do well, you will fill the world with hope’ he says. Tallani has done justice to his words through his actions.

He has even devoted his Autaq as a meeting venue for Joint WARD Committees where the community members gather to discuss issues faced by the Muhalla.

real lives: stories that inspire us

First steps towards success

Dangar Muhalla is among the oldest muhallas of Jacobabad City. The living conditions here were deplorable and people fell sick very often because of the unhygienic environment resulting in diseases like Hepatitis, Gastro, diarrhoea, malaria, and various other skin diseases. Improperly managed solid and liquid waste, overflowing drains, unclean streets and houses were a common sight.

The lack of awareness about health and hygiene standards among the people of the Muhalla further aggravated the situation.

When the Urban WASH team, under a WASH initiative by UN-Habitat and UNICEF, visited Dangar Muhalla, they formed Muhalla WASH Committees (MWC), gathering together a few residents who wanted to bring a change

in the society. They were used as behavior change agents and sensitized the community residents regarding health and hygiene standards. They were informed about significance and benefits of a clean lifestyle and the repercussions of ignoring hygiene standards. To the WASH team’s surprise, the residents had never received any form of facilitation or support for awareness regarding WASH. The residents were not aware that their astronomical health expenditures, which were consequently depriving them of a good lifestyle, were directly related to their lack of hygiene and unhealthy WASH practices. Due to the awareness campaign, more and more people voluntarily started joining in the cause and the face of Dangar Muhalla began changing.

Nazir Ahmed was identified as the only individual from the Muhalla who had prior knowledge about the topic and he was passionate about improving his Muhalla, so he was given the charge of leading the MWC. Nazir says ‘a day per week has been finalized for cleaning the Muhalla, we will improve the lifestyle of every resident of this community and make our Muhalla neat and tidy, after all this is where we spend every day of our life.’ Nazir became the hygiene champion for his community and people started following in his leadership. Today, the Dangar Muhalla has improved dramatically and the number of people falling ill has reduced significantly.

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real lives: stories that inspire us

Changing behaviours through communication campaigns

A strong stench of solid waste wafting off the air was the first thing that caught attention of anyone entering the Abdul Nabi Muhalla in Jacobabad but for the residents of the community, this was a routine matter. It was not just difficult but almost impossible to make these people realize the health repercussions of the filth they were living in.

Shahid Hussain, a young enthusiastic Chairman of the Muhalla WASH Committee (MWC) spent hours and days trying to convince his fellow residents to help him clean the Muhalla, and if nothing else, at least avoid dumping solid waste in the open air. However, to his utter dismay, he did not receive any positive response.

At this point, the Urban WASH Team, under a WASH initiative by UN-Hab-

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itat and UNICEF, stepped forward to assist Shahid in his voluntary noble cause. Extensive Behaviour Change Communication sessions were undertaken involving the community members in order to evoke concern in them regarding their health and hygiene. They were sensitized about the dire need and urgency of working in unison for the betterment of their community. The participants eventually agreed that they will put a stop to the bad practice of throwing solid waste on the streets and to Shahid’s surprise they not only requested him to lead a team of community residents in cleaning the streets but also made financial contributions to construct a dumping point where the solid waste could be disposed of properly. The en-

tire community now disposes of their solid waste at the dumping point daily which is cleared by the North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC) at the end of the day.

As the residents changed their hygiene practices, both at a personal and community level, they witnessed a change in their health levels, their expenditures, the environment, and their living conditions. The residents now celebrate a monthly Cleanliness day in their Muhalla and praise Shahid Hussain and the UN-Habitat Urban WASH Team for their relentless efforts to bring about a positive change regarding water, sanitation, and hygiene for community development in Abdul Nabi Muhalla.

agriculture and food security

focus on

Recovering and developing agricultural economy in FATA The second steering committee meeting of the Project for Assistance to Recovery and Development of Agricultural Economy in FATA was held by FAO on May 9 in Islamabad.

Ms. Anjum Assad Amin, Additional Secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Muhammad Tahir, Deputy Secretary EAD, Mr. Yousaf Rahim, Additional Secretary Planning and Development FATA Secretariat, Ms. Junko Kawata Economic Researcher/Adviser Embassy of Japan, Mr. Ken Kato Senior Representative Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Mr. Patrick T Evans, Country Representative FAO, participated among others in the meeting.

Welcoming the participants, FAO Country Representative, Mr. Patrick T Evans said the government is working to have all Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) from FATA back to their homes by the end of this year and it is our responsibility to support these efforts. He also said that the main focus was to rebuild the lives of the TDPs and that providing timely inputs such as fodder, animal health, fruit tree nursery establishment, fisheries and developing irrigation systems would not only help in putting their lives together but also improve overall economy in FATA. Mr. Raffaele DelCima Program

Manager, FAO gave a detailed presentation on the progress of the project in Khyber and Kurram Agencies. He briefed participants on agriculture input support, planned distribution of fodder, agricultural packages, water courses and harvesting structures, irrigation and capacity development initiatives.

Additional Secretary Planning and Development Mr. Yousaf Rahim appreciated the support of FAO. He also said that since Orakzai agency had also been opened for TDPs’ returns.

In her concluding remarks, Ms. Anjum Assad Amin, Additional Secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD), said this project is instrumental in ensuring the timely return and rehabilitation of TDPs from FATA. She also praised the efforts of FAO, JICA, political agents and FATA and KP authorities in this regard.

It was agreed that the next steering

committee meeting would be held after three months.

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news and events

agriculture and food security

No landing, no pirates: Port State Measures Agreement can sink illegal fishing

Last year, roughly one of every six fish sold around the world was caught illegally. That number is now poised to drop precipitously, thanks to the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the world’s first international treaty designed specifically to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Under this new agreement, parties are obliged to ensure that any fishing vessel that comes to its port, even for refueling, must announce that it is doing so and submit to an inspection of their log book, licenses, fishing gear and, to be sure, their actual cargo. Port State authorities agree to share information on violations, thus making it harder for rogue fishermen to shift their practices elsewhere. The treaty, which was adopted by FAO’s members in 2009, marks a big step beyond self-regulation of the seafood sector, from which illicit activity siphons off up to $23 billion a year. More than 30 countries plus the European Union have formally deposited their instruments of adherence with FAO, the treaty has now entered into force and a new era has begun. Those who fish illegally– who not only profit but also jeopardize coordi-

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nated efforts to manage global marine resources in a sustainable manner so that fishing can prosper as a viable activity and people everywhere can enjoy its nutritional benefits - face higher operating costs and the serious risk of being caught. To be sure, the treaty today applies only to those countries which gave the required consent.

To give the treaty more traction, and accelerate both its effectiveness and impact, more countries must join.

As they do, there will be ever fewer port-hopping opportunities for rogue vessels determined to flaunt laws that regulate catch levels, usually to protect biodiversity and stock levels.

But have no doubts. History’s net has been cast. Membership is destined to grow. I offer my congratulations to the countries that are already parties to the treaty: Australia, Barbados, Cabo Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, the European Union (on behalf of its member states), Gabon, Grenada, Guinea, Guyana, Iceland, Indonesia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Myanmar, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu. The Agreement makes it harder for improperly caught fish to enter the market, disrupting a critical step in seafood’s complex oceanto-table supply chain. Some ships

may choose to travel further, already a costly decision and disincentive.

Moreover, ports that offer services to such outlaws will not escape notice.

Parties to the PSMA will fund capacity-building measures for countries that need it – and FAO is offering technical and legal assistance – and tolerance of rogue behavior will likely increase the burden of eventual compliance.

And let there be no doubt: Compliance is eventually inevitable. Players in the global fish industry are increasingly exploiting their sustainable practices as a marketing asset and catch documentation and eco-labelling schemes gather steam. Adhering to the treaty may enhance a country’s trade opportunities. As a turning point in the struggle against illegality in the fisheries sector, the PSMA is a concrete step towards healthier oceans, as called for

by Goal 14 of the new Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. At FAO, we emphasize how sustainable development requires an integrated effort and relies on network effects – which in turn can catalyze positive feedback loops. The requisite port state inspections, for example, may indirectly complement other global concerns, including the use of slave labor in fishing-industry, illicit trade in endangered species and better management of Marine Protected Areas.

José Graziano da Silva Director-General of FAO

news and events

agriculture and food safey

Relief distribution of Saudi dates

148,000 registered families from FATA will benefit from the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre’s generous contribution of dates. 396 metric tons of dates have been provided by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to WFP for relief assistance to vulnerable Pakistanis.

The distribution of dates commenced in the Jalozai camp on Tuesday in the presence of DeputyHead of Mission of the Saudi Embassy, Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Khalidi, officials of the Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Director PDMA, KP, Israr Khan, Director Operations FDMA, Dr. Qasim Ali Khan, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of SAFRON, Mirza M. Sana-ul-Haque and Section Officer, EAD, Dr. Haseeb Shahbaz Amin and WFP Pakistan Representative, Lola Castro.

The Deputy Head of Mission reaffirmed his government’s commitment to continue supporting relief efforts for the affected communities of FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

‘Saudi Arabia has close brotherly relations with Pakistan and the wellbeing of the people of Pakistan is of great importance to the Kingdom.’ he said.

nutrient intake and status and, in turn, leads towards better nutrition.

This is especially crucial in the case of populations affected by shocks whose ability to purchase or produce food is limited.’ she said.

Ms Castro briefly highlighted WFP’s projects in the area along with future plans of transition towards sustainable food security in the region.

‘WFP welcomes this donation and we look forward to continuing and broadening the partnership with the Saudi Government. Dates are an instant source of nutrition as they provide a range of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Dietary diversification is an important feature in the improvement of micro-

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news and events

agriculture and food security

Australia supports sustainable fortification The provincial Fortification Alliances of Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were launched at an event organized

by WFP, the Australian High Commission and the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MNHSRC). The Fortification Alliances form a platform for multi-stakeholder fortification coordination at the federal and provincial levels. The forum including the National Fortification Alliance, consists of relevant federal and provincial government ministries and departments, UN agencies, CSOs, the private sector and other national and international agencies in charge of planning, monitoring, advising and supporting sustainable fortification efforts in Pakistan.

The project is generously supported by the Australian Government and aims to strengthen policy, advocacy for legislation and the coordination capacity of the alliances to scale up fortification initiatives in Pakistan.

The Minister, Ms Saira Afzal Tarar, said that the Alliance is playing a key role in policy making, coordination, oversight and monitoring of food fortification programs in the country. It is an important body that serves as a platform to bring all provincial governments,

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UN agencies, nutrition partners and stakeholders together. She appreciated the support of WFP and the Australian Government.

Ms Margaret Adamson, the Australian High Commissioner reiterated Australia’s commitment to supporting the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to battle the crisis of malnutrition. She went on to highlight that food fortification is globally recognised as one of the most cost effective interventions for improving the nutritional status of the population at a large scale Lola Castro, WFP Pakistan Representative mentioned that fortification is very helpful in overcoming micronutrient deficiencies in the general population including women of child

bearing age and pregnant and nursing women. She added that vitamin and mineral deficiencies impact morbidity, mortality and quality of life.

Between 2016 and 2018, WFP aims to assist 7.7 million people in close partnership with the Government to ensure the improvement of food security and nutrition among displaced and returnee populations, reinforce the resilience of communities living in the most hazard-prone areas, address malnutrition among the most vulnerable segments of the society, particularly pregnant and nursing women and children under five years of age, as well as support a favourable environment for women to achieve social and economic equality.

news and events

agriculture and food safey

Contribution from Australia to temporary displaced persons and returnees

102,000 Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) and returnees in the FATA region will receive 8,126 metric tons of wheat due to the contribution of the Australian Government. The Government has announced a contribution of AUD 3 million to WFP to cover the costs of milling, fortification, transportation and distribution the wheat donated by the Government of Pakistan.

To recognize the support provided by the Australian Government, WFP held an advocacy event to announce this contribution. Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, H.E. Margaret Adamson, made the announcement at the WFP office in Islamabad.

The Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Lt. Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch, UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Neil Buhne, WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. David Kaatrud, and

WFP Pakistan Representative, Ms. Lola Castro were present on the occasion.

‘Australia has a long-standing history of working together with Pakistan to provide humanitarian assistance to people affected by crisis.

Australia’s support is designed to help the most vulnerable, and to promote stability.’ said Margaret Adamson. ‘Australia places particular emphasis on the protection and empowerment of women and girls.’

‘WFP welcomes this donation and looks forward to continuing the excellent and long lasting partnership with the Government of Australia’ said Lola Castro. ‘The relief rations are especially crucial for the populations affected by shocks whose ability to purchase or produce food is limited while assisting returnees in the resettlement process so that they can build durable food securi-

ty’ she added.

The Government of Australia has been assisting in ensuring the stability of the region near the border areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan by contributing towards WFP interventions supporting the Government’s Sustainable Return and Rehabilitation Strategy.

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news and events

agriculture and food security

U.S. government announces $21 Million in food assistance John Groarke, Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development Mission, announced a contribution of 21 million USD in food assistance to feed malnourished individuals in Pakistan. He made the announcement at the WFP office in Islamabad, where he inaugurated a photo exhibition with WFP Country Director Lola Castro.

WFP will use the contribution to turn approximately 26,000 metric tons of Pakistani government-provided wheat into fortified flour which will be distributed to those who need it most. WFP will also use the USAID funds to purchase and distribute more than 6,500 tons of food to families, especially in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

Since 2010, USAID has given nearly $850 million in food assistance to the people of Pakistan. Mr Groake stated: ‘The United States is committed to combating hunger in Pakistan, but we know we can’t do it alone. By working alongside the United Nations World Food Programme and the Government of Pakistan, we’ve been able to feed more people, save more lives, and support more communities than

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any one of us could have achieved alone.’

Ms Castro also remarked that the strong and strategic partnership among the United States government, the government of Pakistan, and WFP has made the lives of millions of vulnerable Pakistanis better, especially in areas affected by natural and man-made disasters. She commended the generous funding from USAID and highlighted that it has improved food security and nutrition as well as the livelihoods and resilience of those in need.

news and events

cultural heritage

Celebrating cultural diversity for dialogue and development that women are an integral part of sustainable development and that they are the repository of culture as they hold the first place where the culture and diversity gets transferred to the next generation. Ms. Izza Khan, Executive Director, C2D emphasized on the importance and recognition of the diversity of roles of women at all levels for prosperity of the nation.

Key cultural stakeholders of the twin cities came together at an event held at the National College of Arts (NCA) Rawalpindi to celebrate the World Cultural Diversity Day. It was organized by UNESCO, NCA, the Centre for Culture and Development (C2D), Unicorn Black and the Special Talent Exchange Programme (STEP) and focused on the role of diverse groups in promoting cultural and creative industries.

Dr. Nadeem Omar Tarar, Director, NCA welcomed all participants and discussed the role of NCA with respect to developing the potential of youth for contemporary culture and creative Industries. Moderating the overall session, he highlighted the role of marginalized transgender community and invited a repre-

sentative of the trans-gender community, the Executive Director of Wajood, Bubli Malik who stressed on the need for education, skilful knowledge, health facilities and small loans under the Government schemes for transgender communities.

Ms. Vibeke Jensen, UNESCO Representative to Pakistan expressed that Pakistan has an incredibly rich and diverse society in terms of culture, creativity and cultural expressions, which should be harnessed in the development of a dynamic economy.

Mr. Atif Sheikh, Executive Director of STEP, emphasized on the role of Persons with Disabilities in Creative Industry and said that it is the duty of policy makers to recognize their capacity and focus on creating enabling environment to mainstream people with diversified capabilities in the economic development.

The panel discussion was followed by an attractive display in the college gallery, where NCA, UNICORN BLACK and STEPS displayed their strength work.

Women’s role in promoting and preserving creative industries was also highlighted. Ms. Fouzia Saeed, Executive Director, Lok Virsa who was the Chief Guest said

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news and events

disaster risk management

Sixth humanitarian response facility inaugurated

As a result of global warming, the climate in Pakistan has become increasingly volatile causing unpredictable weather patterns making the country prone to progressively intense natural disasters such as flooding, landslides and drought.

Strengthening disaster preparedness and response capacity has therefore been identified by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) as one of the priorities in the National Disaster Management Plan.

WFP, the Government of Pakistan and international donors have been working together since 2013 to establish a network of humanitarian hubs in eight strategic locations across the country, as part of broader emergency preparedness and response activities. The stateof-the-art relief hubs will allow disaster management authorities in Pakistan to respond more swiftly and efficiently to a sudden emergency. Hubs have already been inaugurated in Quetta, Muzaffargarh, Lahore, Hyderabad and Peshawar.

The sixth Humanitarian Response Facility (HRF) was inaugurated by WFP and the Provincial Disaster

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Management Authority (PDMA), Sindh, in the presence of the Chief Minister Sindh, Mr. Qaim Ali Shah, Australian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Ms. Margaret Adamson, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Japan in Pakistan, Mr. Yunya Matsuura, WFP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Mr. David Kaatrud, and WFP Pakistan Representative, Ms. Lola Castro.

The Government of Pakistan has provided land to WFP to build the humanitarian facilities in eight of the country’s most disaster-prone areas and is responsible for the management and staffing of the facilities.

WFP provides training for relevant staff in facility management as well

as in humanitarian supply chain and emergency response. The project is being implemented in coordination with national and provincial disaster management authorities, with generous funding provided by Japan, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Denmark and the United States of America.

news and events

drugs and crime

UNODC Country Office Pakistan – a close partner of the Government of Pakistan in the struggle against drugs and transnational organised crime The World Drug Report 2016 comes at a decisive moment, just months after Member States at a Special Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (UNGASS) adopted a comprehensive set of operational recommendations on the “World Drug Problem”. The session was only the third in the history of the UN General Assembly to focus on drugs, and the resulting outcome document, entitled “Our joint commitment to effectively addressing and countering the world drug problem,” provides a concrete way forward to take action on shared challenges. The Member States have reaffirmed their commitment to addressing persistent, new and evolving challenges in line with the three UN drug control conventions, which were recognised as allowing States sufficient flexibility to design and implement national drug policies consistent with the principle of common and shared responsibility.

The World Drug Report 2016, which provides a comprehensive overview of major developments in drug markets, trafficking routes and the health impact of drug use, supports comprehensive, balanced and integrated rights-based approaches. It offers insight into the wide-ranging impact of drug use not only on the health and well being of individuals, but also on those around them (families and communities). This can include consequences such as HIV infection and the threat of violence, faced in particular by women and children. The report also flags the alarming

rise in heroin use in some regions, while the challenges posed by new psychoactive substances also remain a serious concern. It also examines the use of the “darknet” for drug trafficking, as well as the potential of illicit drug profits to fund terrorism and violent extremism.

Pakistan is considered the main transit country for narcotics produced in neighbouring Afghanistan, particularly heroin, opium and hashish. Specifically, the UNODC estimates that approximately 43% of Afghan opiates are trafficked through Pakistan. Pakistani law enforcement agencies are working to reinforce controls along the Afghan-Pakistani border, in addition to their endeavours in demand reduction; however, they are encountering significant difficulties in the border region largely due to the porous nature of the border itself and the challenging security situation in Baluchistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. In 2015 law enforcement agencies in Pakistan seized 360 tonnes of narcotics, estimated to be worth USD 2.5 Billion, thus making a remarkable contribution to global counter-narcotics efforts. As a strategic partner of the Government of Pakistan for over 35 years, the UNODC Country Office in Pakistan supports the Government’s efforts to implement the provisions of the three UN drug control conventions.

Through its first Country Programme (2010-2016) and the envisaged second Country Programme (2016-2019), the Country Office looks forward to further enhancing the operational capacity of the frontline law enforcement agencies, facilitating information sharing and co-

operation with international and regional counterparts, as well as promoting Pakistan’s achievements internationally.

Keeping up with the emerging needs, the UNODC Country Office in Pakistan and the Embassy of Japan have recently signed a project entitled “Strengthening Border Security against Illicit Drug Trafficking and Related Transnational Organised Crime,” which will contribute to the vision of creating a safer community, free from the threats posed by illicit narcotics trafficking and transnational organised crime. The project aims at strengthening the capacity of the Anti Narcotics Force and other law enforcement agencies in effectively interdicting illicit narcotics entering or leaving the country through air, land and sea by way of effective border management.

The generous contribution of the Japanese government for the envisaged four-year project is approximately 6.5 million USD. Cesar Guedes Representative UNODC Country Office Pakistan

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news and events

drugs and crime

Coordination between the police, FIA and civil society is crucial in the Hazara Division The Federal Investigation Agency, in partnership with UNODC, is conducting a series of sensitisation workshops for police and civil society in high concentration areas such as Islamabad, Lahore and Gujranwala. The latest one was chaired by Ms. Ammara Khattak and held in Abbottabad which has a large population of Afghan refugees from nearby camps in the Haripur District and thus, is of added importance in the Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling (HTMS) context.

Mr Imran Shahid, the Additional Director of the FIA in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, appreciated the UNODC’s efforts and said that multiple ends motivate human trafficking, including organ removal and sexual exploitation. He mentioned that domestically, human trafficking accounts for 10 million people every year, which are exploited within the industries of agriculture and carpet making. Women and children comprise the majority of these internally trafficked people.

The FIA’s Assistant Legal Director, Mr Tahir Khan discussed the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance 2002 (PACHTO) which he stated is a comprehensive, non-compoundable and

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non-congisable ordinance, which not only defines victims but also sets a guideline for the protection of victims. For the police, Mr Khan stressed the need for proper registration and prosecution of the cases.

Mr Naeem Khan, In-charge of the FIA Abbottabad Office, said that the police play an extremely important role in both the prevention and control of human trafficking, since taking internal human traffickers into custody and registering cases under the Pakistan Penal Code falls directly within their jurisdiction.

Responding to a query, he stressed that police officials should approach the FIA Office for any assistance in cases related to Afghans involved in external human trafficking.

Major Amir Sajjad from UNODC gave a brief presentation on latest trends of HTMS in both sessions of

Police and Civil Society representatives. He mentioned the Research and Analysis Center, a joint venture of UNODC and FIA, where research is being carried out to identify gaps and provision of durable solutions.

A victim reception and rehabilitation center is being built for FIA at Taftan, along with other interventions which will benefit the country in the long run.

Both sessions were well attended with useful discussion, and proved very productive in forging a liaison against HTMS amongst the FIA, police and concerned segments of civil society.

news and events

drugs and crime

Regional training of trainers on the UNODC toolkit for law enforcement officials There is increasing global recognition of the important role that the police have in protecting citizens and improving public health, especially in diverse and vulnerable communities. Law enforcement officials have a significant role and responsibility to ensure uninterrupted access to essential drugs and HIV-related health and social services for vulnerable populations including drug users.

By virtue of their role in upholding law and order, promoting community safety and protecting human rights, law enforcement officials are often in frequent contact with drug users.

UNODC, in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, organised a four-day ‘Regional Training of Trainers’ (ToT) course on the UNODC Toolkit for Law Enforcement Officials in Islamabad. The Government of Sweden generously supported the training through the UNODC Regional Programme on Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries.

The training was based on a UNODC-developed toolkit designed to support law enforcement personnel in order to better understand and engage effectively with drug users

and vulnerable populations. The purpose of this course was to develop a better understanding of the important role played by the police in public health, understand public health responses to drug use, apply newly learned skills with diverse and vulnerable populations (including people who use drugs), form and sustain partnerships within the community to protect public health, reduce crime, and also to conduct future training courses on the subject in their respective countries.

Approximately 25 law enforcement officials from Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan participated in the course.

Mr. Toaha Hussain Bugti, Senior Joint Secretary of the Narcotics Control Division, Ministry of Interior and Narcotics Control, graced

the opening ceremony as the chief guest.

Additional training on this subject will aim to assist law enforcement trainers with designing, tailoring and delivering a training package that will ensure that officials at all levels are better informed and equipped to exploit the unique opportunities that their work presents for reaching out to the key populations they encounter, referring them to HIV prevention, treatment, and care services, and for helping them to adhere to such services.

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Specialist investigative techniques training UNODC has implemented numerous innovative and ground-breaking initiatives under its Country Programme 2010-2015, many of which have been the first of their kind in Pakistan. One of these initiatives is the ToT programme, which specifically works to enhance the capacity and resourcefulness of the professional trainers employed by various law enforcement training academies in the country. As a component of this programme, UNODC recently organised a two-week long ‘Train-theTrainer’ (ToT) course for the benefit of FIA trainers on methods related to human trafficking and migrant smuggling (HTMS). This course was organized in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and was held in addition to a 3-day long training course on Specialist Investigative Techniques.

Law enforcement officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) attended the courses, the objective of which was to expose the participants to modern training methods.

Mr. Sajid Aslam from UNODC and Mr. Chris Bichler from the RCMP jointly conducted this course.

The participants brought a wealth

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of experience from their respective fields, which contributed towards the planning and delivery of the training, thereby making it increasingly realistic, practical and innovative. A particular emphasis was placed on interviewing and investigative techniques. Furthermore, the training focused on improving the presentation and interpersonal skills of the participants, through the delivery of short presentations.

The course also involved the participating students being asked to execute situational based scenarios in different exercises, with various settings depicting conditions likely to be experienced on the ground.

The response from the students was overwhelmingly positive, and was made evident by their enthusiastic participation. They subsequently shared their experiences and expressed their confidence in being able to solve problems with the new approaches and ideas introduced to them in the course.

These training endeavors will facilitate the development, acceptance and commitment of qualified national trainers towards the integration of international best practices into national training curricula. On the basis of this successful experience, UNODC will undertake similar training courses in the near future involving different law enforcement agencies.

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drugs and crime

Meeting on human trafficking and migrant smuggling In continuation of last year’s successful Regional Conference on Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling (HTMS) in Karachi, UNODC organised a ‘Regional Expert Working Group Meeting’ in Islamabad to follow-up on the recommendations from the earlier conference. The meeting provided an opportunity for representatives from the regional source countries to gather and discuss emerging trends of irregular migration. Participants from Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan delivered country specific presentations, highlighting their recent successes in dismantling smuggling networks. In addition, representatives from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, France, European Union, United Kingdom, United States and Norway participated as observers. The Government of Australia, specifically the Department of Immigration and Border Control, financially supported the meeting.

During the opening session, the UNODC Country Representative, Mr. Cesar Guedes reminded the participations that ‘the prevailing situation requires a more integrated response from countries in improving their border control mechanisms,’ and he highlighted the

tragic recent death of 880 migrants who were crossing the Mediterranean. This brings the total number of fatalities to 2, 510 so far this year.

On behalf of the Government of Pakistan, Mr. Abdul Karim, the Director of Immigration for the Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) mentioned that Pakistan is conscious of its international obligations and has undertaken a number of measures to combat human trafficking. He pointed out that the FIA has made progress on a number of objectives set out in the previous Regional Conference in Karachi. These include the formation of an HTMS

Strategic Framework for combating Irregular Migration, in collaboration with the UNODC, which has been recently approved by the Government of Pakistan.

During the second half of the meeting, representatives from ASEANAPOL, Europol and Frontex delivered presentations on emerging trends of irregular migration to European countries and the tools available to member states for enhancing information sharing in line with the best international practices.

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education

Aligning SDG 4 with area policy priorities After the successful organization of national and provincial consultations in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Multan, UNESCO, UNICEF and the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training organized a two-day consultation workshop on Sustainable Development Goal 4(SDG-4) ‘The Education 2030 Agenda’ for education officials of AJK, FATA, GB and ICT in Islamabad.

More than 80 officials and representatives from the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training, Area Education Departments, development partners’ community, civil society organisations, academia and media participated in the consultation.

Ms. Vibeke Jensen, UNESCO Representative to Pakistan highlighted that transformative and universal in nature, SDG-4 reflects the global determination to ensure that all children, young people and adults gain the knowledge and skills they need to live with dignity, to fulfil their potential and contribute to their societies.

In his keynote address, the chief guest, Muhammad Humayun,

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Secretary Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training (MoFE&PT) appreciated the provinces for increasing their educational budgets and termed it a positive step towards achieving the educational goals. He considered female education a strong contributor to achieving all the SDGs and suggested establishing secondary and higher secondary schools for girls to increase their access to education. He maintained that merit based teacher selection is a key to bring quality and promote accountability in the education system.

Muhammad Baligh Ur Rehman, Minister of State for Federal Education and Professional Training shared that the number of out of school children have been decreased during the last two years and there is a significant shift in students’ enrolment from private to public sector schools. He mentioned that an effective coordina-

tion mechanism has been established through institutionalizing the Inter Provincial Ministerial Conference (IPMC) where decisions are made through consensus of all provinces, the establishment of national Curriculum Council (NCC), the revival of National Education Assessment System (NEAS) and other important initiatives.

During the two-day area consultation, interactive presentations and discussions were made addressing the implications, opportunities and challenges of the new education agenda. The main outcome of the consultation will be a strategic document/ way forward for integration of the SDG-4 with the area education sector plan, which will feed into an overall national strategic document on implementation of SDG-4 in Pakistan.

news and events

education

Pakistan completes first phase of SDG-4 consultation at federal and provincial level A final consultation on Sustainable Development Goal 4, ‘The Education Agenda 2030’ concluded in Quetta, Balochistan following successful consultations held in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Multan. The consultation was organized by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training in collaboration with the Secondary Education Department Government of Balochistan, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR and WFP. The consultation was attended by over 150 education stakeholders.

Mr. Abdul Saboor Kakar, Secretary, Secondary Education Department, Government of Balochistan in his welcome remarks applauded the federal government’s role in leading the provincial/ areas consultations for creating awareness about SGD4. He said that the Balochistan education sector plan includes most of the SDG-4 indicators and focuses on quality education.

Ms. Raheela Durrani, Speaker, Balochistan Assembly, was the chief guest and extended full support and commitment for implementation of the new education agenda.

She highlighted the need for concrete follow-up actions to transform this agenda from a policy per-

spective to actual implementation on ground and offered support of the provincial assembly for required legislation. She also stressed on to decide on the language for imparting education according to the local context and dialects of the province.

Mr. Abdul Rahim Ziarat Wal, Education Minister, Government of Balochistan in his key note address, stated that under the Education Sector Plan (2013-18), the Provincial Government had undertaken a number of policy interventions such as increasing the education budget from 3-4 % to 25 %, enrolment of 350,000 students at primary level in the winter zone of Balochistan, merit based teachers recruitment, actions against non-performing teachers, and fulfilling education

needs of 40, 000 marginalized and refugee children to improve the overall status of education in the province. He shared that considering the enormous need of the province in education, the provincial government requires technical and financial support of the international community.

The two day provincial consultation was focused on interactive presentations and discussions which highlighted the implications, opportunities and challenges of the new education agenda followed by group work for in-depth analysis of the SDG-4 targets and indicators and concrete recommendations for alignment of SDG-4 with the education sector plan of Balochistan province.

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‘Education Cannot Wait’ fund launched to address global education crisis

UN Women welcomes the passage of the Protection of Women against Violence Bill 2015 by the Punjab Assembly on 24 February 2016.

The introduction of this bill is an important step ahead of International Women’s Day and demonstrates the political will of the Government of the Punjab in addressing the issue of violence against women and girls. The Bill includes a broad definition of violence, steps to make complaint submissions easier, establishment of committees at the district level to investigate complaints, and other built-in implementation mechanisms through the establishment of one-stop Violence Against Women Centres (VAWC) in all districts, court orders, and introduction of GPS tracked electronic devices on perpetrators to enforce protection orders.

According to the data gathered by Aurat Foundation, an NGO working for women rights, as many as 7,010 cases of violence against women were reported in Punjab in 2014.

Similarly, 1,707 cases of kidnapping were reported during the year, while those of rape and gang rape numbered 1,408. Honor killings too

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were highest in Punjab compared to the other provinces, coming to around 340 reported cases. Considering the troubling statistics regarding the prevalence of violence against women in Punjab, it has become all the more important to legislate effectively to curb this societal menace.

In countries like Pakistan where some customary laws co-exist alongside codified law, international bodies have been concerned about the use of discriminatory customary law and practice, despite laws enacted to protect women from violence. UN Women advocates

for the continued adoption and enforcement of national and provincial laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls in Pakistan. This is in line with Pakistan’s obligation under CEDAW, consistent with international human rights standards, and is one of the five key outcomes which the UN Secretary-General’s campaign ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women’ set out to achieve in all countries by 2015.

news and events

gender equality and empowerment

Status Report on Women’s Economic Participation & Empowerment P a k i s t a n ’s ‘Women’s Economic Participation and Empowerment-Status Report 2016’ was launched at an event jointly hosted by the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and UN Women.

The Status Report looks at social and economic vulnerabilities that keep Pakistani women underpaid and overworked. The Report highlights specific aspects of women’s economic empowerment (such as employment, type of employment and wages, vulnerable work and the working poor), and recommends a concerted effort to improve women’s access, opportunities and capabilities in order for them to participate as full economic actors.

Mr. Jamshed Kazi, Country Representative, UN Women, in his welcome stated: ‘the report delineates a meticulous overview of the working women population of Pakistan.

It is imperative to position gender responsive infrastructure in places such as daycare centers, anti-sexual harassment mechanisms, safe and affordable transport and accommodation options to encourage economically inactive women to join the formal workforce as well as ensure retention for the existing

women workforce. Providing equal opportunities for better quality education is also critical for women and girls to improve their employment options.”

Ms. Helle Nielsen, Chargé d’Affaires, Embassy of Denmark, shared that Denmark was proud to be hosting the world’s largest global conference on women and girls’ rights, ‘Women Deliver’, in Copenhagen. During this conference, a wide range of actors, including representatives from Pakistan, are exchanging ideas and solutions on how to ensure that the needs and rights of girls and women are fully taken into account in the implementation of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Dr. Yasmin Zaidi, Lead Researcher and Author for the Status Report 2016 and Director, Center of Gen-

der and Policy Studies, in presenting the report highlighted: ‘Women’s economic work, paid and unpaid, needs to be recognized, acknowledged and tracked at District and provincial levels in Pakistan so that Pakistan can report on SDG 5. Robust data on employment and earnings will allow provinces to plan where to allocate resources so all districts can prosper and generate decent employment, and manage the flow of economic migration within the country.’

The Chief Guest and Chairperson of the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women, Ms. Fauzia Viqar appreciated the report and stressed the importance of data collection for informed policies, actions and for measuring progress.

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Tales of displacement and survival by ordinary people Women and girls are agents of change in crisis situations and can offer first hand perspectives of how they are affected by disasters, emergencies, displacement, social reconstruction and stabilization.

The journey of local women and girls affected by complex emergencies, natural disasters, and humanitarian displacement in Pakistan was showcased by UN Women under its ‘Women’s Leadership in Social Reconstruction’ programme during the ‘INNOVATIVE DENMARK’ event organized by the Royal Danish Embassy in Islamabad on 26 May 2016. The event not only showcased Danish contributions to peace and stabilization but also celebrated the strong relations and partnership between Denmark and Pakistan.

Visitors to UN Women’s stall were encouraged to ‘relate to’ and ‘become’ displaced persons for a few minutes. In responding to simulated real-time situations, ordinary people from different walks of life described their reactions and actions if faced with a disaster or emergency situation. The responses received in many cases were different and rather interesting when compared to the reactions

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and lived experiences of displaced women and girls.

Some of the scenarios reflected upon included: ‘You are told to leave your home within five hours, what are the things you will take?’, ‘You are ‘temporarily dislocated’ due to a sudden disaster, how do you feel?’, ‘Returning ‘home’ from ‘tent-life’, what thoughts go through your mind? ‘,’You are a young girl who for the first time has to live close to unknown families, what are your fears?’ and ‘What do you think are the three immediate needs of displaced women and girls?’

UN Women’s country programme on ‘Women’s Leadership in Social Reconstruction’ in collaboration with the Royal Danish Embassy is working to enhance synergies

so that policy and institutional level responses incorporate women and girls as change agents and promote gender equality commitments in disasters and emergencies. Further, it aims to ensure that stabilization, social reconstruction and peace building promote security and protect the rights of women and girls.

news and events

gender equality and empowerment

Government urged to take action against ‘honour’ killings Muqaddas Bibi, a 22 year old pregnant woman was recently brutally murdered by members of her own family because she married a man of her own choice. These ‘honour’ killings are becoming increasingly common in Pakistan with the Human Rights commission of Pakistan (HRCP) estimating that there were 1096 victims (of whom 170 were minors under the age of 18) in 2015.

The UN joins people across the country in strongly condemning these killings and urges the Pakistani Government to take preventative measures and to bring those responsible to justice.

‘Every year, hundreds of women and girls are killed in Pakistan to protect family or community ‘honour’’ said United Nations Resident Coordinator, Neil Buhne. ‘But the large numbers and tragic nature of killings over the last weeks highlights the terrible cost from such killings to women, children, families, communities and all of Pakistan.

Many more tragic examples can be seen. Zeenat Rafiq (18) was burned to death by her mother for ‘bringing shame to the family’ by mar-

rying a man of her choice. Family members tortured and burned alive school teacher Maria Sadaqat (19) for refusing an arranged marriage proposal. Young girls are also affected: the body of Ambreen Riasat (16) was found inside a vehicle that had been set on fire after a ‘jirga’ ordered her death for helping her friend marry of her own choice.

In one case, a man’s throat was slit by relatives of his wife who disapproved of their match - a rare instance of a male victim.

provincial Women’s Commissions and Women Development Departments can play a major role.

‘Under international and national laws and standards, there is a clear State responsibility to uphold women’s rights and ensure freedom from discrimination, which includes the responsibility to prevent, protect and provide redress – regardless of sex, and regardless of a person’s status in the family.’ added Mr. Buhne. The Government of Pakistan has recognized this, with the Prime Minister stating that the government is determined to ‘adopt all possible ways and means to remove this stain from our society.’

Mr. Buhne said the UN System stands ready to assist the Government of Pakistan to take urgent measures to do this. In this direction, a strengthened and adequately resourced national and

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gender equality and empowerment

Safeguarding the rights of vulnerable groups during disasters The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has signed a Letter of Agreement with UN Women through support from United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to strengthen disaster responses with a focus on women and the issues faced by them during and post disasters.

Pakistan has been home to complex emergencies and disasters, which have led to devastating consequences, including the widening of the ‘gender’ gaps between women and men.

Women and other vulnerable groups often have fewer resources to protect themselves and, with children, they frequently make up the majority of displaced persons.

There is empirical evidence that women are better placed and envisaged to be responsive in these situations. However, their exclusion limits their access to opportunities to recover and rebuild communities.

Within this context, it is essential to establish solid foundations for survivor-centred response mechanisms in the country that can be adapted in both emergency and normal settings.

The Gender and Child Cell (GCC) of the NDMA will be playing an active role towards this direction which

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includes the development of education sector training material, capacity building of key stakeholders, policy guidance for risk mitigation, prevention and response to Gender Based Violence (GBV) in humanitarian programming. We are hopeful that this partnership will help the GCC to further enhance its capacity to move towards this direction.

The partnership will contribute towards building the capacity of the NDMA consistent with its mandate to develop guidelines and standards to safeguard the rights and interests of vulnerable groups during disasters. More specifically, the partnership aims to enhance the national capacity of the NDMA to formulate, and disseminate the national implementation of multi-sectoral policies and guidelines, and to develop appropriate learning resource packages to guide harmonized implementation of standard operation procedures, minimum standards and other related guidelines as per

the aims of the programme.

The agreement was signed by Maj Gen Asghar Nawaz, Chairman NDMA and Ms. Sangeeta Thapa, Deputy Representative, UN Women, Pakistan.

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gender equality and empowerment

Pakistan’s delegation at the World Humanitarian Summit The first-ever World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) was convened by the United Nations (UN) in Istanbul on 23-24 May 2016, where Member States gathered to support efforts to better assist some 100 million people in need each year.

Significant progress was made in placing women and girls at the heart of the discourse on strengthening humanitarian responses.

The Pakistani delegation was led

by Lieutenant General (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch, Minister for States and Frontiers Regions (SAFRON), and representatives from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Civil Society and UN. A de-brief session was hosted by the National Gender Humanitarian Task Force jointly co-chaired by UN Women and the Gender and Child Cell of NDMA (NDMA-GCC) along with Care International and UNFPA in Islamabad on 21 June 2016.

Speaking during the de-brief, Aqsa Khan, Senior Gender Advisor, CARE International Pakistan, presented the WHS commitments to deliver on for women and girls which include support for women’s participation as agents of change, their access to sexual and reproductive health care, and prevention and response to violence against women and girls.

Major General Asghar Nawaz,

Chairman of NDMA mentioned that for each of the seven WHS core commitments, of which five relate to women and girls, Pakistan offers its full commitment to catalyze and localize gender inclusive actions.

He highlighted that Pakistan’s response to humanitarian challenges faced by women include the establishment of the NDMA-Gender and Child Cell (GCC) in 2010, development of a GCC Framework and a Vulnerable Groups Policy, guidelines and standards for gender based violence, establishment of a population disaggregated database (on socio-economic, gender, children and disability) and media orientation on gender sensitive reporting during humanitarian crises.

In his de-brief, Neil Buhne, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan

stressed that: ‘both humanitarian response and disaster risk reduction need the gender element and for systems to be more progressive with local level engagement.’

In concluding the session, Dr. Alexandra de Sousa, Deputy Head, UNOCHA mentioned that a recommendation from Pakistan’s commitments that has stood out is to provide support to local women groups as contributors to disaster risk reduction, resilience, preparedness and response.

In her closing remarks Sangeeta Thapa, Deputy Representative, UN Women said: ‘It is our responsibility to operationalize the recommendations with a gender dimension - women affected by disasters and crises must be high on our agenda.’

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interview

A conversation with Hajra Khan: challenging gender stereotypes

The German football team is getting cheers, chants and support in the UEFA EURO 2016 from female football players in Pakistan: “I really hope they become the winner of the EURO Cup!” says Hajra Khan enthusiastically. As Captain of Pakistan’s Female National Football Team and a multi-talent within sports, she made history when she became the first Pakistani female footballer to sign a contract to play abroad in the Maldives National Women’s League in 2014. And similarly, last year she became the first Pakistani female football player to try out for three professional German Bundesliga clubs; SGS Essen, FSV Guterslohand and VFL Sindelfingen. Although Hajra did not end up playing professionally in Germany, her heart is close to German football, and it is safe to say she might be their biggest supporter in Pakistan throughout the European Championships. During her participation at UN Women’s recent celebration of the ‘UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace’ in Islamabad, Hajra sat down between matches for a Q&A.

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news and events

1. As Captain of the Female National Football Team of Pakistan, what would you highlight as your team’s main challenges in a male dominated sport?

Hajra: There are lack of opportunities for players to grow and hone their talent by participating internationally, and safe spaces to train regularly are definitely scarce. Also, as athletes and individuals working passionately for the promotion of football, having people value talent and hard work of the players other than anything else, like their looks, has been quite a challenge. Every girl or woman who plays sports knows the unfairness. No matter how skilled or talented, every female knows her appearance will be judged as she plays her sport.

She may win, she may lose, but her looks will be assessed. Some benefit from it, most resent it, but all female athletes have to grapple with it. In the end the only way to silence the beauty obsession of the gaze lies in the triumph with skill.

2. How has football shaped you to become who you are today?

Hajra: I’ve always been a very quiet and composed person, but I do believe sports in general has played a vital role in development of my personality as well as other aspects including respect for oneself and others, fairness, grace in defeat, humility in victory, and the virtue of self-denial.

I’ve learned to take a little more

than my share of blame and a little less than my share of credit.

It’s helped me gain respect for my body and develop self-esteem, and to believe that I have everything I need within me to become the best possible version of myself.

I’ve formed long lasting bonds and with the benefit of relatively greater leadership, self-confidence, and self-respect there’s an urge to give back to broader social goals.

3. Has it been difficult for you to get acceptance as a female football player in Pakistan?

Hajra: It’s not easy for women in Pakistan to pursue their dreams because of social pressures and unacceptability from people around us. There’s still prejudice and that resistance regarding women, not only on female football but in various activities. Thankfully, I’ve had consistent support from family and friends ever since I started playing sports as a child. It’s been a tough journey but I’ve fought stereotypes and broken any barriers that came in my way and proved that a female in Pakistan, with hard work and determination, can achieve more than any man has in this ‘male-dominated sport’ up until now.

gender equality and empowerment

4. How important do you think it is to highlight female athletes who are ‘stepping it up’ and breaking gender barriers in Pakistan?

Hajra: I believe it is monumentally important as there’s a general lack of support for girls who want to do more than just get married and become homemakers. Girls face many obstacles, including lack of access to quality and affordable education and they face cultural barriers.

Consequently, their freedom of movement and pursuit of their dreams is restricted to a great extent in any field. While there exist some exceptions, a vast majority of the women are not exposed to equal opportunities and avenues in order to express themselves.

As a pioneer of women’s football in Pakistan, I’ve witnessed an increase in the participation of women in sports, but female athletes still face scrutiny and stereotyping because of social norms - which define women as being fragile, less capable, and passive. Furthermore, sport has always been seen as a masculinized entity, and therefore, women are perceived as intruding on male boundaries.

In order for women to have true equality in sport, the media will need to begin to recognize women for their athletic ability and not their looks or personal life alone, but also, society will need to move away from the social conditioning of women into gender stereotyped roles and allow for young girls to choose their own path, especially if that includes an interest in sports.

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While the initiative to present an opportunity for females to participate in sports is commendable, there is a general consensus that more efforts are needed. Investments to uplift the standard of the game and the officials involved as well as increase the publicity to reach women of all backgrounds are essential. Initiatives such as those by UN Women are excellent examples to educate and empower girls and women.

5. What are your plans for the future?

Hajra: Staying focused and training hard day and night has helped me achieve my ultimate goals of becoming the best in Pakistan and leading the National Team, to playing club football internationally in Maldives and experiencing European football in Germany.

I plan to use my achievements to be an outspoken advocate for the growth of women’s game in Pakistan. I’m currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Management from London School of Economics and have an AFC ‘C’ License Coaching Certificate.

There is lack of sufficient avenues for micro and youth football skill development. Therefore, I have come up with a plan to launch a football training academy, primarily geared at training female players including the grassroots’ level. The academy will also use football for development, and work towards social inclusion of disabled youth

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gender equality and empowerment

into mainstream society. Further, it will include children of the streets and underserved areas with the aim to become proactive leaders in their individual lives and in their communities through promotion of gender equality, access to education and health services. I believe in never settling for my achievements, and for Pakistan, I will serve for as long as I can.

Hajra Khan Captain of Pakistan’s Female National Football Team

interview

news and events

health

Landmark decision by Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court to prohibit HIV discrimination Chandani De Soysa, a widow from the rural community of Illukhena, Kuliyapitiya in Western Sri Lanka has been fighting for her five-year-old son’s right to education after he was denied admission to a school because he was believed to be living with HIV. With support from UNAIDS and the Positive Women’s Network, Ms De Soysa filed her petition with the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and the Court gave a landmark decision which prohibited HIV discrimination in education settings.

various forms – from money, food, scholarships to a simple word of encouragement. I can not express in words my gratitude for this kindness,’ said Ms De Soysa. ‘My son has a dream to be a doctor one day and I hope he will be an HIV specialist.’

The Supreme Court also went a step further reminding the State of its obligation to take necessary measures to protect, promote and respect the human rights of people living with HIV in order to eliminate discrimination that is experienced by them. This is the first court decision in South Asia to make a general pronouncement recognizing the human rights of all people living with HIV, and sets a precedent for future cases in Sri Lanka challenging HIV discrimination experienced in settings other than education.

Discrimination against students affected by HIV also occurs in other countries in South Asia. In India, a petition filed by Naz Foundation (India) Trust, which provides care and support to children living with HIV, through the Lawyers Collective relied on publicly available reports to show that children have been systematically targeted because of their association with HIV – they have faced repeated incidents of humiliation, suspension, violence, segregation and expulsion.

‘I would like to give a special note of thanks to all the strangers out there who offered their support in

‘This is a great day for social justice,’ said Steve Kraus, Director of the UNAIDS Regional Support Team for Asia and the Pacific. ‘Sri Lanka’s highest court has stood up in support of people who are being left behind. From now on, no child can be denied access to education based on HIV.’

people affected by HIV against direct and indirect discrimination in all settings, including education, health care and employment. While courts in India have ruled to protect the rights of people living with HIV in specific settings, no country in the region has passed a national HIV law. Sindh Province in Pakistan has a comprehensive HIV law, but there is no such protection across the country.

UNAIDS also encourages governments to support legal literacy programmes and ensure access to legal services for people living with, affected by and at higher risk of HIV, so that they can pursue justice and help end systemic rights violations.

UNAIDS congratulates Sri Lanka on this historic step forward and urges countries in the region to introduce comprehensive laws protecting

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health

‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ global campaign

On the occasion of World Hand Hygiene Day on 5 May 2016, WHO is focusing on sensitizing healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, sanitary staff, etc) on the importance of hand hygiene in the prevention and control of infection in health care facilities.

Infectious diseases in Pakistan are one of the most pressing medical problems and the major cause of morbidity and premature death. The WHO country office in Pakistan plans to join hands with the Government and Partners to raise awareness about the benefits of hand hygiene.

WHO calls on all health care facilities to join the ‘SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands’ movement and commit to improving hand hygiene practices.

As of 28 April 2016, a total of to 44 hospitals and health-care facilities in Pakistan have registered their commitment to hand hygiene as part of the global campaign.

The theme of this year’s campaign is surgical site infections, with a particular focus on ensuring clean hands from the moment the patient enters the hospital, through surgical preparation and post-operative care, until

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the patient is discharged. The campaign aims to reduce the spread of life-threatening infections through improving hand hygiene practices in health care settings.

Patient voices can act as a powerful tool in achieving improvements in patient safety, and their participation is needed to improve and promote hand hygiene. WHO is encouraging patients to insist on their right to safe health care, of which hand hygiene is a basic component. Health care managers have a responsibility to facilitate hand hygiene through ensuring the availability of soap, running water and alcohol-based handrub, a standard sink/bed ratio, continuous training of staff, regular monitoring of hand hygiene practices and patient satisfaction.

We can all work towards improving the safety of patients in health care settings through the implementation of essential measures, such as hand hygiene, not only to reduce the number of health care-associated infections but for the long-term benefit of patients and care providers and to ensure greater community satisfaction with health care services.

news and events

health

Breaking the silence around menstrual hygiene management Menstruation has always remained a silent topic in Pakistan due to cultural constraints. As a result, the needs of women, especially in regard to sanitation, have never been brought to the forefront. No relevant ministry from the Government of Pakistan has included Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in their mandate. Therefore, UN-Habitat incorporated MHM not only as a component in its WASH projects, but also established the first-ever ‘MHM Working Group Pakistan’ with other humanitarian partners to advocate for better MHM policies and facilities to improve the lives of those who menstruate.

The members of this unique group were aware that advocacy for MHM can only be undertaken in a unified manner. In 2015, the group made a breakthrough by celebrating the International Menstrual Hygiene Day and organized a dialogue between experts and public. It was the first-ever mainstream event where government representatives, medical experts, national assembly representatives, and humanitarian experts announced the formation of the group and recognized problems associated with MHM. In the latter half of the year,

UN-Habitat took World Toilet Day 2015 as an opportunity to flag the MHM agenda and through collaboration with the international Urgent Run campaign, UN-Habitat held Advocacy Walks throughout Pakistan for better sanitation and MHM facilities, reaching twitter impressions above 12 million and trending in Pakistan. Further, a symposium was organized in December 2015, with the objective to gather relevant Government ministries and experts to help devise the vision and key strategies to break the silence around MHM in Pakistan. The #MHMPakistan social media campaign reached over 10 million twitter impressions and became one of the ten most talked about topics on the day in the country. The conventional media, however, still remained reluctant in addressing the topic directly.

To build on the efforts, in May 2016, UN-Habitat assumed the role of

advocating for MHM by managing the media and communications for the Menstrual Hygiene Day 2016. Under the umbrella of Ministry of Climate Change Pakistan, the event was celebrated at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services and was chaired by Ms. Romina Khurshid Alam, Media Coordinator Young Parliamentary Forum, Member National Assembly, and Member SDGs Taskforce while the panelists included Government representatives from across country. #MHMPakistan not only became a Top Twitter Trend in Pakistan but was also widely covered in all leading newspapers of the country, highlighting the positive change in media’s receptiveness towards menstruation related topics in Pakistan.

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news and events

health

Laws to protect breastfeeding inadequate in most countries A new report by WHO, UNICEF, and the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) reveals the status of national laws to protect and promote breastfeeding. Of the 194 countries analysed in the report, 135 have in place some form of legal measure related to the International Code of Marketing of BreastMilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant resolutions adopted by the World Health Assembly (the Code).

This is up from 103 in 2011, when the last WHO analysis was done.

However, only 39 countries have laws that enact all provisions of the Code—a slight increase from 37 in 2011.

The Code calls on countries to protect breastfeeding by stopping the inappropriate marketing of breast-milk substitutes (including infant formula), feeding bottles and teats. It also aims to ensure breast-milk substitutes are used safely when they are necessary.

It bans all forms of promotion of substitutes—including advertising, gifts to health workers and distribution of free samples. Substitutes must include clear instructions on how to use the product and carry messages about the superiority of

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breastfeeding over formula and the risks of not breastfeeding.

Overall, developed countries lag behind developing ones. The proportion of countries with comprehensive legislation in line with the Code is highest in the WHO SouthEast Asia Region, the WHO African Region and the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region. The WHO Region of the Americas, Western Pacific Region and European Region have lower proportions of countries with comprehensive legislation.

Monitoring is essential to detect violations and report them to the appropriate authorities so they can intervene and stop such activities.

Yet, only 32 countries report having a monitoring mechanism in place, and of those, few are fully functional. Among the countries with a formal monitoring mechanism, fewer than half publish the results, and just six countries have dedicated budgets or funding for monitoring and enforcement.

WHO and UNICEF have recently established a Global Network for Monitoring and Support for Implementation of the Code (NetCode) to help strengthen countries’ and civil society capacity to monitor and effectively enforce Code laws.

Key NGOs, including IBFAN, Helen Keller International and Save the Children, academic centres and selected countries have joined this network.

news and events

health

Menstrual Hygiene Day 2016

Menstrual Hygiene Day 2016 was commemorated in Islamabad with the theme ‘Menstruation Matters for Everyone, Everywhere’. More than 100 representatives from government, international and national development organizations, civil society and youth convened at the Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services for this event.

The event was chaired by Hon. Ms Romina Khurshid Alam, Media Coordinator Young Parliamentary Forum, Member National Assembly, and Member Sustainable Development Goals Taskforce. Other representatives from government and a host of experts from across health, academia, media, donors, private and the humanitarian sector were also present.

Speaking at the occasion, Hon. Alam stated, ‘It is great to see not just women but also men standing up for menstrual hygiene management in Pakistan. It is about time that the silence around menstruation is broken and policy level recommendations are brought up in Parliament. The SDGs Taskforce has been working for devising policies which are gender-sensitive, and this discussion has encouraged us to further stress on inclusion of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) at

state-level.’

In her opening note, UN-Habitat Country Programme Manager, Bella Evidente while commenting in relation to MHM said ‘In our society, menstruation is surrounded by stigma and misinformation. Inadequate MHM directly affects a female’s self-esteem, health and education. It is time that all sectors come together to break the silence around MHM by supporting strong policy implementation across all state levels.’

In her closing remarks, UNICEF representative, Angela Kearney underscored the serious consequences of lack of proper hygiene management facilities on young girls. ‘Research shows that marginalized girls can miss up to two to four consecutive days of schools every four weeks due to their periods.

This of course has serious implications

on their learning’ she said.

The core objective of the event was to promote sharing and learning of experiences from various interventions being conducted across the country and at the same time engage government to take a more proactive stand to implement policies and fund MHM in Pakistan. The discussions will culminate in policy recommendations for relevant ministries in Pakistan to support necessary actions to improve the status of MHM in the country.

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Ending AIDS

For many years, Pakistan’s AIDS epidemic remained at low levels, but in the past few years, the country has become one of the few in the region to have an expanding epidemic. In 2014, there were 94,000 people living with HIV and 20,000 new infections; these figures have doubled since 2010. UNAIDS has identified Pakistan as one of the 35 fast-track countries where intensified efforts are necessary. Around half of the 37m people living with HIV do not know they have the virus. In Pakistan, only

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9pc of people who inject drugs and 6pc of female sex workers have had an HIV test in the past 12 months.

Stigma and discrimination too often stop people from accessing healthcare, including HIV prevention and treatment services that reduce new infections and save lives. In Pakistan, the People Living with HIV Stigma index, conducted in 2010, revealed high levels of stigma, and exclusion from families and religious activities and discrimination in employment.

One-third of respondents reported

being denied access to healthcare and one-fifth avoided going to the local clinic when needed in the previous 12 months.

Pakistan joined world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Meeting on Ending AIDS, which is bringing people together around a common objective: ending AIDS by 2030 within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals.

A key element will be creating the conditions necessary to achieve the UNAIDS 90-90-90 treatment target by 2020. This calls for 90pc of people living with HIV to know their status, 90pc of people who know their HIV positive status to access antiretroviral treatment and 90pc of people on treatment to have suppressed viral loads.

Our generation has been presented with an opportunity that must not be thrown away. We have the technology, medicines and tools to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030, avoiding more than 17m new HIV infections and saving almost 11m lives. But it won’t happen without sustained commitment, vision and leadership.

There are major gaps in the AIDS response and many barriers still stop people accessing quality healthcare services.

Michel Sibide Executive Director UNAIDS

news and events

health

Health equity and human rights curricula on way to being finalized A consultative workshop on ‘Health Equity and Human Rights Curricula’ was conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the provincial health departments on 19th May 2016 here in Islamabad. The workshop aimed to peer reviews the draft curricula for introduction and integration of issues of health equity and human rights in the current academic curriculum of healthcare professionals and community health workers. The curricula aimed to address critical issues like equity and human rights in the overall Public Health Response of Pakistan that would further lead to contribution towards achievement of SDGs and Universal Health Coverage.

The workshop was attended by representatives of the Lady Health Workers (LHW) Programme from Punjab, Sindh, KP, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as experts and officials from the provincial health departments to peer review the component for community health workers.

The discussion started with Masooma Butt from WHO Pakistan giving a brief introduction and rationale for integrating right-based and equity

issues into the academic and health training curriculum to contribute towards achievement of Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goals.

Addressing the gathering, Prof. Dr. Zakria from Punjab University said, ‘The adoption of a right-based approach has acquired a central place in the global development agenda, but is yet to become part of the health policy, health care curricula and health system mechanisms in Pakistan. This kind of intellectual interaction is always a learning process towards the ground realities of Pakistan’s health system.’

Experts from the LHW programme principally agreed for the induction of right-based and equity issues into training packages; however, they clearly raised concerns about provincial realities after health devolution around the programme and emphasized the need for tangible results in terms of their capacity-building in the field.

Dr. Sabeen Afzal from the Ministry of Health concluded that addition of health equity and human rights in the LHW training packages needs further deliberations at the provincial level to work out modalities and entry points for smooth induction.

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health

Equity and human rights based approaches for access to health care A National level consultative workshop was conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the provincial health departments on 24th May 2016 in Islamabad. The workshop shared the findings of the assessment study on the review of Health Care Access and Service Delivery Mechanisms with Equity and Human Rights based approaches.

This study was conducted with technical support from WHO, in collaboration with health sector bodies including the federal ministry, provincial health departments, health sector regulatory bodies and private sector health partners. The aim of the study was to apply health equity and human rights approaches to health sector policies plans and care delivery packages, with a particular focus on identified vulnerable and marginalized population groups in Pakistan.

The consultation workshop was attended by representatives of provincial health departments and sectors including Nutrition, Environmental Health, Education, Social Welfare, Women Development and Population Welfare, representatives from the Federal Ministry of Health, Provincial Focal persons/counter-

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parts and UN agencies.

The participants discussed that the findings of this study provide a timely and comprehensive analysis of health and non-health sectors and presents value added evidence for policy formulation. Universal health coverage (UHC) at PHC level is one of the useful recommendations of the study. Globally UHC is the comprehensive approach to address equity. In the end, the participants developed provincial action plans for institutionalization and integration of the findings in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework for informed and improved health system policies and service delivery mechanisms in their respective provinces.

news and events

health

Closing the immunity gap among Pakistan’s most vulnerable As the world edges closer to global polio eradication, Pakistan is finding innovative ways to close the immunity gap by using a combination of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV) to give the most vulnerable populations children a fighting chance to boost immunity.

Muhammad Ameen, a 30-year-old father from Peshawar, was reluctant for his children to take IPV after they took OPV during an immunization campaign that ended one week earlier. He wondered why the vaccine was now being given in a syringe whereas a few days ago, it was administered in the shape of drops. However, the polio team that came to his home explained that it was important for his children’s immunity to undertake both the vaccines. He confides that he wasn’t convinced by the polio team alone; when it was confirmed by a medical doctor from his area, he agreed to have both his children vaccinated.

Unlike OPV campaigns, where the polio teams go door-to-door in Pakistan to reach every child, children can only be vaccinated with IPV by trained vaccinators at specific outreach centers. In March, April and May across Pakistan, the parents of more than 2 million children, who

represent Pakistan’s most at risk, lined up at hospitals, health centres, outreach sites and local hujras in parts of FATA, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta to ensure their children aged between 4 and 24 months received the injection. Amid the regular monthly campaigns, a total of 2,677,256 children were vaccinated.

Scorching temperatures, difficult terrain and insecurity are not the only challenges facing vaccinators carrying out their task of delivering the life-saving vaccines. Vaccinators and social mobilisers also battle misconceptions and suspicion about the ongoing immunization campaigns. The role of community based social mobilisers during an IPV campaign is critical. It is their job to increase care-givers knowledge

of the campaign, to inform them where they can take their child to receive the vaccine, to address any misconceptions and to create an enabling environment where vaccination against vaccine preventable diseases is not only accepted, but expected.

In 2015, Pakistan introduced one dose of IPV into the routine immunization system, in preparation for the global vaccine switch from trivalent OPV to bivalent OPV. The switch, one of the most ambitious vaccine introductions in history, has been carried out globally as the world gets closer to the global eradication of all strains of poliovirus.

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news and events

industrial development/ economy

UNIDO celebrates its 50th anniversary The UNIDO office in Pakistan kick-started its celebrations for the 50th anniversary of UNIDO with a cake cutting ceremony, with the Secretary of Ministry of Industry inaugurating the launching ceremony. Created in 1966 as a special organ of the United Nations General Assembly, UNIDO started its functioning in Pakistan 40 years ago promoting Small and Medium Enterprises, entrepreneurship, fostering nationwide Industrial Development, productivity enhancement, particularly to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development.

The event featured salient presentations explaining the existing portfolio of various UNIDO projects underway in Pakistan which mostly are in the area of industrial development, trade capacity building, renewable energy

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and environment. The UNIDO team also briefed on the upcoming projects indicating the multiple and diverse areas such as agro food, which the UNIDO is perusing now.

The high point of the event was brief presentations of success stories explained by their innovators (Project Beneficiaries) themselves. The Secretary was briefed that these innovations have already been presented at local and international forums and some of them have been recognized not only through international awards they have won but by the level of interest showed in their technologies by private entrepreneurs from within and outside Pakistan.

The intellectual UNIDO beneficiaries explaining their constraints to the Secretary such as the lack of venture capital and Government support to sustain their businesses. The Secretary ensured all his support not only from the Ministry of Industry and

Production but also to link these innovators and startup companies with other relevant ministries for support.

Mr. Neil Buhne United Nations Resident Coordinator congratulated UNIDO on completing 50 years, following its mission very effectively and said that UNIDO is promoting not only Sustainable Development Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and infrastructure, which directly falls in its domain but also contributes to the fulfillment of other SDGs. Mr. Esam Alqararah, UNIDO Representative in Pakistan, shared his gratitude to the Federal secretary and the Resident Coordinator for joining the event and being very cooperative throughout. He also thanked all beneficiaries who travelled long distances to join UNIDO in the momentous occasion of its 50th anniversary celebrations.

news and events

industrial development/ economy

Cutlery manufacturers receive new polishing machines

Due to the high quality artisan abilities in the field of cutlery and knives over the centuries, Wazirabad has become synonymous to the City of Cutlery. The sector consists of more than 500 Cutlery manufacturing SMEs in and around the city. A wide range of products including, swords, daggers, knives, kitchenware and kitchen utensils are being manufactured here.

The Inaugural ceremony for the provision of cutlery polishing machines to cutlery manufacturers in Wazirabad, was held recently and attended by prominent figures. This intervention was done under the EU funded TRTA II programme, implemented by UNIDO, In his welcome address Mr. Khalid Mughal, Chairman, PCSUMEA said that this initiative would be a key endeavour in bringing out an enhanced export regime for the Cutlery and Knives sector of Wazirabad. He stated that attempts are being made to replicate and upscale this intervention in collaboration with Government and donor agencies.

H.E. Mr. Jean-Francois Cautain, EU Ambassador to Pakistan, assured fu-

ture support to Pakistan’s industrial sectors to exploit the full potential of the GSP Plus scheme awarded by the EU. He stressed that in the face of severe competition, Pakistani manufacturers need to adopt the latest technology to comply with the social standards demanded by the customers of high end markets like the EU and USA. Mr. Esam Alqararah, UNIDO representative in Pakistan, apprised the audience that the major impediments of the sector were identified as low levels of productivity, inadequate technology upgradation, poor performance management systems and shortage of skilled staff and labour.

units on a cost-sharing basis to implement the technology upgradation in their cutlery polishing sections. The beneficiary units have built new production halls or refurbished the existing ones to accommodate installation of polishing machines. The major benefits are an improved working environment, increase in production capabilities and a subsequent increase in the labour force.

An MoU was also signed among the TRTA II Programme, PCSUMEA and the Cutlery beneficiary units to strengthen the collaboration and to replicate and upscale the interventions made under TRTA II Programme.

Subsequently, the TRTA II programme selected two cutlery manufacturing

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industrial development/ economy

Sustainable energy for all

Pakistan held its first National Steering Committee meeting for Sustainable Energy For All (SE4ALL). The meeting drew participants from over 25 federal and provincial government institutions, financial institutions, development partners and the civil society to discuss the future of sustainable energy in Pakistan.

SE4ALL is the global initiative of United Nations, which is underpinned by its three main goals: universal access to energy, doubling the rate of energy efficiency and conservation and doubling the share of renewable energy in the overall energy mix.

Pakistan has become one of the 120 countries that have pledged to fulfill these goals by 2030, by addressing the nexus between energy and health, women, food, water and other development issues are at the core of every country’s development agenda.

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Currently one out of every three people in Pakistan lives without access to electricity and more than half of the population relies on wood, coal, charcoal or animal waste to cook their food. This leads to thousands of deaths a year, mostly women and children, from lung disease caused by toxic smoke in their homes. A crucial challenge for Pakistan is addressing energy poverty while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling climate change.

Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms, chaired the meeting. He elaborated on the Government’s commitment to achieving energy security through energy efficiency improvements and investments in clean energy sector as outlined in the goals of Pakistan’s Vision 2025. He also called on the public and private sector to partner on achieving the goals of SE4ALL.

UNDP Resident Representative, Neil Buhne highlighted UNDP’s agenda and efforts for SE4ALL and it’s linkages to the Sustainable Development Goals. He expressed his concerns on Climate Change risks for Pakistan and the crucial role that SE4ALL can play for adaptation and mitigation.

The meeting consisted of multiple rounds of discussions, which focused on increasing support for research and development, creating an investment friendly environment, inclusive and transparent energy policy, incentivizing renewable energy and fostering public-private partnerships. This would pave way for the next step which is developing Pakistan’s National Action Plan on SE4ALL.

news and events

industrial development/ economy

Promoting leather, footwear and accessories sectors

The Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association (PFMA) organized a three-day awareness seminar and training at the Lahore Expo Centre.

The three-day event was organised in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and in partnership with Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT), Italian Agency for Development Cooperation and the Italian Embassy Islamabad.

The purpose of the seminar is promotion of investment in Leather, Footwear and Accessories sectors.

PFMA President Wasim Zakaria said the core idea behind this seminar was to focus on the creation of a footwear cluster in Pakistan offering a platform for establishment of new factories in

the leather sector, adding more value to the leather export business and boosting economic output.

‘The seminar aims to introduce new technology, best practices and global industry benchmarks in order to upgrade the existing industrial infrastructure and create new industrial units in the country’, he added.

PBIT CEO Amena Cheema said, ‘Since Punjab was now completely ripe for investment, I would like to reiterate the point made by Chief Minister Punjab that ‘investors are our masters’. In that context, PBIT stands fully equipped to provide all possible facilitation and support to those wishing to invest in our province.”

To formalise the commitment to build a footwear/leather cluster, a memorandum of understanding was signed

among PBIT, InterConnect and Faisalabad Industrial Estate Development and Management Company (FIEDMC). According to the MoU, seventy acres of lands has been allocated for the formation of the cluster.

PBIT has also set up a desk to disburse information regarding the potential business opportunities in Punjab, especially in the footwear and leather sectors. The first day included panel discussions, presentations on the manufacturing, marketing and technical aspects of footwear and leather business. During the second and third day of the seminar, Italian experts introduced the formulation of a sustainable marketing strategy to facilitate Pakistani leather goods to penetrate into the global market, especially Europe.

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industrial development/ economy

International conference & expo on biomass gasification technology Gasification, the conversion of biomass (such as crop residue) into a combustible gas fuel, is the most environmentally sound and efficient way of harnessing the ‘bio-energy’ present in the agricultural waste for power and process heat generation applications. In order to promote this indigenous resource, UNIDO Pakistan, under the umbrella of the ‘Promoting sustainable energy production and use from Biomass in Pakistan’ project is supporting the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) in organizing the first ‘International Conference and Expo on Biomass Gasification Technology (ICBGT)’ in Islamabad. The conference aims to bring in international and local experts not only from the academic and research fraternities but also practitioners and policy-makers.

The ICBGT will highlight the key barriers, challenges and possible solutions for the promotion of market-based adoption of biomass gasification technologies in Pakistan. The conference sessions will address the industrial applications of biomass gasification as an alternative, efficient and sustainable fuel for our future. The international speakers will shed light on the international experience pertaining to the development of the biomass gasification technology, including the most cutting-edge research happening in the various cor-

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ners of the globe, the policy support on offer in countries that have successfully established a robust biomass gasification sector and the best practices on the financing of this technology in order to explore its cost-effectiveness.

Parallel to the conference, an expo on Biomass Gasification Technologies shall provide a platform for the key market players to display their products and services in order to educate the participants. Local as well as international exhibitors will display their products and will build a linkage between the local and international market providing a basis for future technology cooperation and transfer.

The conference will pave the way for

greater cooperation and linkages in inter-university academic research, technology cooperation between local and international businesses and improved awareness and understanding of the policy, fiscal and economic aspects of biomass gasification technology amongst the decision-makers from both the public and private sectors. The ICBGT would be an important first step in helping the energy deficient country in not only indigenizing and ‘greening’ its energy mix but also increase energy supply to its struggling Small and Medium Enterprises industrial sector and rural communities through a cost effective means of energy production.

news and events

industrial development/ economy

Gilgit Baltistan: roof of the world

Pakistan is blessed with an abundance of unharnessed hydropower potential. The Government of Pakistan considers Hydro Power generation as the top priority due to its available potential and its status as a source for cheap and clean power generation. While large and medium hydropower projects required lot of funding, small or micro hydro could be a better alternate option to meet the power demand. Micro-hydro can be deployed to capacity in Pakistan’s Northern provinces (Gilgit Baltistan, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtun Khwa) to overcome the energy crisis in that region. The UNIDO Representative to Pakistan Mr. Esam Alqararah along with his team recently visited Gilgit Baltistan & the much renowned Hun-

za valley to find the local demand and potential in Micro Hydro Power generation and Agro-food development.

The UNIDO team met government officials, the Chief Engineer of the Water and Power Department, the Secretary Agriculture, the Chief Economist P&D, the Director Agriculture Hunza, a local women’s organization New Jubilee and local communities to figure out the possibility of partnering with them regarding Hydro Power and Agro-food related interventions.

The team also visited existing hydro power plants and were briefed about the energy & agro food related ongoing initiatives which enabled their understanding about the local requirements regarding partnership.

The visit to the existing hydro power

plants revealed the immense potential of Gilgit Baltistan for hydropower generation since it is the house of the world’s third largest glaciers. In order to harness the potential, a lot can be done in Micro, Mini or small hydropower generation for the area.

The Gilgit Baltistan government has confirmed partnership for the Agrofood related project and hopes to build stronger capabilities to plan & commence development initiatives in the industrial sectors of GB, especially in Agro business and Hydro projects. The scrutiny & observation done by UNIDO team following this visit will contribute to the future join ventures of Government of Gilgit Baltistan & UNIDO in Pakistan.

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industrial development/ economy

UNIDO Cleantech Programme’s National Academy

A two-day Cleantech National Academy was conducted for the Semi-finalists of Global Cleantech Innovation Programme (GCIP) for SMEs and Start-ups. This academy was held in Islamabad for the teams of Islamabad, KPK and adjoining areas, in Lahore for the teams of Punjab, and in Karachi for the local teams and teams of Sind.

Cleantech National Academy is a flagship training session for innovators and aspiring entrepreneurs who were selected in the Cleantech Business Accelerator Programme 2016. This intensive training program of GCIP 2016 was offered to more than 82 participants all together. This training is a part of UNIDO’s ongoing efforts to encourage and promote clean technology innovations, in partnership with Global Environment Facility (GEF) and Cleantech Open, a Silicon Valley, USA based non-profit organization. GCIP fosters innova-

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tions in Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy, Waste to Energy, Water Efficiency and Green Building as part of the larger global programme currently operating in six countries.

Mr. Esam Alqararah, UNIDO Representative to Pakistan shared his best wishes and said he is happy that UNIDO is helping the Pakistani nation in commercializing its Cleantech innovations. He also mentioned that UNIDO is very keen to have the sustainability of this project with Government of Pakistan and Private sectors to maintain this impressive progress of Pakistani innovators.

The Cleantech Open was founded on the premise that entrepreneurial innovation is the answer to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges, and the key to economic growth for all nations. This academy was jointly conducted by the GCIP Pakistan team and Mr. Paul

deGive, the Cleantech Open International trainer, who enlightened the audience with his global experience of commercializing the clean technology innovations and advised the innovators. The semi-finalists who participated in the academy developed their capacity to commercialize clean technology and got to know the diverse business environment and its related facets. This training is expected to help these semifinalists significantly in taking their Cleantech business to new heights.

news and events

labour

National Strategy for the Elimination of Child and Bonded Labour in Pakistan The draft ‘National Strategy on the Elimination of Child and Bonded Labour in Pakistan’ was discussed at an event in Islamabad which was attended by over thirty high-level representatives of the Federal and Provincial Governments, Employers and Workers. The draft strategy was developed by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OP&HRD) with technical assistance from ILO. The Strategy aims to contribute to the abolition of child and bonded labour in Pakistan by providing a framework for Federal and Provincial Governments to reinforce coordinated implementation on their Constitutional mandate through capacity development, policy integration and mainstreaming of child and bonded labour issues and concerns.

This can be achieved through key development policies, programmes and their budgets, strengthened law and enforcement, enhancing the system child and bonded labour data collection, analysis and use, partnerships and resource mobilization and Information, Education and Communication (IEC).

The framework will help facilitate coordination amongst various stakeholders, ensure a more cohesive approach to the implementation of actions that progressively eliminate child and bonded labour and improve overall compliance with and reporting

on for the ILO’s Core conventions which Pakistan has ratified.

Mr. Nawazish Ali, Secretary Labour Punjab shared that the Government of Punjab had initiated a number of steps to eliminate child and bonded labour, including the new law to eradicate child labour from brick kilns, mega projects to address child and bonded labour, enrolment of the children of brick kiln workers in schools and provision of khidmat cards to the brick kiln families who are sending children to schools.

in place a coordination mechanism that promotes accountability among various stakeholders. Ms. Chanda reiterated ILO’s continued technical and financial support to the Federal and Provincial Governments as well as Workers and Employers Organizations for the progressive elimination of child and bonded labour.

Representing the ILO Country Office, Ms. Belinda Chanda congratulated the Ministry of OP&HRD and the Workers and Employers Organizations on reaching consensus on the elements of the National Strategy and highlighted the importance of having

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news and events

labour

Effects of climate change on the labour market

Climate change is posing a direct threat to the lives and livelihoods of people across the globe. Pakistan has experienced recurrent disasters since 2005 and thus, there is an urgent need to develop a national policy to address the labour market implications of climate change.

This was the consensus reached during the 9th Business Talk Sustainability meeting organized by the Employers’ Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in collaboration with ILO and the Global Compact Network Pakistan on 13 May, 2016. The meeting was attended by experts and intellectuals drawn from business, government, NGOs, workers organizations, academia and the representatives of Agricultural Employers Associations and Agricultural Workers Unions.

The meeting participants identified the risks posed by the climate change to livelihoods and employment, emphasizing the need to enhance awareness on climate change and its adverse impact on farmers’ communities throughout Pakistan, in particular, Sindh. They also proposed the development of a Water Policy for Sindh, because water mismanagement is also promoting unem-

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ployment at a larger scale. During the focused group discussions, recommendations were made for land reforms, the need for a consistent policy with national consensus on labour, agriculture, water management, food security and other issues related to climate change and employment generation. Participants also called for imposition of agricultural tax, interaction of parliamentary standing committees with stakeholders and the promotion of public-private partnership in the design and implementation of projects to combat adverse impacts of climate change on em-

ployment with particular emphasis on the promotion of alternative and agro-based skills in rural women and youth.

A special task force was formed at the conclusion of the meeting to develop a policy framework in the light of discussions and suggestions made in the focus group meeting. The recommendations of this meeting will be placed for discussion before the forthcoming National Industrial Relations and Provincial Tripartite Labour Convention being organized by EFP on 19th & 20th May, 2016 at Karachi.

news and events

labour

Implementation of Pakistan’s Decent Work Country Program 2016-2020 Pakistan’s third Decent Work Country Program (DWCP III) was signed by the ILO’s tripartite constituents, the Government of Pakistan, the employers’ and the workers’ organizations at a ceremony convened by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development (OPHRD) in Islamabad.

Pakistan’s DWCP III covers a 5-year period (2016-2020) and is aligned with the country’s Vision 2025, provincial development plans, the One UN Programme as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).

The DWCP III is premised on the human rights based approach and results based management principles for program development. Its priorities include promoting decent work in the rural economy, promoting job creation for youth and vulnerable groups, strengthening compliance with International Labour Standards (ILS) through social dialogue and extending social protection floors.

It was developed through a consultative process that included a wide range of stakeholders including Ministries and Provincial Departments as well as academia, media and other social partners.

Signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) included the Secretary OPHRD Mr. Khizar Hayat

Khan, Secretary General of the Pakistan Workers Federation (PWF)/ ILO Governing Body Member Mr. Zahoor Awan, President of the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) Mr. Khawaja Nauman and the ILO Country Director for Pakistan, Ms. Ingrid Christensen.

The Deputy Regional Director, ILO Regional Office for Asia Pacific, Mr. David Lamotte, appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to achieve decent work and mentioned that Pakistan is among the first countries to have developed and implemented a DWCP among ILO’s member states in the Asia region.

Ms. Christensen appreciated the cooperation and ownership demonstrated by the Government, the Employers and the Workers. ‘This is the third DWCP that we are embarking

on, and the implementation of it will only be possible with cooperation of all the provincial and national stakeholders and tripartism’ she said.

She concluded her remarks with the statement: ‘It is your programme, it’s our programme, its Pakistan’s DWCP.’

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labour

Women in the informal economy

Around 73 per cent of the Pakistani workforce is employed in the informal economy, a growing part of which is women who are engaged in low paid and low status with little or no growth at all. A two-day multi-stakeholder dialogue on ‘Women in the Informal Economy: Recognising the Invisible Hands’ was held at Nathia Gali on Saturday, 28th May, with a diverse group of parliamentarians. The main objective of the activity was to engage the parliamentarians regarding the rights of the informal workforce.

It was also an opportunity to review the performance of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus regarding its efforts for the betterment of women workers in the informal sector, especially domestic workers. The participants also explored the legislative and non-legislative avenues to work for the rights of the informal workforce and discussed how parliamentarians can make a difference in this context.

The event was organized by ILO under its project Promoting Gender Equality For Decent Employment (GE4DE) which is a six-year-long initiative funded by Global Affairs Canada. The project has been implement-

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ed in Pakistan with the joint efforts of employers, workers and the government along with other stakeholders.

Among the parliamentarians, MNA Shaza Fatima Khawaja shared the draft bill of the Punjab law on domestic workers, presented by PML-N MPA Hina Butt, in Punjab Assembly with the participants. Waqar A. Memon, Chairman PWF Karachi (Sindh) Region gave a present on the situation of women workers in the agriculture and fishing sectors who work in very unhygienic and hazardous environments without the availability of first aid. They are not entitled to get any benefits like social security cover, old age pension, grants from Workers Welfare Fund etc.

The parliamentarians stated that the consultation has allowed them to

have a better understanding of the issues faced by women in the informal economy and committed that they will make all efforts to trigger and strengthen the process that leads to devising of effective strategies, drafting of national laws/policies with reference to ILO’s various conventions.

A core group from amongst the trained parliamentarians was formed to follow up with the trained group, get updates on the post training progress and share the findings with the ILO-GE4DE team.

news and events

labour

Promoting safe migration from Pakistan: Code of Conduct on Ethical Recruitment Today, about 58 percent of all Pakistani migrant workers find employment abroad with the help of a private overseas employment promoter. These promoters are licensed by the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource development (MoOP&HRD) but these licenses do not guarantee that every promoter will behave in an ethical manner. Malpractices such as high costs and fees, failure to meet placement obligations and contract substitution are fairly common among overseas promoters.

Recognizing these challenges, the Pakistan Overseas Employment Promoters Association (POEPA), the representative body of private overseas employment promoters, has developed a Code of Conduct on Ethical Recruitment as the industry’s self-regulation and monitoring programme. The Code was developed with support from the ILO ‘South Asia Labour Migration Governance’ Project that is supported by the European Union. Pakistan’s third Decent Work Country Program (DWCP) 2016-2020 highlights the importance of improved governance of labour migration and recognizes the recruitment industry as an important stakeholder. The ILO join hands with all stakeholders to protect the rights

of migrant workers and promote safe migration from Pakistan.

Talking at the launching ceremony of the Code, Chaudhry Muhammad Afzal, Central Chairman, POEPA emphasized that ‘the major aim and objective of implementation of this Code of Ethical Conduct is to identify un-ethical practices and to establish guidelines and procedures on fair and ethical business practices applicable to all POEPA members.’

Mr. Aqeel Awan, Member of (POEPA) provided a comprehensive overview of the objectives of the Code and outlined the key steps in its implementation. He explained that the Code is based on international and regional good practices and commitments on fair recruitment including ILO and other UN instruments. The key principles include promotion of highest

business standards in all components of the recruitment process including job advertisement, protection and welfare of workers, skills training, handling of complaints and disputes, job seekers and customer care and partnership development.

Ms Ingrid Christensen, Country Director, ILO, congratulated the POEPA on this achievement. She stressed that the code is a strategic component of the attempts of the Pakistani private recruitment industry to regulate the conduct of all its members through an industry-wide self-regulation and monitoring initiative; all with the aim to ensure fair recruitment.

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migrants

Stamping out child labour in agriculture Globally, nearly 60 percent of all child labourers -- almost 100 million girls and boys -- work in agriculture. The worst forms of child labour include hazardous work that can harm their health and safety.

FAO and ILO are reaching out to agricultural professionals to raise awareness about the importance of child labour issues.The two agencies launched a new e-learning course designed for use by agricultural policymakers, programme designers and implementers, researchers and statisticians, to ensure that child labour prevention measures are included in agricultural and rural development programmes, in particular those targeting poor smallholders. The course covers all sectors: crops, livestock, forestry, and fisheries and aquaculture. The agencies launched the course ahead of the UN’s World Day Against Child Labour, to be celebrated on 12 June.

‘To achieve zero hunger, we must also achieve zero child labour,’ said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva at an event in Rome.

‘We need strong partnerships, where everyone brings expertise

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and resources to the table.’ He also commented that agricultural policies and programmes have a unique role to play in addressing the root causes of child labour and should be combined with adequate education systems that meet the needs of children and youth in rural areas.

Some involvement of children in agriculture can be good, helping them to acquire knowledge and develop skills that will benefit them but they shouldn’t be working too many hours, engaging in dangerous tasks or work that is harmful to their health or education.

The course addresses the need to implement labour-saving technologies to reduce demand for child labour as well as safer agricultural practices to reduce hazardous working conditions. In many countries, children are commonly engaged in weeding. Technologies and practices that save time required for weeding - systems of rice intensification using row planting combined with mechanical weeders, for example -- can thus decrease the demand for child labour.

A new, energy-efficient fish-drying technology introduced in Africa, the FAO-Thiaroye oven, reduces exposure to harmful smoke, and

requires less fuelwood, thereby reducing the demand for child labour for fuelwood collection.

The course was co-funded by the Government of the Netherlands. It is now available in English and will soon be available in French and Spanish.

news and events

peacekeeping

Honoring Pakistan’s peacekeepers - serving the world for peace

Every year we commemorate the International Day of United Nations (UN) Peacekeepers on 29 May, paying tribute to those who served in UN peacekeeping operations and who lost their lives in the cause of global peace. Pakistani women and men peacekeepers have been actively participating in multi-national efforts to maintain peace and order around the globe since 1960. Today, Pakistan continues to be acknowledged as of one of the largest troop contributing countries in the world with 41 UN missions in 23 States and the engagement of more than 160,000 Pakistani personnel. Additionally, Deputy Superintendent Shahzadi Gulfam from Pakistan received the first-ever UN International Female Police Peacekeeper Award in 2011 for her outstanding performance and 7 Pakistani peacekeepers have been honored with UN posthumous awards during 2014-2015.

This long and rich history was acknowledged by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon on a visit to Pakistan in 2013 where he inaugurated the Center for International Peace and Stability (CIPS) and more recently when he attended the ‘Pa-

kistan Peacekeepers Day’, hosted

by Ambassador Dr. Maleeha Lodhi, UN’s Permanent Representative of Pakistan, at the UN Headquarters in New York earlier this month. During the event, Never Forget Pakistan (NFP) a local organization, in collaboration with the Pakistan Mission launched a first-ever tribute website dedicated to Pakistani UN Peacekeepers.

Pakistan’s female service personnel on the front lines of international peacekeeping, despite a low contribution, are serving as police officers, doctors and nurses. Their presence creates an environment conducive to the rehabilitation of humanity and can positively impact the confidence of the local population, specifically women and girls.

Women and men experience conflict differently and therefore understand

peace differently. Recognizing and integrating these differences - known as gender perspectives - into all aspects of UN peace operations, is essential for the success of the UN’s peacekeeping efforts. Towards this, UN Women and CIPS have been training Pakistani UN peacekeepers, pre-deployment, since 2010 to boost preparedness and ensure gender responsive UN peacekeeping operations.

UN Women will continue to support and work with CIPS to further strengthen Pakistan’s determination to be a force for peace and ensure that gender issues are at the core of Pakistan’s peacekeeping missions.

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peacekeeping

interview

A conversationwith Shahzadi Gulfam: living my dream - to be educated in a manner where we could contribute back positively to the society that raised us.

I took my studies and extra-curricular activities very seriously - I loved sports!

By the time I was 16 years of age I had passed my Matriculation exams with very good marks and received many sports awards. Matric exams for many Pakistani girls would signal the end of her educational journey. I was one of the lucky ones as I was sent to the city for further studies - this was just the beginning for me.

Shahzadi Gulfam has had the pleasure of serving in 4 different UN peacekeeping missions. In August 2011 she was awarded the first-ever UN International Female Police Peacekeeper Award for her many years of achievements including supervising 150 police officers conducting criminal investigations, and being the first female to represent Pakistan in the UN’s Mission to Bosnia Herzegovina in 1997. Currently she is a Deputy Superintendent of Police in Punjab, Pakistan.

As a female role model for policing and peace keeping, could you tell us something about your childhood?

My childhood was spent in the small village of Pingali, in a suburb of Lahore, the Provincial Capital of Punjab. Both my parents, especially my father, wanted all of their children - sons and daughters alike

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Who has been the greatest influencer in your life?

My father, Sahibzada Ghulam Ali was a hard task master, gentle yet firm - he was my supporter and role model in my academic studies as well as in sports.

He countered all family objections when I wanted to study further. He was the one who made the bold decision to send me to Lahore for college and university studies. With my father’s coaching, I excelled in inter-university sports at both national and international levels. Sadly, I lost my father at the end of my fourth and last mission in 2012 – his health had deteriorated and one night, he passed away in his sleep.

To live a life without him was unthinkable; however, in the end it was the same courage he had instilled in me that pulled me through the difficult and painful days.

How and why did you enter the police force?

In 1985 when the Punjab Police announced the recruitment of women police officers, I immediately and instinctively knew what I had to do. I guess it was because of my childhood fascination with ‘uniforms’. Seeing a woman police officer - their confidence, authority and grace was a rarity. As a young girl I had always dreamt that one day I too would join the police force, wear a uniform and serve my country.

A combination of cultural values, family traditions, social backwardness, illiteracy and ignorance prevented Pakistani

women joining the police or armed forces - these were considered the domain of men. Nurses, doctors and teachers were considered a “safe” careers for young girls – but I wanted to be a police woman!

With my father’s nod of approval, I joined the Punjab police force as an Assistant Sub-Inspector. The training was challenging, strenuous and demanding.

Was it difficult working in a male-dominated field? What were the obstacles and challenges faced, if any, and how did you overcome these?

What was worse was the prejudice and discrimination received from a few male colleagues during my training days. Following my training I was posted to the city of Rawalpindi as an Investigating Officer within many stations, including the Special Branch of Police. Fieldwork was very demanding and as a woman, I faced a number of ‘prejudices’ especially from citizens who had never had dealings with female police officers. I had to be very tactful when dealing with the public and even with my force.

Can you tell us about your peacekeeping missions, including concerns and experiences?

In 1997, I was selected for my first UN peacekeeping mission. It was an unbelievable moment for me! I was the first woman police officer from Pakistan ever to be selected, and this was also my first opportunity to go overseas and work with police officers of different nationalities. During the one year I spent in Bosnia Herzegovina (a country torn apart by civil war) where I was posted as a Patrolling & Background Certification Officer, I witnessed for the first time horrible atrocities against humanity. It was most probably the strict discipline of my training and uniform that kept the tears from coming to my eyes. This ‘dark side’ of mankind made me more determined to help those who really needed it, even if it meant risking my own life! This experience taught me to rise above color, creed and religion, and reach out to those whose

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lives were literally hanging on a thin thread.

My second peacekeeping mission was to Kosovo, in 1999 to 2001 as a Recruitment & Selection Officer. Here I was tasked to encourage local girls to join the police force and to train newly recruited police officers.In 2007 and 2010 I was deployed to Timor-Leste. My last peacekeeping mission was to Timor-Leste and ended in 2012.

It was in June 2011, whilst here, when I was informed of my nomination for a UN Peacekeeping Award in USA. This was a dream come true - I knew I had made my parents especially my father, the proudest parents ever.

As a peacekeeper did you ever have to deal with any hostile or frightening situations?

The most painful moments on mission were interacting with the many victims of abuse and violence - from broken marriages, prostitutes, victims of illegal human trafficking or abused children. I could feel their pain deep in my heart because at the end of the day I am human too.

What would you say is key to improving women’s representation in public participation?

Women are taking a proactive role in building our society and societal mindsets need to keep changing, for the better.

Today I see young women contributing positively in every walk of life. They are joining the police force, armed services and becoming fighter pilots - these jobs were unimaginable for girls in my younger days. Though prejudices and discrimination against working women has reduced significantly, in my view, a lot still needs to be done and that includes educating every child.

What one message would you give to women and girls to address barriers that limit them from ‘living their dream’?

Well, my message to the young girls living in developing countries is that they must focus on their studies. Aim high and put your honest and sincere efforts to achieve your dream. Obstacles and hardship will come in your way but if you are determined then God will definitely extend His help through some unknown and unexpected source.

Shahzadi Gulfam Pakistani Female Peacekeeper

peacekeeping

Major General Per Gustaf Lodin appointed Head of mission UNMOGIP in India and Pakistan (2012-2014).

Major General Lodin also served as Director of Strategic Planning and Development (2008), Head of Strategies, Research and Development and Business Development (2007) and Deputy Chief of Staff at the Swedish Armed Forces (2005-2006).

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Major General Per Lodin of Sweden as the Chief Military Observer and Head of Mission for the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP).

Major General Lodin is a member of the Swedish Academy of Military Science. He holds a diploma from the Graduate Institute of International studies based in Geneva and attended the United Nations Senior Mission Leaders course in 2015.

Born in 1956, he is married and has two children.

Major General Lodin succeeds Major General Delali Johnson Sakyi of Ghana, who will complete his twoyear assignment on 2 July 2016. The Secretary-General is grateful to Major General Sakyi for his contribution to United Nations Peacekeeping.

With a distinguished military career in the Swedish Army beginning in 1978, Major General Lodin most recently held the position of Director of Procurement and Logistics for the Swedish Armed Forces. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Director of the National Armaments for Sweden

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poverty

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry meets children facing immense challenges in Vietnam

Following a visit to Vietnam, internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry is calling for increased focus on children being left behind in one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. According to the World Bank income classification, Vietnam has now ‘graduated’ to become a lower-middle-income country. However, in rural areas, children continue to suffer from deprivation and rampant poverty stands in sharp contrast to the progress evident in big cities.

Katy Perry visited the rural Ninh Thuan province, among the poorest and most remote regions of Vietnam. She visited UNICEF programmes aimed at ending exclusion for children with disabilities, and also saw the organization’s work in child survival, education, early childhood development, water, sanitation and hygiene.

In addition to poverty which traps families in intergenerational cycles of deprivation, many of the country’s

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most vulnerable children and families now have to deal with the effects of climate change. A lack of access to clean water and sanitation, combined with long periods of drought, means children are even more prone to malnutrition and disease.

Katy’s visit aims to draw attention to critical issues impacting the millions of children who are not benefitting equally from prosperity. Many of them told her that they didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of their parents – they dream of being doctors and teachers and breaking the cycle of poverty their parents are living in.

Children from ethnic minorities -which account for some 15 per cent of the total population in the country -- continue to face exclusion and limited opportunities. Those who don’t

speak Vietnamese as a first language find themselves behind at school and with very slim chances of achieving the levels of education which can lift them out of poverty. UNICEF and the Government of Vietnam are working together to break down the language barriers faced by children from ethnic minorities with the aim of giving them the opportunity to learn the primary school curricula in their mother-tongue language.

UNICEF supports the government and other partners in pursuing an equal agenda for all children in the country and especially for children from ethnic minorities and low-income families, children with disabilities, and children at risk of exploitation and abuse.

news and events

refugees and displaced persons

Education is the key to success and development The UNHCR Nansen Refugee Award Laureate, Aqeela Asifi has said that investing in education means investing in the future of a nation, without which no country could develop and prosper. She was addressing a gathering organized in her honor by the UN Refugee Agency and its partner agency WESS at the University of Baluchistan. The event was held to pay tribute to Mrs. Asifi’s tireless efforts in brining education to some of the most underprivileged Afghan refugee girls.

Mrs. Asifi was on a three-day mission to Balochistan for the first time. Her visit was aimed at highlighting the importance of education for children in exile. During her stay, she also visited Saranan Refugee Village, where she held meetings with community elders, teachers, students and their parents.

Also present at the occasion were Vice Chancellor, University of Balochistan Prof.Dr. Javid Iqbal; Afghan Consul General Waheedullah Momand; Secretory Education Balochistan, Saboor Kakar; and Chief Executive WESS, Pervez Iqbal and a huge number of students.

Commissioner Afghan Refugees in Balochistan, Brig (Ret) Masud Ahmed said, “Educated refugees provide leadership in displacement situa-

tions and in rebuilding communities, recovering from conflict. Education provides knowledge and skill development that strengthen the capacity of our future generation to be agents of social transformation.”

Dinesh Shrestha, head of UNHCR in Balochistan said that ensuring the provision of education to refugee children is a core component of UNHCR’s work both nationally and internationally. Mr. Shrestha informed that UNHCR’s education interventions are not limited to refugee children only, but the Agency is also providing assistance to refugee hosting, local communities through the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative.

Since 2009, UNHCR in Balochistan has supported more than 200 public schools under RAHA by improving

the school infrastructure, provision of missing facilities like libraries, computer labs, latrines and classrooms.

Aqeela Asifi currently teaches children at Kot Chandana refugee camp, in Punjab province. She has been widely recognised for her brave and untiring dedication to education for refugee girls in Pakistan - while herself overcoming the struggles of life in exile.

Despite minimal resources and significant cultural challenges, Asifi has guided over a thousand refugee girls through their primary education, since she herself fled her native Afghanistan more than 23 years ago.

In recognition of her services Aqeela Asifi was also nominated for the Global teacher Prize and she was among the top ten finalists.

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refugees and displaced persons

Global refugee youth consultations in Islamabad With 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees, Pakistan continues to hosts the world’s largest protracted refugee situation.

Sixty-four per cent this population comprises of youth, below the age of 24 and 25 per cent of the Afghan refugee population are youth ages 15 to 24.

A 3-Day Global Refugee Youth Consultation (GRYC) workshop was held in Islamabad in which Afghan refugee and Pakistani youth asserted that access to quality education and skills training, capacity building, decent work opportunities and inclusion of youth in planning is crucial in today’s competitive world. The GRYCs are a global initiative coordinated by UNHCR and the Women’s Refugee Commission with the support of the Youth and Adolescents in Emergencies (YAE) Advocacy Group and are taking place in 10 countries including Pakistan.

20 Afghan and five Pakistani youth representatives from all over Pakistan participated in the consultative dialogue and presented their recommendations pertaining to various issues faced by refugee and host community youth to donor and other stakeholder representatives in Islam-

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abad.

The consultations are designed to give young refugees a voice through dialogue with each other as well as with concerned stakeholders nationally and internationally on issues that affect them. These consultations will provide an opportunity for young refugees to be heard, to listen and discuss, build new connections, and make recommendations on how they could be more involved in solving the challenges that they and their communities face.

Speaking at the occasion, Indrika Ratwatte, UNHCR Representative in Pakistan appreciated the enthusiasm of the youth for their active participation in the GRYC and advised them to

use the power of their convictions to change the world. He was inspired by the pragmatic approach and solutions which the youth recommended to all stakeholders for addressing some core issues that are not only limited to refugees but pertinent also to youth globally.

As a next step of the GRYC, the information collected from the participants will be used to develop guidelines and policy recommendations for the UN, NGOs and other organisations that work with youth; to advocacy on the issues that are important to young refugees.

news and events

refugees and misplaced person

UNHCR doubles voluntary repatriation grant for registered Afghan refugees opting to return to Afghanistan The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi concluded his first tri-nation visit to Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan . On the last leg of his mission in Pakistan, the High Commissioner announced an increase in the assistance package for registered Afghan refugee families, who are opting to return to Afghanistan under the UNHCR facilitated voluntary return progamme.

During his 3-day stay in Pakistan, Mr. Grandi met with President Mamnoon Hussain, Minister of Finance, Ishaq Dar; Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Lt. Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch; Sartaj Aziz, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs; Lt. Gen (Ret) Nasir Khan Janjua, Advisor to the Prime Minister on National Security; the Chief of General Staff, and the Chief Minister and Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Commending Pakistan’s generosity for hosting one of the world’s largest protracted refugee populations, the High Commissioner noted that the international community needs to support solutions in Afghanistan through robust development investments. He reassured the Pakistani leadership of UNHCR’s continued support in assisting the 1.5 million Afghan refugees currently residing in the country.

Grandi confirmed that programmes will be upscaled for refugee hosting communities through the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative in Pakistan and the Government of Afghanistan will be supported in implementing its plans to create conditions conducive for sustainable return and reintegration in high return areas.

The High Commissioner also inaugurated a Government Girls Primary School in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which was upgraded under the RAHA programme.

The High Commissioner and Lt. Gen (R) Abdul Qadir Baloch called for robust and more equitable responsibility-sharing and enhanced international support for Pakistan, especially in the area of youth empowerment through education, skills and liveli-

hoods. This also constitutes an important investment in building the human capital of the Afghan youth, empowering them to be agents of stability and progress and enhancing prospects for solutions.

Robust development initiatives aimed at creating conducive conditions for sustainable reintegration in Afghanistan are vital to allow for inclusion, participation and active contribution of returning Afghans, particularly the youth. The High Commissioner added: ‘the international community’s collective engagement in closing one of the world’s most protracted refugee chapters can serve as an inspiring achievement in an era when global displacement reaches an unprecedented scale.’

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water and sanitation

Rehabilitation of drinking water scheme to benefit over 80,000 people

The Deputy Commissioner of Chitral, Osama Ahmed Warraich and the UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Angela Kearney inaugurated the rehabilitation of the Angarghoon drinking water supply scheme. The largest and the only source for safe drinking water in the area, it is expected to benefit over 80,000 people in Chitral Town and the neighbouring villages.

With an estimated cost of US$223,000, the rehabilitation of the Angarghoon water supply scheme is funded by the Department for International Development (DFID) United Kingdom.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Warriach said that the district government is grateful to UNICEF and DFID for their generous support in restoring this water scheme which is the main source of safe drinking water for the people of Chitral. He highlighted that people in the region have suffered due to recurrent natural calamities and the district authorities are trying their utmost to rehabilitate the affected population.

He appreciated the support from the humanitarian community in this context.

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UNICEF has proactively restored 20 drinking water schemes in the Chitral district and another 21 in the Shangla district, within months of the floods and the earthquake that struck the region in 2015.

These schemes have been restored on the principle of ‘Build Back Better’ incorporating the elements of Disaster Risk Reduction to help communities be better prepared for a disaster and minimise its effects.

‘Recurrent natural disasters in Chitral during the last few months have made it evident that climate change is having an adverse effect on this region’ said Ms Kearney ‘Restoration of the Angarghoon water scheme is a testimony to the fact that we are mindful of the most basic need, clean and safe drinking water, for the people of Chitral.

Lack of safe drinking water in the aftermath of a disaster could lead to the spread of waterborne diseases especially among children and that is a situation we wish to prevent.’

‘UNICEF is grateful to the Provincial Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the District Administration of Chitral and DFID for its generous support not only for this particular water scheme but also for their overall support to our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene emergency response after the floods and the earthquake in Chitral’ she added.

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youth

Launch of the ‘We The People, We the Arts’ Competition

In 2016, the Embassy of Switzerland marks its 50th year of its cooperation with Pakistan through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). On the occasion of this anniversary, the SDC has joined forces with UNIC Islamabad to promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through visual arts.

The ‘We the People, We the Arts’ competition aims at including young artists in promoting the theme of zero hunger. This competition involves young artists studying in the leading art schools of Pakistan; NCA Lahore, NCA Rawalpindi, Karachi University, University of Peshawar, and Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture. We are asking

students to develop artwork, using the mediums of sculpture, painting, and miniature painting, to highlight the themes of zero hunger and freedom of expression. All entries will be judged using the same criteria: creativity, composition, theme and technique.

Visual art is a universal language

that transcends national boundaries. A means of cultural diplomacy, it serves as powerful tool to promote positive values and development issues. Artists, who appeal to both intellect and emotion to get their message across, are key drivers of social change. Promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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is the top priority for UNIC and art is an ideal channel for ensuring that young people are fully aware of them and take themselves a leading role in their promotion. The medium of visual arts empowers young artists to showcase a positive face of Pakistan while raising the profile of contemporary art from the country.

In order to launch the competition Director UNIC, Vittorio Cammarota, and Director of Cooperation SDC, Stefanie Burri, visited all the participating institutions to brief the students on the competition. Vittorio Cammarota briefed the students on the theme of zero hunger and the sustainable development goals.

Stefanie Burri talked about the work of SDC in Pakistan and linkages between Swiss and Pakistani cul-

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youth

ture. Students also viewed special messages on hunger in Pakistan by Patrick Evans, country representative FAO, and Lola Castro, country representative WFP.

“2016 marks the 50th anniversary of SwissPakistan development cooperation. From the beginning of its cooperation in 1966, Switzerland worked together with the Government of Pakistan to contribute to a sustainable, equitable and inclusive development of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas for the benefit of the people, in particular the most vulnerable as women and children.

SDC considers art to be a universal language that transcends national boundaries. As a mean of cultural diplomacy, it serves as a powerful tool to promote positive values and development issues. To mark the 50th anniversary, SDC decided to support young artists through the ‘We the People, We the Arts’ art competition.”

Stefanie Burri Director of Cooperation, Swiss Cooperation Office Pakistan, Embassy of Switzerland

one united nations

What we need from the Humanitarian Summit

Next week at the first ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, leaders from Governments, international agencies, the private sector and civil society will gather to announce their commitments to address some of the most critical challenges we face today. The needs for the Summit are clear: conflicts that know no end causing untold suffering, mass displacement, and political and economic turmoil; flagrant violations of international humanitarian law; eye-watering levels of hunger and child malnutrition; more severe and more frequent natural disasters linked to climate change; and growing inequality that is cutting off millions from development progress. The statistics are staggering: more than 130 million people need access to humanitarian assistance and protection and the numbers keep on rising. Over 40.8 million people are displaced within their own country as a result of conflict and violence and a further 20.2 million people have sought refuge in other countries. In 2015 alone, 19.2 million people were displaced due to natural disasters in 113 countries. Prioritizing the most vulnerable, the United Nations and our humanitarian partners are seeking almost US$21 billion to provide aid for 91 million people in 40 countries Yet, almost half-way into the year, $17 billion of that vital $21 billion is still missing, denying our ability to assist people who in many cases have lost everything. When UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit four years ago he recognized that the status quo cannot continue. The timing for such a gathering has never been more acute. World leaders must grapple with the reality of humanitarian needs spiralling out of control.We now have this once in

a generation opportunity to set in motion an ambitious agenda to change the way that we alleviate, and most importantly prevent, the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people. To succeed, the Secretary-General in his ‘Agenda for Humanity’ calls for commitments and actions that focus on catalysing change.To transform the lives of millions of people, one of the most critical shifts we need to see at the Summit is to redirect the international spotlight onto conflict prevention and resolution. As a start, political leaders must harness their combined determination and responsibility in recognizing that the only way we can reduce human suffering on such a protracted and massive scale is to do better to prevent and end conflict.

This will require world leaders to significantly increase their investment in shoring up stability and giving proactive preventive diplomacy the primacy it deserves.

Leaders must also address violations of international humanitarian laws - laws that bind all States and non-state armed groups. In today’s conflict settings, international laws are violated with impunity: civilians killed in their homes and hospital beds or besieged to the point of starvation, and humanitarians and health care workers who try to help them targeted in illegal, often fatal, attacks. The Summit must also bring life to the commitment leaders have already made as part of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, to leave no one behind and to start with those furthest behind first. We heed the call of crisis-affected people: they don’t just want to survive and be protected; they want a chance to have hope and to thrive. We need to find better ways once and for all, to reduce need and build resilience. We must all commit to adopt a new way of working by forming inclusive partnerships with Governments, civil society, development and humanitarian actors.Finally, none of these – and many other - changes will be possible unless we find smarter ways to finance and mobilize resources to alleviate suffering and reduce vulnerability and address risk.

At the Summit of dozens of ambitious

and realizable initiatives will be launched, attesting to the vibrancy and diversity of the humanitarian sector: We will call on leaders to commit to halve the number of internally displaced people from 40 million in 2016 to 20 million by 2030. We will call on leaders to support a new ‘Global Preparedness Partnership’, which aims to achieve a minimum level of readiness for natural disasters in 20 countries by 2020.

The Connecting Business initiative will be launched, aiming to transform private sector engagement in disaster risk reduction, emergency preparedness, response and recovery at the local, national and regional levels. There will also be new exciting partnerships on global health emergencies and urban crises. Over the past few decades, humanitarians have improved every aspect of humanitarian response: stronger analysis; better cooperation; more local and national capacity; and higher operational standards. Yet we must not stop striving to improve, to become more effective and efficient at saving and protecting more lives. As part of this determined drive, we will ask leaders across the humanitarian spectrum to sign on to a ‘Grand Bargain’ between donors and agencies by redirecting one billion dollars in efficiency savings to the front-line of humanitarian action over the next five years. In signing up to this bargain, aid agencies agree to improve the efficiency and accountability of the money we spend. For our part, my office will start by significantly streamline funding processes, lay greater stress on funding frontline local and national responders and champion the new way of working.

We recognize that these changes will not always be comfortable. They will involve disagreement and compromise. The Summit presents a historic, ground-breaking opportunity and it is our moral responsibility as leaders to take action – the cost of not doing so, is too high.

Join us!

Stephen O’Brien Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator

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one united nations

UN Wall Chalking campaign inaugurates two walls in NCA Rawalpindi and GCU Lahore

UNIC is empowering Pakistani youth for the promotion of peace and harmony in the country. In 2015, on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the UN, UNIC Islamabad joined forces with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), UNFPA and the whole UN System to launch the UN Wall Campaign. It is a wall chalking campaign for Pakistani youth to disseminate key values of the United Nations. The campaign offers an unprecedented opportunity for the youth of Pakistan to showcase a positive image of their country and promote the values of the United Nations throughout their schools and universities.

Vittorio Cammarota, Director UNIC, and Stefanie Burri, Head of Cooper-

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ation SDC, recently inaugurated two key UN Walls. On 13th May, a very striking mural was inaugurated at NCA Rawalpindi in a prominent location at the entrance of the university.

Students had incorporated tones of grey in the basic blue and white format. The messages they used were on the promotion of peace and education for all. The UNIC Team also lauded NCA’s initiative towards inclusive employment, specifically the initiative to mainstream trans people in the workforce.

On 24th May, another powerful mural was inaugurated at Government College University (GCU) Lahore.

The students from the Fine Arts Department of the University used the tones of blue and white to represent

peace, freedom and education. The stunning visual used the imagery of doves to depict peace. The UNIC Team also met with the Vice Chancellor and Heads of Department of the University and discussed ways to collaborate in the future.

interview

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A conversation with students of NCA Rawalpindi on the UN Wall Chalking campaign

Dania and Nahel recently participated in the UN Wall Campaign. In this interview they share their experience of participating in the campaign.

Q. What motivated you to participate?

Dania: I wanted to help and bring about awareness in the people especially in our countries current condition and this opportunity seemed the perfect fit.

Nihal: Seeing children out on the streets begging for food and money always wrenched my heart – and still does. I’ve always wanted to do something about it – even if it’s a small contribution – but being a fulltime student I never got the chance to. Then when we got this oppor-

tunity of painting a UN peace well, how could I possibly have said no?

It felt like this was the opportunity I had been waiting for my whole life!

Q. Why did you pick these particular messages?

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Dania: Illiteracy and poverty are a major problem not only here but throughout the world and if we can bring about a change in it through our message and help those people in any small way, I believe its worth a try.

Nahel: Seeing children half my age – and even younger – begging on the streets in the hope of being provided with some of the very basic necessities of life always hurt me and I knew that if I were to fix this problem and if this problem could ever be truly fixed, then ‘education’ would be the solution. ‘Education’ is the key word here.

I thought to myself that this is my chance to voice my opinions and help towards bringing a positive change to society. After a discussion with my teammates, I realized I was not the only one whose mind was encompassed by these thoughts. At last, we decided to address both the notions simultaneously and weave them together to provide a complete picture of the major concerns that revolve around our society.

Q. Why did you choose this particular imagery and colour tones?

Dania: This image showed a mix of both the sad reality and state of children in these situation as well as their never ending smile and hope for a better future and I think that was the best message we could put forward. No innocent child should be deprived of a good education and basic necessitates. The colours black and white were to keep the sad reality present be only in colour

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and the colour blue was to depict the UN as it is known for its work in this line and it shows how its trying to help change this world slowly but surely.

Nahel: We wanted something bold yet something that is soothing to the eyes. We wanted to chalk out a picture that could be stared at and pondered upon for hours; something that would rinse the eyes of the viewer with positivity and impel them to do something (good for the society). The phrases seen on the wall were intentionally kept short and simple in order to penetrate the minds of the viewers even if they glance at them.

The illustration shows two underprivileged boys who are smiling and laughing despite the daily struggles they face every day. Their laughter serves as an emblem of peace, love, happiness, patience and positivity and their smiles reflect their patience and bravery. We hope to arrest the viewer’s attention by embedding these beautiful messages behind the children’s smiles into their minds so that they are more aware of the key concerns of our society and also so that they aspire to help the underprivileged.

Q. How do you think wall chalking can play a role in promoting peace?

Dania: I think the walls of a city are something which every man, woman and child sees everyday, even if unconsciously. More than banners or posters, if a message was written or drawn on a wall more people would

take the time to look and see. This message would reach all the economic classes, not only the highend. So if wall chalking is properly used, I believe it can promote peace be it only as simple as instilling an idea in the minds of individuals.

Which will later sprout its colours in the form of peace no matter on what scale.

Nahel: Walls are everywhere. They are what build the very foundations of the cities we live in and surround us all the time. This is why walls cannot be turned a blind eye to and the messages on them ignored. Anyone and everyone who passes by that street will at least once glance at the wall if it is not gazed at. Short and simple messages like the ones we wrote on the wall stick to a person’s mind and stay in his/her subconscious memory even when he/she is not thinking about it. Sooner or later, hopefully, the messages we have promoted will drive one person or the other to help contribute positively to the society. Even if one doesn’t bring a positive change, he/she can be the positive change.

Dania and Nahel students at the National College of Arts, Rawalpindi

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UN Wall inaugurated in a girl’s primary school in Nowshera On June 23rd, a UN Wall was inaugurated at the Daag Behsud Government Girls Primary School in Nowshera, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The students were asked to paint a prominent wall in their schools with specially designed messages that reflect the values of the UN. The High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi and Education Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Atif Khan participated in the event along with many other guests and students. The messages focused on peace, tolerance, gender equity, and education because these were the key issues in that region.

Aqeela Asifi, winner of the NANSEN award and the heads of agencies of UNHCR, UNESCO, UNICEF, and

UNIC in Pakistan wrote short messages on peace and education on the wall. The school has over 900 young girls, out of which 120 are refugee girls, who will benefit from the campaign. The campaign is

specially designed for young people of Pakistan and aims at gaining their support for disseminating the values of the United Nations throughout their schools.

PR training for UNCG members

Effective communication work is crucial to the work of any development agency. To this end, UNIC Islamabad organized a ‘Writing for PR’ training for members of the UN Communications Group (UNCG) on 10-11 June 2016.

The training was attended by UN Staff members and representatives from various embassies.

The two-day training was conducted

by Samuel Heath, Head of Communication, British High Commission. Rana

Jawad, Bureau Chief, Geo Network, Michael Harker, Communications Specialist, US Embassy and Issam Ahmed from Agence France-Presse (AFP), also gave presentations on PR. Samuel Heath gave participants a gen-

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eral overview on how to write a news story, models of communication and writing press releases and features.

Though interactive discussion sessions, he gave tips on how writing can be improved specifically within the development context. To encourage participants to put their learning into action, there was an overnight writing exercises which Samuel provided feedback on the following day. Issam Ahmed from the AFP spoke about how to work with the International media and answered questions on how to get news stories noticed by the international press.

On the second day, Michael Harker gave a presentation on effective digi-

tal communication, which focused on how social media outreach can be improved. He shared a couple of video campaigns that the US Embassy had run on Facebook and the strategy that was used to reach the maximum number of people.

Rana Jawad took time out of his busy schedule to speak at the training and shared his experience working as a Bureau Chief and the challenges that are encountered by news networks in Pakistan. He gave specific feedback regarding UN communications and offered excellent tips to participants on how they can make their press releases appeal to major news networks like

Geo. Vittorio Cammarotta, Director UNIC Islamabad expressed his gratitude to the training presenters for taking the time to conduct the training and mentioned that it is a great opportunity for UNCG members to update their skills.

The training is part of a series that UNIC plans to conduct so that communications work at the UN is continuously updated. Using the expertise of communications specialists and the examples of effective campaigns, participants at the training learned new skills and strategies to improve their communication work and appeal to a wider audience.

Ms. Ingrid Christensen joins ILO as the new Country Director Ms. Ingrid Christensen, was appointed as the ILO Country Director for Pakistan on 1 April 2016. Prior to this, she held positions as a Senior Specialist on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) at the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team (DWT) for the East and South-East Asia and the Pacific, Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Bangkok, and at the ILO-DWT for South Asia, New Delhi, respectively. She has also officiated as Officer-in-Charge for the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh and for the ILO Liaison Office in Kabul. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Danish Working Environment Authority, Ministry for Employment, and for the Technical Advisory Service, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Her first assignment

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with the ILO was as an Associate Expert on OSH for the Regional Office for Asia and Pacific. She holds a Masters Degree in Pharmacy.

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UNICEF alarmed at refugee and migrant deaths in the Mediterranean UNICEF expresses alarm at the number of migrant and refugee deaths in the past week in the Central Mediterranean, many of whom were believed to be unaccompanied minors.

In anticipation of a major summer upswing of child migrants using the dangerous crossing between Libya and Italy, UNICEF will shortly begin

an operation with the Italian Government and partners to provide protection support.

The vast majority of children using the crossing are unaccompanied adolescents and they have faced appalling abuses, exploitation and the possibility of death at every step of their journey.

“The stories which I have personally heard from children making this journey are horrifying. No child should

face them. Their lives are in the hands of smugglers who care for nothing other than the money they exhort from them,” said Marie-Pierre Poirier UNICEF Special Coordinator for the European Refugee and Migrant Crisis.

An average of 1,000 unaccompanied children a month have arrived in Italy this year but UNICEF expects this figures to spike in the coming months.

FAO staff remember Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad

The morning of June 3 was sombre at the FAOPK Representation office in Islamabad. The news of Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad’s sudden death left his family, friends and colleagues in shock and disbelief.

A condolence meeting was held at the

FAOPK premises to commemorate the life and work of the late Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad. His sons, Misbah Ahmad and Burhan Ahmad also joined the gathering. Colleagues of Dr. Iftikhar remembered him fondly and spoke of memorable professional experiences with

him. A minute of prayer was also observed at the condolence.

Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad was a renowned agriculture development expert. In 1982, he obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Biology from the University of Wales in the United Kingdom. During his illustrious career, he served as Chairman of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) and also held a number of prestigious positions including Member at Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and Director General, National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC).

He wrote more than 300 publications and held memberships of 22 societies and professional bodies. He joined FAO Pakistan as Program Advisor on 16 November 2015. He is survived by 2 sons and 1 daughter.

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UNICEF supports raising standards for Mother and Neonatal Health Care systems in Swat Valley Ms Karin Hulshof, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia, visited various projects working under UNICEF’s Maternal and Newborn Child Health (MNCH) programme in the Swat district, of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. ‘Pakistan is very close to my heart and I am glad that UNICEF’s contributions have helped in training and the establishing facilities to save and improve the lives of mothers and children in this beautiful valley’ she said. Since 2012, UNICEF has worked to help the people of Swat, rebuild their lives and strengthened social and health care services for the wellbeing of women and children within the district.

The highlight of her mission was a visit to Saidu Teaching Hospital, where UNICEF has helped to establish the Sick New-Born Care Unit (SNCU). In line with Every Newborn Action Plan endorsed by World Health Assembly in 2014, UNICEF is assisting the Government of Pakistan in developing a Newborn Survival Strategy. Work is being done to scale up evidence based newborn care interventions in selected districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. By building capacity for Essential Newborn Care (ENC) and basic Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC), the subject is quickly becoming a reality.

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Another important aspect of the MNCH programme is the training and capacity building of community health workers to support Pakistan’s Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI). UNICEF has provided continued support to train community health workers to reach every child in the country by providing necessary vaccines at the doorstep. So far, over ten thousand LHWs have been trained under the programme.

guest in town

WFP Director Human Resources, Prereana Issar visited Pakistan

The WFP Director Human Resources (HR), Prerana Issar’s one week visit to Pakistan concluded on 6 May. During her visit, Prerana interacted with WFP staff based in Pakistan and addressed queries pertaining to HR practices at the national as well as global level, and encouraged skills and career development for enhanced competitiveness on the job market.

For the Pakistani audience specifically, Prerana recorded a one hour programme for the Pakistan Television (PTV) ‘Diplomatic Enclave’, and included additional topics such as WFP HR practices and recruitment processes, as well as job opportunities, especially

for women and young professionals, in the development sector and in emergency situations in and outside of Pakistan.

Prerana also spoke on similar topics while addressing undergraduate and graduate students at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) in Lahore. The students showed a keen interest in having internship as well as full time career opportunities with WFP. Highlighting that students are the future of any nation, Prerana encouraged them to work with WFP to ‘respond when disaster strikes, make communities more resilient, and find new ways for families to access food and achieve

zero hunger.’

The HR Director also visited the nutrition site and the Humanitarian Response Facility (HRF) in Jalozai Camp, flour mill in Peshawar, Khewra salt mine, PASSCO facility near Lahore and a salt processing plant in Lahore.

Meetings were also held with the Member Health, Planning & Development Department, Government of Punjab, to discuss WFP’s transition strategy in Punjab, and with representatives from Micronutrient Initiative.

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UNHCR Chief Urges for inclusive education for all including Afghan refugees

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi visited Pakistan recently and urged the international community to invest more in education for children, in particular for countries with protracted refugee situations. Mr Grandi attended the inauguration ceremony of a Government Girls Primary School in Daad Behsud, Nowshera. He spent some quality time with students and also inaugurated a Sus-

on air

Mr. Esam Alqararah, Country Representative of UNIDO, and a team of UNIDO experts had a very informative and detailed discussion on Radio FM Pakistan 100 in prime time for one hour to celebrate 50 years of sustainability and progress towards inclusive and sustainable industrial development. UNIDO commenced working in Pakistan in the 1970s and the team shared their experiences of working here. A huge

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tainable Development Goal #4 (SDG) wall at the School. Together with the students, he painted SDG messages on one of the walls of the school, dedicated to promote education. The UN Wall Campaign is a wall chalking campaign for the Pakistani youth to disseminate key values of the United Nations.

The High Commissioner appreciated the provincial government for allowing access to refugee children in public

schools. However, he noted that education for refugees still remains widely under-supported and underfunded.

Under-investment in refugee education results in continued low enrolment rates, gender disparity and low quality of education. He also added that the tireless work of educators and community activists, such as the 2015 Nansen Refugee Award winner, Aqeela Asifi, is testament to the fact that solutions can be found, even in the most challenging of contexts. The Daag Behsud School upgrading is part of the United Nations and Government of Pakistan joint Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) initiative. Germany is one of the key donors for RAHA interventions and have provided â‚Ź27.5 million in sectors of health, education, community infrastructure and livelihood, across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

A live chat with people of Pakistan to celebrate UNIDO’s 50 years; together for sustainable future number of calls & messages were received. UNIDO thanked the people of Pakistan for their trust & for sharing the joy of the 50th anniversary. Questions regarding the first international conference on Biomass gasification technologies and call for awards to promote innovations were also entertained.

on air

Talking about youth on Radio Pakistan Hira Hafeez-Ur-Rehman, U-Report Manager UNICEF Pakistan, talked about U-Report PakAvaz: a free youth-facing mobile engagement tool that allows young people to discuss issues that matter to them and their communities. It engages children and young people in community development and social monitoring to create positive change in Pakistan. SMS

polls and information are sent out to U-Reporters and real-time response information is collected. Data received can be disaggregated by age, gender and districts in real time. Results and ideas are shared back with the community, policy makers and public at large to encourage change. Issues polled include health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene, youth

unemployment, diseases, outbreaks and social welfare etc.

Under Secretary-General Cristina Gallach on Radio Pakistan Under Secretary-General, Cristina Gallach participated in a radio Pakistan show live from New York.

She shared her views on Pakistan’s development priorities, on women’s empowerment, and on the role of youth. She remarked that radio plays a crucial role in social development.

For her, the youth are citizens of

today and leaders of tomorrow so they are the center of progress. For the UN, there is no constituency more important than the youth, especially in development.

She also noted that Pakistan has made significant progress in the fields of health, sanitation, and education.

Promoting zero hunger through arts in Pakistan Director UNIC, Vittorio Cammarota and Deputy head of Cooperation at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Benedikt Huerzeler, participated in a radio show.

They talked about the “We the People, We the Arts Campaign”, particularly how it would serve as a platform for emerging artists in Pakistan.

They explained that the competition involves young artists studying in the leading art schools of Paki-

stan. Students are being asked to develop artwork, using the mediums of sculpture, painting, and miniature painting, to highlight the theme of zero hunger. Benedikt explained that this competition is part of the 50th anniversary of the SDC.

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messages from secretary general

World Migratory International World TeleBird Day Day of Families, communication 15 May and Information Society Day, 17 May Migratory birds are symbols of the inter-connectedness of life on earth. This year’s World Migratory Bird Day highlights a growing danger: the illegal killing, taking and trade of migratory birds. As we celebrate these nomads of the sky, let us act on earth to secure their future -- and ours.

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This year’s International Day of Families falls at a time of upheaval and tragedy for families around the world. The rise of violent extremism, the effects of forced displacement, extreme weather events and other challenges are taking a heavy toll on the health and integrity of families in crisis situations. Even in relatively stable societies, families still struggle with violence, discrimination and poverty.

Leaders should invest in young innovators, who are part of the largest generation of youth in history. As entrepreneurs, they can pioneer transformative technology, create jobs and benefit whole economies.

messages from secretary general

International Day for Biological Diversity, 22 May Biodiversity is an important cross-cutting issue in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Goal 15 explicitly recognizes the importance of halting biodiversity loss, and other Goals recognize the importance of biological diversity for eradicating poverty,

providing food and fresh-water, and improving life in cities. It is critical that we make progress in mainstreaming biodiversity and transforming how societies value and manage it.

International Day of UN Peacekeepers, 29 May On this International Day of International Day of UN Peacekeepers, we honour our heroes – the more than one million men and women who have served under the UN flag with pride, distinction and courage since the first deployment in 1948.

And we pay our highest tribute to

World Environment Day, 5 June On this World Environment Day, I urge people and governments everywhere to overcome indifference, combat greed and act to preserve our natural heritage for the benefit of this and future generations.

the more than 3,400 peacekeepers who have lost their lives while in service during that period. We are forever in their debt. And we pledge today to realize the full potential of United Nations peacekeeping to usher in a better future.

World Oceans Day, 8 June Healthy oceans are critical to sustaining life on Earth. They regulate the climate and provide a wide range of services, including natural resources, nutritious food and jobs that benefit billions of people. In order to protect the health of our oceans, it is crucial for us to know their current state, and understand the impact that human activities and climate change are having on them.

International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, 23 May Today, on the International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, I call for an end to fistula within a generation.

Let us use the momentum of the Sustainable Development Goals together with strong political leadership, accelerated investment and action, and passionate and committed champions, to achieve this historic and transformative goal.

World No Tobacco Day, 31 May 2016 On World No Tobacco Day 2016, the United Nations is lending its support to one simple measure with proven effectiveness in reducing demand: the plain packaging of tobacco products. As laid out in the UN tobacco control treaty, this entails restricting or prohibiting the use of logos, colours, brand images or any promotional information other than brand and product names displayed in a standard colour and font..

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World Elder Abuse Day, 15 June

World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, 17 June

Abuse and violence directed at older people take many forms, including partner and stranger violence, psychological and emotional abuse and financial exploitation .. On this Day, I call upon Member States and civil society to strengthen their resolve and redouble their efforts to eliminate all forms of violence and abuse against older people.

Desertification, land degradation, drought and climate change are interconnected. As a result of land degradation and climate change, the severity and frequency of droughts have been increasing, along with floods and extreme temperatures. I urge cooperation

among all actors to help achieve land degradation neutrality as part of a broader effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and build a future of dignity and opportunity for all.

The Day of Vesak, 20 May At this time of mass population movements, violent conflicts, atrocious human rights abuses and hateful rhetoric aimed at dividing communities, the sacred commemoration of the Day of Vesak

offers an invaluable opportunity to reflect on how the teachings of Buddhism can help the international community tackle pressing challenges. On this Day of Vesak, let us pledge to reach out to bridge

differences, foster a sense of belonging, and show compassion on a global scale for the sake of our common future.

Africa Day, 25 May

International Widows’ Day, 23 June

Africa Day 2016 is being celebrated in furtherance of the African Union’s theme for this year: “Human Rights with a Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”. On this Africa Day, I urge all stakeholders to rally behind the transformative vision set out in the Sustainable Development Goals and Agenda 2063. What is good for Africa is good for the world.

There are some 245 million widows around the world, and nearly half are living in poverty. Widows are often stigmatized by their families and communities. Many suffer discrimination based on age and gender and have lived lives marked by physical and sexual abuse. On International Widows’ Day, let us pledge to make widows more visible in our societies, and to support them in living productive, equal and fulfilling lives.

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, 26 June

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Around the world, in every region, men, women and children are still being tortured by non-State actors and under direct State policy.

I strongly urge States to stand by victims and remain fully engaged in the fight against torture and impunity. Assisting victims of torture and stopping this crime will benefit whole societies and help provide a future of safety and dignity for all.

messages from secretary general

World Refugee Day, 20 June Forced displacement has reached unprecedented levels. New and recurring conflicts, and ever-more disturbing forms of violence and persecution, are driving people to flee in search of safety within their

own countries, or to cross international borders as asylum seekers or refugees. We must stand together with the millions of men, women and children who flee their homes each year, to ensure that

their rights and dignity are protected wherever they are, and that solidarity and compassion are at the heart of our collective response.

International Day of Yoga, 21June Message on the International Day Against Drug abuse and illicit trafficking, 26 June Public Service Day, 23 June

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India and is now practiced in various forms around the world.

On this International Day of Yoga, I urge everyone to embrace healthier choices and lifestyles and to commit to unity with our fellow hu-

man beings, regardless of ethnicity, faith, age, gender identity or sexual orientation. Let us celebrate this Day – and every day – as members of one human family sharing one common, precious home.

On United Nations Public Service Day, we recognize and celebrate the role of public service in improving peoples’ lives. I pay tribute to public servants in all countries for their dedication to excellence.

I would like to offer a special word of recognition to the dedicated staff of the United Nations. Across 10 years leading this noble organ-

ization, I marvel at their dedication and professionalism every single day. Once again, thank you for your commitment. Together, let us to create an environment where public service can flourish with creativity, innovation and a shared drive to realize the 2030 Agenda.

Today is the first International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking since the adoption last year of the Sustainable Development Goals. I call on countries and communities to continue to improve the lives of everyone blighted by drug abuse by integrating security and public safety with a heightened focus on health, human rights, and sustainable development.

The Day of the Seafarer, 25 June The world is now embarking on carrying out twin plans for the future that have the potential to transform our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on climate change. Both can be advanced through actions of the shipping industry, giving added meaning to this year’s commem-

clothed, fed and housed, seafarers have the potential to drive economic growth that is socially inclusive and environmentally sound. On this Day of the Seafarer, let us advance the work of those who make shipping possible in a way that promotes our global vision of a life of dignity and opportunity for all..

oration of the Day of the Seafarer.

By helping keep the world’s people

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The United Nations Pakistan Newsletter is produced by the United Nations Communications Group

Editor in Chief: Vittorio Cammarota, Director, United Nations Information Centre Sub Editors: Fatima Rauf Producer (photography): Umair Khaliq Producer (content): Myrah Nerine Butt Graphic Designer: Mirko Neri Contributors: Asif Shehzad, Mahira Afzal, Muhammad Ajmal, Rizwana Asad, Jawad Aziz, Muhammed Benyameen, Syed Saghir Bokhari, Henriette Bjoerge, Jannat Durrani, Muhammad Nader Farhad, Kendra Gregson, Syed Saad Hussain Gilani, Naveed Hussain, Basharat Hussain, Fatimah Inayat, Zara Jamil, Vibeke Jensen, Lucie Kanova, Abid Niaz Khan, Duniya Aslam Khan, Riaz Karim Khan, Abdul Sami Malik, Mashhood Ahmad Mirza, Zubair Muhammad, Waqas Rafique, Edward Rees, Zikrea Saleah, Emma Sykes, Faria Salman, Muqaddar Shah, Asif Shahzad, Hiba Siddiqui, Tabida Siddiqi, Javaria Tareen, Maryam Yunus, Midhat Zaidi, Rihab Abdalhafiz

The United Nations has a long-standing partnership with the people of Pakistan in support of national development goals. The United Nations has also been providing humanitarian assistance in case of natural disasters and crises. Led by the Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator, United Nations works in all eight administrative areas of Pakistan through 19 resident organizations. Straddling humanitarian assistance and sustainable development, the work of the United Nations in Pakistan includes key areas such as education, health, water & sanitation, nutrition, economic growth, employment and livelihoods, resilience against disaster, governance, gender equality and social justice.

The One UN Programme for Pakistan, United Nations focuses on accelerating progress towards achievement of Millennium Development Goals, reducing poverty, promoting opportunities for youth as well as advancing gender equality and human rights both at national and sub-national levels.

United Nations encourages economic growth in Pakistan through supporting policies and programmes that link small farmers to markets, improving working conditions for women and supporting home-based and domestic workers. It will also assist the Government in strengthening democratic processes and institutions at the federal, provincial and local levels. Tackling the effects of climate change and reducing Pakistan’s vulnerabilities to natural disasters features especially prominently in the work of the United Nations in Pakistan.

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