Media Update-2: United Nations Pakistan, 29 January 2020
UNIC Pakistan
29 January 2020
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FAO
PRESS RELEASE
National level Consultations held to debate challenges related to food security, nutrition and agriculture, promote regional coherence and knowledge exchange
29 January 2019, Islamabad – Youth from partner organizations, women associations, government officials, private sector entities and civil society community members and organizations (CSOs), including academia and think tanks, for the first time in Pakistan jointly participated in the preparations for and gave substantive inputs to the 35th UN FAO Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific (APRC), as part of national level consultations. The FAO Regional Conference will convene in Bhutan from 17-20 February 2020.
While the APRC is a formal meeting of FAO’s member countries in Asia and the Pacific usually attended at Ministerial and high government officials’ level, CSOs and private sector representatives participate as observers, and are invited to make interventions during the Conference. It is the forum where the 46 regional member states meet to debate challenges related to food security, nutrition and agriculture, promote regional coherence and knowledge exchange and identify areas of common priority action for partnership and FAO’s work in the Region.
This consultation was the opportunity for stakeholders to update themselves on trends and challenges on the State of Food and Agriculture in Asia Pacific, to discuss water in agriculture under conditions of water scarcity in the Region and the need to develop sustainable food systems, with reduced food loss and waste that are also nutrition-sensitive, equitable and resilient.
FAO representative in Pakistan Minà Dowlatchahi provided an overview of FAO’s 2018-19 results achieved in Pakistan and the future FAO’s regional priorities and areas of technical focus for 2020-2021 that will be discussed at the APRC. She said: “The promotion of sustainable transformation of food and agriculture systems to end poverty and malnutrition, climate change and the enhancement of sustainable management of natural resources; and the control of transboundary animal and plant pests and diseases are priorities very relevant to the Pakistan situation. FAO is looking forward to engage in new partnerships and innovation to support collective action for the accelerated development of Food and Agriculture in Pakistan.”
The participants emphasized that expanded use of data, new information, digital and communication technologies are critical for changing and monitoring food systems, water use, plant and animal diseases and biodiversity, and to enhance disaster risk reduction in Agriculture. FAO will support countries in the Region in digital agriculture strategies that ensure social equity.
The consultations also provided the space for promoting new ideas on joint action to accelerate progress towards the SDGs in Pakistan, including through existing or new coordination and partnership mechanisms within the country or in the region, which are relevant to local actors’ engagement with FAO.
With only 10 years left to achieve the Global Goals by the 2030 deadline, there is an urgent need to step up action. Everybody has a contribution to make. It is key to mobilize everyone, everywhere to take action — individually and collectively, locally and globally. It is key to get ideas to solutions — and shine a light on success stories and drive sustainable innovation, investments and technology in Food and Agriculture. This first of its kind national consultation is FAO first contribution to The Decade of Action and UN-75.
For media inquiries, please contact Mehr Hassan, FAO Pakistan at mehr....@fao.org
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UNIC Pakistan
Media Update
30 January 2020
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ANNOUNCEMENT
The United Nations family in Pakistan welcomes its new chief
Islamabad, 30 January 2020: We are pleased to announce that Mr. Julien Frederic Morcom-Harneis has joined today as the new United Nations Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Pakistan.
Mr. Harneis brings with him 31 years of experience in development cooperation, humanitarian assistance and management. He was previously Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo, before which he served as Head of Office for the Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria, UNICEF Representative in Yemen and in Guinea, as well as humanitarian positions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon and Indonesia. Prior to joining the United Nations, Mr. Harneis worked in the private sector.
He has a Master of Studies in International Relations from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and a Master of Business Administration from the Institut Européen d'Administration des Affaires (INSEAD) in France.
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Media contact: Ishrat Rizvi | Communication and Advocacy Officer, United Nations Information Centre,Ph: + 92-51-8355714, Cell: +92-331-5109627, e-mail: riz...@un.org
UNIC Pakistan
5 February 2020
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UNAIDS
PRESS STATEMENT
HVTN 702 clinical trial of an HIV vaccine stopped
GENEVA, 4 February 2020—The United States National Institutes of Health has announced that its HVTN 702 clinical trial of an HIV vaccine has been stopped. While no safety concerns were found during the trial, the independent data and safety monitoring board found that the vaccine was ineffective in preventing HIV transmission.
The trial, conducted at 14 sites across South Africa, followed more than 5400 HIV-negative 18–35-year-olds over 18 months. The participants received six injections during the six-month period, either the vaccine or a placebo. An analysis undertaken after at least 60% of the participants had been in the study for more than 18 months showed that there were 129 HIV infections among the people who had the vaccine, while 123 people who had the placebo became infected.
“While we are obviously disappointed with the results, important science has been learned that can be carried forward to future trials. I thank the study team for this important vaccine trial,” said Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director.
Other major vaccines are currently being tested at scale—the Mosaico trial, which is testing a vaccine among transgender people and gay men and other men who have sex with men in the Americas and in Europe, and the Imbokodo trial, which is testing a vaccine among women in sub-Saharan Africa. An effective HIV vaccine may well prove to be key for sustaining progress against HIV in the future.
Despite considerable investment in prevention during the trial, there was still an HIV incidence of around 4% per year among the women in the trial. This is simply too high. HIV transmission can be prevented. This requires the right combination of interventions, including HIV testing; antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV; pre-exposure prophylaxis, condoms and other prevention options; sexual and reproductive health services, including comprehensive sexuality education; keeping girls in school; and the lifting of social, legal and economic barriers for women and girls.
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
CONTACT
UNAIDS Media
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UNDP
PRESS RELEASE
UNDP and German Ministry of Foreign Affairs partner to provide technical assistance to human rights institutions and stakeholders in Pakistan.
5 February 2020, Islamabad— The United Nations Development Programme and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs have signed a contract for the promotion of rule of law and empowering governmental and non-governmental stakeholders for implementing human rights mandates, to be carried out in collaboration by federal and provincial institutions.
The agreement was signed between Mr. Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck, German Ambassador, and Mr. Ignacio Artaza, Resident Representative a.i. UNDP, in Islamabad today.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Artaza stated, “The German Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been supporting UNDP’s rights-based governance interventions since 2016, which has contributed to the strengthening of the human rights ecosystem in Pakistan.”
“I would like to thank the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs for signing the contract today for the ‘Promotion of Rule of Law and Empowering governmental and non-governmental stakeholders for implementing human rights mandates’ project”, he further added.
Through this latest project, UNDP will continue to assist the Government of Pakistan through rights-based governance interventions in support of national priorities, providing technical assistance to human rights institutions and stakeholders including the federal Ministry of Human Rights, Provincial Human Rights Departments and the National Commission on Human Rights, as well as civil society and the business community. The project will contribute to the improvement of the human rights situation, leading to a more inclusive and peaceful Pakistan and advancing goal 16 of the SDGs.
For additional information, please contact Ayesha Babar at ayesha...@undp.org or +92 (51) 835 5650
UNIC Pakistan
6 February 2020
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United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
INTERNATIONAL DAY OF ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION
6 February 2020
Over 200 million girls and women alive today have suffered from female genital mutilation, a horrific and harmful practice that can lead to physical, mental and sexual health complications. This year, more than 4 million girls are at risk.
Female genital mutilation is a blatant manifestation of gender inequality that is deeply entrenched in social, economic and political structures. It is also a human rights violation and an extreme form of violence against girls. Fortunately, between 2000 and 2018, the prevalence of this practice has decreased by 25 per cent.
However, even one mutilation is one too many. This year’s International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation highlights the power of young people to make their voices heard. We must amplify those voices and help them to advocate for change and for their rights.
Together, we can eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030. Doing so will have a positive ripple effect on the health, education and economic advancement of girls and women.
As the United Nations embarks on a Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals, let’s make this the decade of zero female genital mutilation.
UNIC Pakistan
Media Update
10 February 2020
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United Nations
PRESS RELEASE
The United Nations Secretary-General will be visiting Pakistan next week
New York/Islamabad, 10 February 2020: We are pleased to announce that the United Nations Secretary-General will be visiting Pakistan next week, where he will speak at the International Conference on 40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan, which is being organized by the Government of Pakistan and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). He will also hold meetings with high-level Pakistani officials.
The Secretary-General will arrive in Islamabad on Sunday, and he will hold bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi that day and speak at an event on sustainable development and climate change.
On Monday, the Secretary-General will speak at the International Conference, along with High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, and will participate in a high-level panel discussion and other events at that conference. The Secretary-General, the High Commissioner and the Foreign Minister will also speak to the press. The Secretary-General will also meet with the President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, on Monday.
The Secretary-General will be in Lahore on Tuesday, where he will meet with students and attend an event on Pakistan’s polio vaccination campaign.
He will also travel to Kartarpur to visit a holy site, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib.
The Secretary-General will return to New York on Wednesday the 19th.
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Media contact: Ishrat Rizvi, National Information Officer, United
Nations Pakistan, Tel:+92 51-8355714, riz...@un.org,
UNIC Pakistan
12 February 2020
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United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
THE WORLD RADIO DAY
13 February 2020
Radio brings people together. In an era of rapid media evolution, radio retains a special place in every community as an accessible source of vital news and information.
But radio is also a source of innovation that pioneered interaction with audiences and user-generated content decades before they became mainstream.
Radio offers a wonderful display of diversity in its formats, in its languages, and among radio professionals themselves.
This sends an important message to the world. As we strive to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and tackle the climate crisis, radio has a key role to play as a source of information and inspiration alike.
On this World Radio Day, let us recognize the enduring power of radio to promote diversity and help build a more peaceful and inclusive world.
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FAO
PRESS RELEASE
Director-General FAO to visit Pakistan this week
12 February 2020, Islamabad – The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu will be arriving in Pakistan on a three-day state visit on Friday as part of his vision to further strengthen the years’ long extraordinary collaboration of the country and FAO. During his visit, the Director General, FAO will call on the Prime Minister of Pakistan besides meeting with Federal Minister of Food Security and Research and other high-level officials, representatives from the private sector, youth representatives, academia, civil society and resource partners to apprise them of FAO’s work globally and in Pakistan, focusing on Zero hunger and Food Security in the context of the global climate change scenario. The Director-General will also travel to rural Punjab to meet with small-holder farmers who are most at risk from natural disasters.
Qu Dongyu, a former Vice Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China, elected as FAO Director-General in June 2019, has stressed the crucial role that FAO, which has 194 member states, can play in addressing key global challenges and accelerate progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals for all. The priority challenges requiring urgent attention remain; the increasing rates of hunger and malnutrition, climate change-related risks to agriculture, ongoing natural resource depletion and environmental pollution and the growing spread of trans-boundary animal and plant pests and diseases.
For media inquiries, please contact Mehr Hassan, Communications Specialist, FAO Pakistan at mehr....@fao.org
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UNIC Pakistan
13 February 2020
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PRESS RELEASE
UN launches world’s biggest survey of public opinion on climate change
New York City, 13 February 2020 – Today, celebrities and youth activists met with UN officials, governments and civil society to launch Mission 1.5, a campaign that aims to bridge the gap between people and governments on ambitious climate action.
Mission 1.5 aims to give 20 million people around the world the opportunity to have their say on ways to limit climate change that they want to see adopted by government leaders. The campaign, led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), hopes to address the disconnect between citizens and governments that has seen a groundswell of public opinion by citizens around the world, including school strikes and mass protests.
The campaign is built around an internet and mobile-based video game, developed by UNDP alongside experts in game development, climate science and public polling, in which players take on the role of climate policymakers and make decisions to try to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
After the game, players are asked to vote on key climate actions they want to see adopted. This data will be analyzed and delivered to governments, who often lack access to reliable information on public opinion on climate action.
The previous biggest international survey of public opinion on climate change canvassed 10,000 people across 76 countries, and was conducted ahead of the 2015 Paris climate talks.
The Mission 1.5 game is available at www.mission1point5.org and can be played by people in every country in the world. It will launch initially in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish, with further roll-out internationally throughout the year up to the UN climate talks to be held in the United Kingdom in November.
Achim Steiner, UNDP Administrator, said: "Together with partners from across the private and public sectors, we have the ability with this campaign to connect millions of people with their governments in an innovative two-way discussion on solutions to the climate crisis, and increase ambition ahead of the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow later this year.”
Singer-Songwriter Yemi Alade said: “I am so excited to hear what climate action matters to people around the world—especially my fellow Nigerians! Mission 1.5 is going to connect people globally on something that can’t be ignored anymore. The time to act is now!”
Cassie Flynn, UNDP Climate Change Advisor, said: ““People often feel disconnected from the leaders that must make urgent decisions on the climate crisis. Mission 1.5 is a way to help people understand climate solutions and make their voices heard. In many ways, it is the People’s Climate Vote.”
Jude Ower, Founder and CEO of Playmob, said: “Gaming is one of the most powerful mediums of our time to educate, raise awareness and encourage action on major global issues. To work with UNDP to unlock the power of gaming for one of our planet's most pressing issues - climate change - has been incredibly exciting and the fact that people's voices will be heard through gaming, to have a real world outcome of being heard by world leaders, will really show that gaming can be a powerful force for change in the world today.”
About Mission 1.5
Mission 1.5 was developed by UNDP and partners as an online platform that educates people on climate action and connects them with their governments and policymakers. The campaign is called Mission 1.5 because we must act now to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius.
For more information:
- www.Mission1Point5.org
- Follow UNDP on social media for regular campaign updates:
About UNDP:
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in more than 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations
Media contacts:
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Dylan Lowthian, dylan.l...@undp.org tel +1 646 673 6350
Gabriella Smith gabr...@browningenvironmental.com tel +44 7825 228571
Victor Garrido Delgado victor.garr...@undp.org tel +1 917 995 1687
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UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in nearly 170 countries and territories, we offer global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient na
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UN Women
PRESS RELEASE
Societies never progress without safeguarding women rights: CM Sindh
SCSW, UN Women Pakistan commemorate National Women’s Day
KARACHI: Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah said that the society which did not ensure and protect the rights of women would never progress. He was the chief guest of an event organized by the Sindh Commission on the Status of Women (SCSW) with support from UN Women Pakistan to celebrate National Women Day here on Wednesday. The Chief Minister said, “Sindh government has institutionalized gender equality in the province. Highest number of pro-women laws including Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2013, and many others have been passed in the province.”
Besides Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah, Minister for Women Development Department (WDD) Sindh Syeda Shehla Raza, Chairperson SCSW Nuzhat Shirin, Deputy High Commissioner Australian High Commission in Pakistan Brek Batley, Deputy Country Representative UN Women Pakistan Aisha Mukhtar and others addressed the event that was attended by a large number of women and men from all walks of life.
Syed Murad Ali Shah also distributed “Mohtarma Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Life Achievement Award” to women for their notable contributions to advance women rights and gender equality in Sindh. The award is an initiative of SCSW.
Chairperson SCSW Nuzhat Shirin welcomed the participants and thanked donors for their support in strengthening Commission to achieve its goals.
She said that Sindh was the only province to have passed most pro-women laws and set an example for other provinces. “But, there’s still a long way to go as we set to develop sustainable systems that will empower women economically, socially, culturally and politically. Education remains a high priority area for all our work in Sindh,” she concluded.
Provincial Minister WDD Syeda Shehla Raza said, “WDD has worked to end violence against women and girls by preventing and promoting women’s rights in Sindh through legislation. We are now sensitizing women on the law of harassment at workplace and ending child marriage so that women and girls of Sindh reach their full potential and take part in the development of the province.”
She also highlighted the need to facilitate women at work by establishing daycare centers, lactating rooms for breast feeding mothers and separate washrooms for women at workplace. “Sindh government is committed to safeguard the rights of women and will continue to further the cause of gender equality in the province,” the Minister remarked.
Australian Deputy High Commissioner to Pakistan Brek Batley said, “Australia has employed a holistic approach to reducing violence against women through institutional strengthening, policy advocacy and service delivery. Sindh Commission on the Status of Women, established through Australia’s AUD 11 million support, has not only advanced gender equality in the province but also created an enabling environment for pro-women laws.”
Deputy Country Representative UN Women Pakistan Aisha Mukhtar said, “UN Women believes in an equal inclusion of women in all spheres of life with focus on increased women’s participation and leadership, ending violence against women and girls, women economic empowerment, gender sensitive budgeting, governance and national planning.”
“UN Women Pakistan has been supportive of SCSW since its establishment. We have provided strategic assistance in developing Commission's three-year strategic plan and are continuously working with the Commission and WDD Sindh in order to end violence against women and advance gender equality and women's social and economic empowerment in the province.”
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UNIC Pakistan
16 February 2020
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United Nations
PRESS RELEASE
The United Nations’ Secretary-General arrived on a 3-days visit to Pakistan
Islamabad, 16 February 2020: Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations arrived this morning with his delegation on a three -days visit to Pakistan (16-18 February 2020). This is his first visit to Pakistan as the Secretary-General of the United Nations. He has visited the country few times in past as well, including as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
During his stay in Islamabad on 16 – 17 Feb 2020, the Secretary-General will participate in an “International Conference on 40 Years of Hosting Afghan Refugees in Pakistan: A New Partnership for Solidarity” and will deliver a keynote address.
The Secretary-General will have bilateral meetings with the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan. He will also be meeting with the Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The Secretary-General’s other engagements will include interactions and discussion sessions with the parliamentarians, youth, media, UN peacekeepers, refugees, children and many other dynamic people in Pakistan. He will deliver special talks on sustainable development, climate change, Youth, UN75 and UN peacekeeping.
The Secretary-General will also travel to Lahore and holy Gurdwara Kartarpur Saheb, where he shall be visiting some cultural and religious sites and will take part in cultural, youth and polio immunization activities.
He will return to New York on 19 February 2020.
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Media contact: Ishrat Rizvi, National Information Officer, United Nations Information Centre/ UN Resident Coordinator’s Office, ph: 051 8355714, cell: Mobile: +92-331-5109627, e-mail: riz...@un.org
UNIC Pakistan
16 February 2020
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United Nations
REMARKS
Remarks by the Secretary-General on Sustainable Development and Climate Change
( As delivered )
Islamabad, 16 February 2020
It is for me an enormous pleasure to start with this meeting on climate change, my first official visit as Secretary-General to Pakistan. For more than ten years, as High Commissioner for Refugees, I came many times to Pakistan. And in those ten years, I developed a love affair with the Pakistani people and with Pakistan itself.
And that love affair came from the extraordinary generosity and solidarity that the Pakistani people have shown, hosting millions of Afghan refugees, sharing with them its own resources, and independently of the impact, enormous impact on the economy, on the society, not to mention the impact of the Afghan crisis on the security of the country itself.
And I add humbly the possibility also to show my solidarity to Pakistani victims. I remember visiting parts of Kashmir during the earthquake. I remember [meeting] with those displaced by the conflict in the North. I remember being with those impacted by the floods and this very deeply felt solidarity has developed, as I said, a love affair with this country. And I feel that it is totally unfair that Pakistan is, as it was shown in a very eloquent way, is in the first line of negative impacts of climate change. It is not Pakistan that is creating climate change, of course there is a small contribution, but Pakistan is on the first line of the dramatically negative impacts of climate change.
And so I am pleased to be with you today to talk about sustainable development – and our common vision for the future we want – and the climate crisis, which is perhaps the gravest current obstacle to global peace, stability and prosperity.
Peace, prosperity, dignity and the realization of human rights for all people on a healthy planet – these are the objectives of the 2030 Agenda with its 17 time-bound Sustainable Development Goals.
Agreed by all United Nations Member States five years ago, the Sustainable Development Goals are an interlinked and an holistic blueprint to end poverty in all its forms and to build the kinds of societies that we will be proud to pass down to future generations.
The Goals cover the whole spectrum of human progress.
They target poverty, inequality, hunger and health.
They address key topics, such as the quality of the education, decent work, a just economy, gender equality.
They deal with climate change, with the oceans, biodiversity and the natural environment on which we all depend. And it makes natural solutions to be a central aspect of our strategy
And they promote justice, strong institutions and partnerships that will enable all countries to progress sustainably.
And let me emphasize “all countries”.
For the Sustainable Development Goals are relevant for every nation and every community.
No country can say that it has no inequality, or no urban poor being left behind, or no problems with pollution or climate change.
And no country can say that it is immune from the global forces that will affect its success.
Today’s challenges to sustainable development and human progress do not respect borders.
They are not confined to individual nations.
They demand collaborative answers that recognize that we all share the same planet and we need to cooperate across borders and sectors to realize our aspirations.
And I am pleased to say that Pakistan has embraced the Sustainable Development Goals from the start.
Back in 2016, Pakistan was among the first nations to integrate the SDGs into its national development agenda and recognize them as national development goals.
And, in 2018, Pakistan launched a national SDG framework to prioritize and localize the global goals throughout the country.
And, as with the Goals globally, poverty reduction is at the heart of Pakistan’s effort to leave no one behind.
A national poverty alleviation programme – titled Ehsaas, or compassion – has been launched to expand social protection and safety nets and to support human development.
A national youth development programme – titled Kamyab Jawan – is seeking to create 10 million jobs for young people in five years.
And stunting and malnutrition are down.
And the nation is seeing success in bringing down neonatal mortality, thanks in large part to the Lady Health Workers Programme, which has seen a significant increase in skilled birth attendants.
I am also encouraged by the country’s initiative this year to promote universal health coverage.
These are just some of the many actions being taken by Pakistan and other nations to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
Everywhere, we can see progress – poverty and child deaths down; access to energy, education and decent work rising.
But whether we look at Pakistan or elsewhere, we can also say the pace of change is not yet fast enough.
In Pakistan, you are grappling with major challenges relating to HIV and polio, environmental degradation and providing education, skills and jobs for all in one of the youngest countries in the world.
And globally the story is similar.
We are off-track globally, especially in the areas of hunger, inequality, biodiversity and climate action.
Gender inequality – in business, in the home, in schools, in government, in the technology sector – is denying women and girls their rights and opportunities across the world.
And vulnerable populations – such as migrants, young people and persons with disabilities – remain at risk of being left behind.
Our collective efforts are not approaching the scale we need to deliver the SDGs by 2030.
In fact, by some estimates, we will only get half-way to our goals at the current pace.
For that reason, we have this year launched a Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
With only 10 years left before the 2030 deadline, there is an urgent need to step up action.
And every nation, every community and every person can and must make a contribution.
The Decade of Action calls on governments, businesses, civil society and individuals everywhere to combine to create unstoppable momentum for the Goals.
The recipe is clear.
First, to mobilize everyone around a common effort.
Second to demand urgency and action, and to hold leaders to account.
And third, to supercharge ideas so that they become sustainable solutions. We need to identify what works and scale up solutions and investments so that we reach all the people on the planet.
In all of this, the mobilization of finance to fill the gap of some $2.5 to 3 trillion dollars a year is critical.
In a period where Official Development Assistance has been decreasing, together with private foreign investment in the developing world, it is absolutely essential that developed nations deliver on the commitments made in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.
On the other hand, it is important to support developing Member States in their capacity to mobilize domestic resources through improved governance and tax reforms.
But the success of national efforts also requires the international community to be more effective in clamping down on illicit financial flows, money laundering and tax evasion.
At the same time, we need innovative financial tools and help in de-risking private investment in the developing world to channel much stronger resources to achieve the SDGs.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I firmly believe we can be the generation that ends poverty and hunger and conquers injustice and inequality.
But it is not going to be easy.
We face multiple obstacles.
Geopolitical tensions are higher than they have been for years, and unpredictable changes in power relations in a chaotic world are placing a strain on the multilateral system that has largely kept the world safe for the past 75 years.
Global mistrust, due to growing inequality and unfair globalization, is growing – not only between nations but between peoples and their leaders.
We also have to address the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and make sure we embrace the benefits while minimizing the risks posed to human rights and equity around the world.
Finally, and central to the discussion today, there is the climate emergency.
This is the threat that I believe is most grave and most urgent, yet is something I am convinced we can tackle, if only we can generate the political will and the unity we need to make a difference.
Climate disruption is a clear and present danger worldwide, but let us, for a minute, look at it through the lens of Pakistan.
Like other developing countries, Pakistan has contributed little to the problem yet faces disproportionate vulnerability because of it.
In the past decade, Pakistan has lost some 10,000 lives to climate-related disasters, including 1,200 who died due to a terrible heatwave in Karachi in 2015.
The Indus Valley is vulnerable to flooding, and low-lying coastal communities face the prospect of being swamped by rising sea levels.
And, currently the country is enduring a risk of a locust emergency, triggered by climate disruption.
Global warming is leading to global swarming.
But the biggest worry for Pakistan is water.
This is true for all the people of Central, South and East Asia who rely on the water towers of the Himalaya.
Pakistan’s smallholder farmers, who represent more than 40 per cent of the labour force, produce 90 per cent of the nation’s food supply and generate 75 per cent of the country’s export revenue.
They depend on rainfall and on irrigation from rivers fed by receding mountain glaciers.
In fact, 80 per cent of Pakistan’s water use is for agriculture.
And it is under threat.
Pakistan is one of the 15 most water-stressed countries in the world.
As temperatures rise and glaciers melt, Pakistan’s goals for reducing poverty and guaranteeing food security are put at risk.
And Pakistan is not alone. The same story is mirrored across the globe.
We see it in the droughts which threaten the Horn of Africa and the Sahel, and the wildfires that have caused so much suffering, most in Australia and the United States.
No country is immune.
That is why I am constantly urging global leaders to act on climate change before it is too late.
Sadly, after the success of the Paris conference in 2015, our momentum has stalled.
COP25 in Madrid was a disappointment.
Our planet is burning but too many decision makers continue to fiddle.
The only answer is decisive climate action – by governments, businesses and investors, mayors and governors, and citizens everywhere.
Gradual approaches are no longer enough.
At the next climate conference – COP26 in Glasgow – Governments must deliver the transformational change our world needs and that people demand, with much stronger ambition.
Ambition on mitigation, but also, as we see with the needs of Pakistan and many other developing countries, ambition on adaptation, and ambition on finance.
Every city, region, bank, pension fund and industry must completely reimagine how they operate.
Our goal must be to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees.
This is what the scientific community tells us is the only way to avert runaway climate change.
To do that, the world needs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 per cent from 2010 levels by 2030 and to reach net zero emissions by 2050.
The main obligation rests on the major emitters, and there is a map that shows that.
Those countries that contributed most to this crisis must lead the way, not least by phasing out coal and ending perverse fossil fuel subsidies.
But all countries can and must play a role.
I commend Prime Minister Imran Khan for highlighting climate change at the United Nations General Debate last September, and I congratulate Pakistan on becoming co-chair of the Green Climate Fund.
I also welcome the initiatives such as the “10 Billion Tree Tsunami” campaign and the government’s Clean and Green Pakistan Movement.
I have to say that I was extremely well impressed when I heard that Pakistan had decided that Islamabad was to abolish plastic bags, and that it will be the same everywhere.
Plastic pollution is today one of the central concerns that we have, especially for the protection of our oceans. Sometimes, people are a little bit reluctant of it, but for those that are reluctant, I have a solution here, which is to use bags like these that are non-plastic bags you get at the supermarket.
Such local initiatives are essential, and they should be reflected and supported across the planet where appropriate.
But ultimately, the answer to the global climate crisis will come from global solidarity backed by global action.
We are in a battle for our lives.
Our sustainable future is at stake.
But I firmly believe it is a battle that can be won.
Technology is on our side.
We have all the tools and knowledge we need to move from the grey economy to the green economy as it was seen in the slides.
We have the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
We have the Sustainable Development Goals.
And we have the most engaged and mobilized generation of young people in history – a group that is simply not going to accept the current situation.
The history of humanity is one of progress. I believe the trajectory is inexorable.
So, as we look ahead to 2030, let us look ahead with optimism and determination knowing that we have overcome great challenges before, and we will surely do so again.
Thank you.
***
UNIC Pakistan
16 February 2020
_____________
United Nations
REMARKS
Remarks by the Secretary-General at Stakeout with Pakistan Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi
Islamabad, 16 February 2020
It is a pleasure to be back in Pakistan – a country deeply committed to multilateralism and the United Nations.
This is my first visit as Secretary-General of the United Nations, but as High Commissioner for Refugees, I had the opportunity – I was fortunate — to be able to visit this country several times.
And as I said this afternoon in the conference on sustainable development and climate change, what I’ve seen — the generosity and solidarity with the Afghan people — has created a love affair between the [Pakistani] people and myself.
I would like to thank the Government of Pakistan and Prime Minister Imran Khan personally for inviting me, as well as Foreign Minister Qureshi for his strong support of the United Nations.
I have a full agenda, but there is a common thread to all my events and meetings here.
It is simply this: to recognize Pakistan’s outstanding generosity and solidarity over many decades and to highlight its place in confronting some of the biggest global challenges our world faces today.
I strongly believe it is time for the world to step back and look at Pakistan through a wider frame.
One of the main purposes of my visit is to spotlight the real Pakistan — with all its possibility and potential.
It is deeply rooted in Pakistani culture — from the vision of Muhammad Ali Jinnah … to the philosophy of Allama Iqbal … to the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
From the courageous example of Malala Yousafzai … to the giving spirit of Abdul Sattaar Edhi … to the visual artistry and advocacy of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy.
And, of course, on better days, we also see it from the bats of the Pakistan cricket team — both the men’s and women’s teams, I might add!
Here in Pakistan, we see solidarity in action.
Pakistan is today the world’s second largest host of refugees – and for decades, it was the first.
I look forward to taking part tomorrow in a conference marking Pakistan’s four decades of support for Afghan refugees.
For 40 years, despite Pakistan’s own challenges, Pakistan has sheltered and protected Afghan refugees with limited support from the international community.
I can testify to this. Having served as High Commissioner for Refugees, I always found in Pakistan a reliable and generous partner.
One can only imagine how much worse the plight of Afghans would be, and how much more unstable the region might be, without Pakistan’s stellar example of hospitality and compassion.
The United Nations will continue to support Pakistan, and I call on other countries to support Pakistan and indeed show similar leadership in sharing this responsibility in this region and around the world.
As we look to issues of peace and security, the United Nations is profoundly grateful for the dedication and commitment of Pakistan’s peacekeepers.
Pakistan has consistently been one of the world’s top contributors to UN peacekeeping, with more than 4,000 men and increasingly women serving today in nine missions around the globe.
I also appreciate the Government’s strong support for the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, and for its commitment to continue to improve the effectiveness of our operations.
Foreign Minister Qureshi and I discussed regional security in South Asia.
With respect to Jammu and Kashmir, I am grateful for the work of the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan. UNMOGIP will continue to monitor the ceasefire at the Line of Control in accordance with its mandate. And today I was happy I could inaugurate the new premises of their headquarters.
I am deeply concerned about the increase in tensions that we have witnessed last year.
I have repeatedly stressed the importance of exercising maximum restraint and taking steps to de-escalate, both militarily and verbally, while reiterating my offer to exercise my good offices, should both sides ask.
Diplomacy and dialogue remain the only tools that guarantee peace and stability, with solutions in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the resolutions of the Security Council.
Simultaneously, when we see situations of discontent and unrest, it is of utmost importance to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Turning now to Afghanistan, I am following closely the important efforts to bring peace to the country.
Achieving a comprehensive settlement to the conflict is essential for saving lives and advancing sustainable development.
It is my hope that discussions will be productive in leading to a reduction in violence, especially violence that harms civilians. Reducing violence is critical to build confidence and support for a peace process that leads to a lasting political settlement and a permanent ceasefire.
Such conditions would contribute to enabling the peaceful return of displaced persons and refugees to their homes.
I want to reaffirm that the preferred, durable solution for refugees has always been voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity to their country of origin. This is also true for Afghan refugees.
Through its support to the ongoing peace efforts and building the necessary regional consensus, Pakistan continues to play a crucial role in realizing this potentially historic opportunity for peace.
The United Nations remains committed to supporting an inclusive and Afghan-led peace process that upholds the human rights of all citizens and leads to a sustainable peace in Afghanistan.
During my visit to Pakistan, I also look forward to visiting the newly opened Kartarpur Corridor connecting two key Sikh pilgrimage sites.
This is a welcome symbol of interfaith harmony, a unique experiment in cross-border ties, showing Pakistan’s commitment to peace.
The climate crisis is another key challenge of common concern -- and once again, Pakistan is on the frontlines as one of the most vulnerable countries on the planet.
I welcome Pakistan’s ambition to take concrete action with the “ten billion tree tsunami” campaign and many other initiatives.
For my part, I will continue pressing for action to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees, which means to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
It means more ambition by all – more ambition on mitigation, adaptation, resilience and finance. Major emitting countries and industrial sectors have a particular responsibility to lead the way.
And it means a successful UN Climate Conference – COP26 – later this year in Glasgow and I count on Pakistan’s strong commitment to that.
Finally, I would like to recognize Pakistan’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the world’s framework for eliminating poverty, achieving gender equality, protecting the environment and building a fair globalization that works for all.
Pakistan was in the global lead in integrating the Sustainable Development Goals into its own national development agenda.
This is yet another example of the commitment and vision that we need to see more of around the world. I look forward to the rest of my visit and engaging with the leadership and people of Pakistan.
The United Nations family is strongly committed to helping the country advance prosperity and peace for all. Thank you.
Q: Excellency, my question, I will also ask, as Foreign Minister Qureshi has mentioned - I also refer to your statement of 8 August of last year, in which you reaffirmed the United Nations’ principled position on the Kashmir dispute. I wish to know what practical steps would you and your office take for the solution of this issue. And secondly, we are about one and a half months into the year 2020 and there have been more than 287 ceasefire violations along the Line of Control. I wish to know what’s stopping the United Nations to ensure that its military observers are given a hassle-free and free access to the Line of Control, as this may lead to a big conflict in the region. Thank you so much.
SG: Thank you very much. First of all, from the beginning, I have offered my good offices in relation to the situation, and of course, good offices can only work when accepted by both sides. On the other hand, I believe that there was an important contribution to clarifying what has happened by the report that was mentioned of the Human Rights High Commissioner. On the other hand, it is clear that we have taken a position about the need for Security Council resolutions to be implemented and for effective de-escalation and dialogue linked to that, with another very important condition, which is full respect for human rights and [fundamental] freedoms in Jammu and Kashmir.
In relation to the ceasefire, I visited UNMOGIP. We believe that UNMOGIP should have full freedom of movement; it has on the Pakistani side - we hope that this will also be achieved on the other side, and we will be strengthening its equipment capacity in order to better be able to implement its mandates.
Q: I am the correspondent from China, Xinhua news agency. And my question is, four Pakistani citizens have been infected by the novel coronavirus epidemic in China have already been cured and discharged three days ago. And as we know, Chinese government and people have been making an all-out effort to fight the global coronavirus disease, with notable outcomes. So how do you evaluate those measures? And in terms of the high, top leaders commanding and mobilization of the whole country, do you think that China offers a useful reference to the other countries and whole world in handling such a big public health threat? Thank you so much.
SG: First of all, in relation to the Pakistanis in China, I believe that the Government has been in close contact with the World Health Organization and that the government has acted in line with the principles defined by the World Health Organization in that regard. In relation to the situation in itself, it's of course a huge challenge. I believe that the response has been a very strong and very impressive response. Obviously, in a situation as complex as this, it is always difficult to ave a quick solution. And the Chinese Government was the first to mention that there were a few limitations and the shortcomings. But I think that the effort that is in place is a gigantic effort. And we are very confident that efforts that that effort will allow for the progressive reduction of the disease.
Q: First of all, most welcome, Mr Secretary-General, to Pakistan. I am Faisal Raza Khan from 92 News. My question is that, as honourable Foreign Minister has said, would you agree to that early repatriation of Afghan refugees, vis-à-vis to the peace process? Do you think early repatriation would help a successful peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan? Thank you.
SG: I think it's very Important to respect the principles - I mean, the principles that have always been principles shared between the Government of Pakistan and the UNHCR, have been the principle of voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. What we believe is this is the moment in which we need to create an important “pull effect” in Afghanistan, through peace and through reconstruction, the creation of jobs, the creation of opportunities, making the roadmap that was described by the Minister a roadmap to allow for a phased programme of return of the Afghans to be entirely successful. I think now, the biggest effort to be made is in Afghanistan, and I appeal to the international community to massively support Afghanistan, both to reach peace and then, based on peace, to do an effective reconstruction of the country to create the conditions for not only the well-being of the Afghan people in Afghanistan, but for the effective repatriation of refugees from Pakistan and Iran.
Q: Thank you so much, sir. Pakistan has lost billions of dollars fighting the war on terror, in an attempt to make this world a better place to live. And how do you see Pakistan’s effort to counter the menace of trans-national terrorism? And would you or your office play a role, an active role in convincing – because there are some countries who are not fully convinced at Pakistan’s efforts to counter the menace of terrorism, would your office be playing a role to convince or convey to those countries that, yes, Pakistan has done enough? How do you see that? Thank you.
SG: Well, I can testify, I came once to Islamabad and Islamabad was a military camp. And the Taliban was very close… the Pakistani Taliban were very close to Islamabad. They had overrun the Swat Valley and they were even a little bit further south. And I have to say that to be today in Islamabad, a family duty station for UN staff, and to compare with the past and to know what in between has been done in the territories that were FATA, and now, I believe, are integrated into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and to see that administration is being put in place and to see that there is an intense program of development, that I believe that one has to recognize that the efforts that Pakistan has made to fight terrorism are absolutely remarkable and that they were very successful and everybody should support Pakistan to, I would say, consolidate these enormous efforts that I could witness myself. As I said, I've been here in the worst phase of the problem. And it's very rewarding to come back and see how different these things are.
Q: Thank you. Mr. Secretary-General, there is another global issue that is Islamophobia and why the West fears Islam and the Muslims? And it is to be noted that Turkey, Iran, Pakistan and Malaysia have taken a joint initiative to counter this Islamophobia. We were there at UNGA when you also spoke about this in your speech in last year, UNGA session. How do you view these efforts? And what further support you will extend to this initiative by Pakistan?....
SG: Well, Islamophobia is absolutely intolerable, as any other form of intolerance that we see today, be it against migrants or refugees that sometimes are attacked by populist politicians, or other forms of religious hatred of all kinds. So, it is for me absolutely evident that we need to fight Islamophobia very strongly. Hate speech is one of the most important instruments of Islamophobia. And we have launched recently, led by our Special Representative against genocide, we have launched a global UN initiative against hate speech, which I believe goes perfectly in line with the initiative that you have just mentioned. And at the same time, we are totally committed in our action around the world, to fight against all forms of populism that try to use Islamophobia and other forms of hatred as a tool to win votes, which is totally unacceptable. It is unacceptable that people try to win power dividing the people. This is against all democratic principles. And I think it's our duty to preserve interfaith dialogue, to preserve harmony among religions. And I believe that my visit tomorrow to the corridor of Kartarpur will be the symbol of that dialogue and that tolerance.
***
UNIC Pakistan
17 February 2020
_____________
United Nations
READOUT/REMARKS
Readout for the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Imran KHAN, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Imran Khan, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s support for the work of the United Nations, particularly in UN peace operations. The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s commitment and generous policy towards refugees.
The Secretary-General and the Prime Minister also exchanged views on developments in Jammu and Kashmir. The Secretary-General informed the Prime Minister that he continues to follow the situation in Jammu and Kashmir with concern and appeals for maximum restraint and full respect for human rights. The Secretary-General reiterated his readiness to exercise his good offices if both sides agree.
Islamabad, 17 February 2020
***
REMARKS AT JOINT PRESS BRIEFING WITH THE FOREIGN MINISTER OF PAKISTAN AND THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES
Islamabad, 17 February 2020
I’ll have a very brief message. First to express my deep gratitude and appreciation for the generosity and hospitality of the Pakistanis, for having received for 40 years millions of Afghan refugees.
In a world where so many borders are closed; in a world where so many refugees are rejected or stigmatized, Pakistan has not only opened its border, but the Pakistanis have opened the doors of their houses, and they have opened their hearts to support Afghan refugees. Pakistan has provided the world with a global public good supporting Afghan refugees and it’s time for the international community to assume its responsibilities, and to support Pakistan very meaningfully in this generous hospitality towards Afghan refugees and support Afghan refugees in their, obviously, difficult situation.
Second message: paying tribute to the resilience and the courage of Afghans; Afghan refugees, Afghans displaced, Afghans very dramatic conditions in their own country and to say that it’s time for Afghans to have a chance for peace. It’s time for Afghans to have a chance for development of their own country.
And the [third] message is that there is an opportunity for peace we cannot miss. We have not the right to miss this opportunity. No Afghan will forgive us if this opportunity is not seized. It is absolutely essential that all Afghan leaders and all members of the international community do everything possible to make peace become a reality.
I'm very encouraged by the strong commitment of Pakistan to peace in Afghanistan. And it's also very important that the whole international community, once peace is achieved decides to invest massively, in fact, in Afghanistan, to allow for the country to be able to develop itself, and to create the conditions of prosperity that are needed for Afghans to return; to return and face a new and prosperous life and for peace in the region to be consolidated forever.
I want to once again express my great gratitude for the wonderful hospitality I'm enjoying here in Pakistan, and for the excellent opportunities that were given to me to participate in so many events, in which Pakistan is contributing so positively, not only for the support to Afghan refugees, but for peace and for international cooperation and support of the UN in these very important moments that we are living together.
Question: Thank you. This is [Madina], representing GTV network. The question is to the Secretary-General of the U.N. Repatriation of Afghan refugees back to Afghanistan is linked with the peace and stability in Afghanistan, and our foreign minister has rightly talked about a roadmap. So, the question is, who will push forward the peace and reconciliation process? What roles United Nations can play, although Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad held many rounds of talks with Afghan Taliban, but we don't see any progress in the peace and reconciliation process. So peace is deeply linked with the repatriation of Afghan refugees. And if peace is not there, definitely it's not possible to send refugees back; and connected to this Pakistan faces threats of terrorism from across the border. So there are safe havens of the terrorists operating very easily on Afghan territory. What message, Excellency, you will give to the Afghan leadership on this? Thank you
Secretary-General: First of all, as I mentioned in my intervention, the UN is ready to participate in any of the peace talks that will take place in namely, in the Afghan-led and Afghan-owned process of reconciliation. And those peace talks, of course, will need the assistance of different organizations. The U.N. is totally at the disposal of the Afghans and totally at the disposal of the other actors in order to participate in the peace process and to help to consolidate it.
On the other hand, it is clear that peace among the key Afghan actors is an absolute must in order to fight terrorism effectively, because it is in the context of conflict, that terrorism can spread, and terrorism can prevail. And so, we believe that if peace is established, if all key actors of Afghanistan come together, then it will be possible to isolate terrorist groups. And it will be possible to have a meaningful international support in order to neutralize any terrorist activities in Afghanistan. And the UN Office of counterterrorism is entirely at the disposal of Afghanistan to support that process.
Question: This is Samira Khan, and I am representing [inaudible] News. Secretary-General, first part of my question is for you. Most of the times that we observed that, apart from all the political turmoil within Afghanistan and some of the time in Pakistan as well, the onus, according to the majority, the onus comes on the Afghan government as well, if they have to act responsibly towards the all the political acts of that are happening in Pakistan as well. So most of the times it is the political statements that are the cause and that are the reason for ruining and destabilizing the entire process, and it makes Pakistan feel to reverse and to strictly go through the entire process of repatriation and to make it as soon as possible.
So don't you think that the political government in Afghanistan should also act responsibly towards making things easy for Pakistan and making things easy for Afghan refugees in Pakistan as well. And, Mr. Foreign Minister, my second part addresses you that when we talk about keeping refugees, Afghan refugees in Pakistan for more time, and we keep on giving them deadlines. So what is our economic condition right now to have them for another five years or 10 years? Do we have any plan on hard paper to share with you and so the donors can come forward, and they also take part in that and to shed some responsibilities and burden of Pakistani government in that regard? Thank you so much.
Secretary-General: My answer is very simple. I think it's high time for donors to see Pakistan as an essential partner in the protection and assistance of refugees and to see Pakistan as an essential partner in the construction of the peace in Afghanistan. And to correspond to that by a very strong support to Pakistan, in the context of the global solution of all the problems we have been discussing today.
Question: This is [inaudible] from [inaudible] Television. My question is to the Secretary-General and Foreign Minister can also comment too. Mr. Secretary, you have been visiting Pakistan a number of times as head of the UNHCR. Please tell me from the core of your heart, what is the future of Afghan youngsters who were born in Pakistan and brought up in Pakistan? Don't you think they have a very confused future because they are most Pakistani, half at least if not full. Thank you.
Secretary-General: As I always say, and I believe it's UNHCR’s doctrine, the preferred solution for refugees is always voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity. In all massive return processes in the world, there is always a group of people that, in between got integrated in the society which they leave, because they get married, because they have other kinds of links.
And let's not forget that beyond the refugee phenomenon, there is a migration phenomena in this region. And I believe it will be very important for the governments of Pakistan and Iran and Afghanistan, also to establish a very meaningful cooperation in relation to migration, in order to be able to address situations like the ones that you mentioned, not with the nature and character of refugee protection, but with the nature and character of the movements of population that take place everywhere in the world. But doing it, you know, in a way in which the cooperation among governments allow it to occur orderly, and in a way that takes into account the interests of the people and the interests of the states involved.
Question: Malik, editor of the Delhi Metro Watch. Today's topic is the refugees summit in Islamabad, but the main focus is on Afghan refugees. As a student of journalism, I have known that Pakistan has a rich history to host the refugees from 1947, from India to 1948, from Kashmir to until now, we are hosting a lot of refugees from Kashmir. And in East Pakistan, we are also to, why this part is missing? And one innocent question. Last year, in this month of February, India attacked Pakistan and destroyed our trees and innocent forestry crew. Is the U.N. going to take action against the brutality action against the environment, because UN is very silent when their humanity is dying in Kashmir. My question is that the trees and crew have no bias in the world.
Secretary-General: The opportunity yesterday in the press conference that was related essentially to those issues to fully respond to that question. I will repeat the main principles. First main principle, every problem that exists in the world must be solved with diplomacy and dialogue. Every situation in which there is conflict must deserve de-escalation, and de-escalation both military and verbally. And as I said, my good offices are available provided that all parties want to accept them. And, sir, in all these situations, it's absolutely essential that human rights and fundamental freedoms are fully respected. And that takes place there and everywhere in the world.
Question: First of all, my question is to Mr. Foreign Minister, to you. Do[es] Pakistan want to send back Afghan refugees to their own homeland. If yes, the message has been conveyed to foreign authorities or a foreign government? And my second question is, Mr. Secretary-General, now, reportedly, that India has denied your mediation role, so what options are left for you on the Kashmir issue? Thank you.
Secretary-General: In these circumstances, obviously, we have the role of advocacy that we maintain. And that is the role of the Human Rights High-Commissioner that has been several times quite effective in this regard.
Question: My question is for the U.N. Secretary-General. Mr. Secretary-General, last year, India ordered the status of Kashmir. This dispute is very much on the agenda of the world body. How is the U.N. dealing with India on this count? And the second part of my question. How would you facilitate the repatriation of refugees since we have the history that whenever we have been sending them to come back again. Thank you.
Moderator: Mr. Secretary-General, concluding remarks.
Secretary-General: I had the occasion to say yesterday that in all circumstances, Security Council resolutions need to be respected and that we need to have full respect for the human rights of the people involved.
***
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
---
REMARKS TO THE HIGH-LEVEL
SEGMENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON 40 YEARS OF HOSTING AFGHAN
REFUGEES
IN PAKISTAN: A NEW PARTNERSHIP FOR SOLIDARITY
17 February 2020
As-salam alaikum.
We come together to recognize a remarkable story of solidarity and compassion.
It is important to do so for many reasons, not least because it is a story that is sorely lacking in much of our world today.
For forty years, the people of Afghanistan have faced successive crises.
For forty years, the people of Pakistan have responded with solidarity.
That generosity now spans across decades and generations.
This is the world’s largest protracted refugee situation in recorded history.
This is also a story that is close to my heart.
In my previous life as UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan was a familiar destination.
During most of my period as High Commissioner, Pakistan was the number one refugee-hosting country on earth.
For more than three out of every four years since 1979, either Pakistan or Iran have ranked as the world’s top refugee hosting country.
Even though major conflicts have since unfortunately erupted in other parts of the globe and the refugee population has soared, Pakistan today is still the world’s second largest refugee-hosting country.
On every visit here, I have been struck by extraordinary resilience, exceptional generosity and overwhelming compassion.
I saw solidarity not just in words – but in deeds.
This generous spirit is fully in line with what I regard as the most beautiful prescription for refugee protection in world history. It is found in the Surah Al-Tawbah of the Holy Quran:
“And if anyone seeks your protection, then grant him protection so that he can hear the words of God. Then escort him where he can be secure.”
This protection should be accorded to believers and non-believers alike in a remarkable example of tolerance many centuries ago before the 1951 Refugee Convention that defines in a modern concept the refugees and the protection they deserve.
I saw that compassion play out in real time here in Pakistan.
And it was grounded in vision.
We have seen many innovative policies take root here: biometric registration, access to the national education system, health care and inclusion in the economy.
Despite Pakistan’s own challenges, these initiatives have made a big difference.
Indeed, many have been recognized as a global model of good practice.
Some of those progressive policies have inspired elements of the Global Compact on Refugees.
We have been proud to work with you to support Pakistani host communities and Afghan refugees. We have done so through integrated humanitarian and development actions across the country – alleviating the burden on Pakistan’s national public service system and helping Afghans sustainably reintegrate back home.
But we must recognize that international support for Pakistan has been minimal compared to your own national efforts.
As we look to the challenges ahead, the global community must step up.
On the one hand, we mark 40 unbroken years of solidarity.
But we also despair at 40 broken years of hostility.
The Afghan conflict drags on and on – and we see the deep impact of the protracted nature of conflict, poverty and forced displacement.
We know the solution lies in Afghanistan.
I hope the signals of a possible pathway for peace will lead to a better future for the people of Afghanistan.
I see with us Ambassador Khalilzad. And I want to strongly encourage to pursue the way of peace. And you can count, and the Afghan people can count, on the United Nations to support the efforts for peace.
We don’t seek any protagonism. We are here only to serve the Afghan people [who] need and deserve, finally, peace and prosperity in full respect of their human rights.
I want to reaffirm that the preferred durable solution for refugees has always been voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity to their country of origin. This is also true for Afghan refugees.
Our efforts on return and reintegration – led in large measure by UNHCR – are aligned with the Afghanistan National Peace and Development Framework.
We are working together on a region-specific Support Platform to assist voluntary repatriation and sustainable reintegration of refugees in Afghanistan, while providing help to refugees and their host communities in both Pakistan and Iran.
Our aim is to galvanize more resources and more investments, widen the circle of partners and forge stronger linkages between humanitarian, development and peace investments.
Youth empowerment must be a special focus.
We need a renewed commitment. We need to make sure that there is not only a strong movement for peace but that peace leads to effective reconstruction, creating the conditions for a successful return and reintegration of Afghan refugees.
Working towards solutions for the Afghan people is not just a sign of solidarity; it is in the world’s best interest.
Afghans now constitute the largest group of arrivals in Europe, exceeding for the first time the arrivals from Syria.
Returns to Afghanistan, as we have said, have hit a historical low.
Afghanistan and its people cannot be abandoned.
Now is the time for the international community to act and deliver.
Our ability to succeed will be a litmus test for the Global Compact on Refugees – its promise of greater responsibility-sharing with countries that have shouldered the burden until now.
Peace efforts leading to intra-Afghan negotiations will pave the way, but sustainable peace and security hinges on better integrating our work on humanitarian, development and peace efforts.
Done right, this work can be a model for the rest of the world.
We must be realistic. We know big challenges lie ahead.
But the message of this conference – and the presence of so many senior Government officials from all over the world – is a testament of hope and commitment to a new partnership for solidarity and a better future for the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan and for the world.
Shukriya.
***
UNIC Pakistan
17 February 2020
_____________
United Nations
READOUT/REMARKS
اقوام متحدہ
سیکریٹری جنرل
پاکستان میں افغان مہاجرین کی میزبانی کے چالیس سال مکمل ہونے پر منعقدہ
بین الاقوامی کانفرنس کے اعلیٰ سطحی اجلاس میں تاَثرات:
یکجہتی کے لیے ایک نئی شراکت داری
پاکستان، 17 فروری، 2020ء
جناب وزیر اعظم، محترم وزرا، معزز حاضرین، خواتین اور حضرات، السلام علیکم!
ہم یکجہتی اور ہمدردی کی ایک حیرت انگیز داستان کا اعتراف کرنے کے لیے اکٹھے ہوئے ہیں ۔ ایسا کرنا بہت سی وجوہات کے باعث ضروری ہے، نہ کہ صرف اس لیے کہ یہ ایک ایسی داستان ہے جو ہماری دنیا میں کم ہی دکھائی دیتی ہے ۔ چالیس سال سے افغان عوام کو یکے بعد دیگرے بحرانوں کا سامنا کرنا پڑا ہے، اور چالیس سال سے ہی پاکستانی عوام ان سے اظہار یکجہتی کررہے ہیں ۔ یہ فراخ دلی اب دہائیوں اور نسلوں تک پہنچ چکی ہے ۔ معلوم شدہ تاریخ میں یہ دنیا کی سب سے طویل عرصے کو محیط ہجرت کی صورتحال ہے ۔ یہ ایک ایسی داستان بھی ہے جو میرے دل کے قریب ہے ۔ میری سابقہ زندگی میں اقوام متحدہ کے ہائی کمشنر برائے مہاجرین کے طور پر پاکستان میرے لیے ایک جانی پہچانی منزل تھا ۔ بطور ہائی کمشنر میرے دور میں ، پاکستان دنیا میں مہاجرین کی میزبانی کرنے والے ممالک میں سر فہرست تھا ۔ 1979ء کے بعد سے ہر چار سال میں سے تین سے زائد بار، پاکستان یا ایران دنیا میں مہاجرین کی میزبانی کرنے والے ممالک میں سب سے آگے تھے ۔
اگرچہ اس کے بعد بدقسمتی سے دنیا کے دیگر حصوں میں بڑے تنازعات پھوٹ پڑے اور مہاجرین کی آبادی بڑھ گئی، لیکن آج بھی پاکستان مہاجرین کی میزبانی کرنے والا دنیا کا دوسرا سب سے بڑا ملک ہے ۔ ہر دورے پر یہاں مجھے حیرت انگیز صلاحیت، غیر معمولی فراخ دلی اور بے حد ہمدردی دکھائی دی ۔ یہاں میں نے یکجہتی صرف الفاظ ہی نہیں بلکہ عمل میں بھی دیکھی ۔ یہ فراخ دلی مکمل طور پر اس عمل کے مطابق ہے جسے میں عالمی تاریخ میں مہاجرین کے تحفظ کا سب سے خوبصورت حل سمجھتا ہوں ۔ یہ حل قرآن پاک کی سور ۃ التوبہ میں بھی ملتا ہے، جس میں کہا گیا ہے کہ ’’اور اگر کوئی تم سے پناہ مانگے تو اسے تحفظ دو تاکہ وہ خدا کا کلام سن سکے ۔ پھر اسے وہاں لے جاوَ جہاں وہ محفوظ ہوسکے ۔ ‘‘
برداشت کی ایک حیرت انگیز مثال پیش کرتے ہوئے مسلمانوں اور غیرمسلموں کو یکساں طور پر دیا جانے والا یہ تحفظ 1951ء کے اس مہاجر کنونشن سے کئی صدیاں پہلے دیا گیا تھا جس میں وضاحت کی گئی کہ مہاجرین کون ہیں اور وہ کس تحفظ کے مستحق ہیں ۔ میں نے پاکستان میں اس ہمدردی کو حقیقی زندگی میں دیکھا ۔ اور یہ آنکھوں میں بس گئی ۔ ہم نے یہاں بہت سی جدید پالیسیوں کی بنیاد پڑتے دیکھی جن میں بائیو میٹرک رجسٹریشن، قومی نظام تعلیم تک رسائی، طبی سہولیات کی فراہمی اور معیشت میں شمولیت شامل ہیں ۔ پاکستان کے اپنے مسائل کے باوجود، ان اقدامات نے بہت فرق پیدا کیا ۔ ان میں سے کئی اقدامات اچھے رواج کے عالمی نمونے کے طور پر تسلیم کیے گئے ۔ ان میں سے کچھ ترقی پسند پالیسیاں عالمی معاہدہ برائے مہاجرین کی بعض شقوں کے لیے بنیاد بھی بنیں ۔
پاکستانی میزبان گروہوں اور افغان مہاجرین کی مدد کے لیے آپ کے ساتھ کام کرتے ہوئے ہمیں فخر محسوس ہوتا ہے ۔ ہم نے یہ کام پورے ملک میں مربوط انسان دوست اور ترقیاتی اقدامات کے ذریعے کیا ، جس سے پاکستان کے قومی عوامی خدمت کے نظام پر بوجھ کو کم کیا گیا اور افغان مہاجرین کو اپنے وطن میں پائیدار طور پر واپسی میں مدد دی گئی ۔ لیکن ہمیں یہ تسلیم کرنا ہوگا کہ آپ کی اپنی قومی کاوشوں کے مقابلے میں پاکستان کو دی گئی بین الاقوامی حمایت بہت کم رہی ہے ۔ اور جبکہ ہم مسائل کی طرف دیکھتے ہیں تو عالمی برادری کو آگے بڑھنا چاہیے ۔ ایک طرف، ہم مسلسل یکجہتی کے 40 سال مکمل کررہے ہیں ۔ لیکن ہم عداوت کے 40 شکستہ برسوں پر مایوس بھی ہیں ۔ افغان تنازعہ چلتا ہی چلا جارہا ہے اور ہم تنازعے، غربت اور جبری بے گھر ہونے کے گہرے اثرات دیکھ رہے ہیں ۔ ہم جانتے ہیں کہ اس کا حل افغانستان میں ہی موجود ہے ۔ مجھے امید ہے کہ امن کے ممکنہ راستے افغان عوام کو بہتر مستقبل کی طرف لے کر جائیں گے ۔
میں دیکھ رہا ہوں کہ امریکہ کے خصوصی ایلچی برائے افغان مفاہمت زلمے خلیل زاد ہمارے ساتھ موجود ہیں ۔ اور میں امن کی راہ پر گامزن ہونے کی بھر پور حوصلہ افزائی کرنا چاہتا ہوں ۔ اور آپ اور افغان عوام امن کوششوں کی حمایت کے لیے اقوام متحدہ سے اعتماد کرسکتے ہیں ۔ ہم یہ نہیں چاہتے کہ ہمیں مرکزی کردار سمجھ کر اہمیت دی جائے ۔ ہم صرف افغان عوام کی خدمت کرنا چاہتے ہیں جو اپنے انسانی حقوق کے مکمل احترام میں امن اور خوشحالی کے مستحق ہیں ۔
میں دوبارہ اس بات کی تصدیق کرنا چاہتا ہوں کہ مہاجرین کے لیے ترجیحی پائیدار حل سلامتی اور وقار کے ساتھ اپنے وطن میں رضاکارانہ طور پر واپس جانا ہی ہے ۔ یہی بات افغان مہاجرین کے لیے بھی ہے ۔ افغان مہاجرین کی واپسی اور انضمام کے سلسلے میں ہماری کوششیں ، جو بڑے پیمانے پر یو این ایچ سی آر کے ذریعے کی گئی ہیں ، افغانستان کے قومی امن اور ترقی کے عملی خاکے سے جڑی ہوئی ہیں ۔ ہم پاکستان اور ایران میں موجود مہاجرین اور ان کے میزبان گروہوں کو مدد فراہم کرتے ہوئے مہاجرین کی افغانستان میں رضاکارانہ وطن واپسی اور پائیدار بحالی میں مدد دینے کے لیے علاقائی سپورٹ پلیٹ فارم پر مل کر کام کر رہے ہیں ۔ ہمارا مقصد زیادہ وسائل اور سرمایہ کاری کو متحرک کرنا، شراکت داروں کے دائرے کو وسیع کرنا اور انسان دوست، ترقیاتی اور امن کی سرمایہ کاری کے مابین مضبوط روابط استوار کرنا ہے ۔
نوجوانوں کو با اختیار بنانے پر خصوصی توجہ دینی ہوگی ۔ ہمیں ایک نئے عزم کی ضرورت ہے ۔ افغان عوام کے مسائل کے حل کے لیے کوشش کرنا صرف یکجہتی کی علامت ہی نہیں بلکہ یہ دنیا کے بہترین مفاد میں ہے ۔ افغان باشندے اب یورپ میں آنے والا سب سے بڑا گروہ ہیں ، اور پہلی بار ان کی تعداد شامی باشندوں سے بڑھ گئی ہے جبکہ افغانستان واپسی تاریخ کی کم ترین سطح پر آگئی ہے ۔ افغانستان اور اس کے عوام کو چھوڑا نہیں جاسکتا ۔ اب وقت آگیا ہے کہ عالمی برادری آگے بڑھ کر کام کرے ۔ کامیابی کی ہماری صلاحیت عالمی معاہدہ برائے مہاجرین سے متعلق ہمارے لیے امتحان ہوگی - جس میں وعدہ کیا گیا ہے کہ اپنے کندھوں پر مہاجرین کا بوجھ اٹھانے والے ممالک کے ساتھ مل کر زیادہ سے زیادہ ذمہ داری میں شریک ہوا جائے گا ۔ باہمی افغان مذاکرات کی طرف لے جانے والی امن کوششیں راستہ ہموار کریں گی، لیکن پائیدار امن اور سلامتی ہماری انسان دوست، ترقیاتی اور امن کی کوششوں سے متعلق ہمارے کام کو بہتر طور پر ہم آہنگ کرنے پر منحصر ہیں ۔ اگر یہ کام ٹھیک سے کرلیا گیا تو یہ باقی دنیا کے لیے نمونہ ثابت ہوسکتا ہے ۔ ہمیں حقیقت پسند بننا چاہیے کیونکہ ہمیں بڑے چیلنجوں کا سامنا ہے ۔ لیکن اس کانفرنس ، اور پوری دنیا کے بہت سے اعلیٰ سرکاری عہدیداروں کی یہاں موجودگی، کا پیغام یکجہتی کے لیے ایک نئی شراکت داری، اور افغانستان، پاکستان اور ہماری دنیا کے عوام کے بہتر مستقبل کے لیے امید اور وابستگی کا منشور ہے ۔ شکریہ
UNDP
PRESS RELEASE
UNDP and Peshawar High Court organise All Pakistan High Court Registrars Conference to promote judicial collaboration and exchange of knowledge
15 February 2020, Islamabad — UNDP and Peshawar High Court have collaborated to initiate a platform that promotes judicial collaboration and exchange of knowledge.
The platform makes it possible for all provincial High Courts, High Court of Islamabad Capital Territory, High Court of AJ&K and Gilgit Baltistan Chief Court to share knowledge, experiences and best practices for effective management, and to enhance coordination.
A two-day conference held in Islamabad in this regard was attended by the Registrars of Peshawar High Courts, Islamabad High Court, Sindh High Court, Balochistan High Court, Punjab High Court, High Court of AJ&K and Gilgit Baltistan Chief Court. Administrative, judicial and IT teams of the High Courts also actively participated in the event.
The participants shared their best practices, lesson learnt, various reforms and innovation undertaken, court automation, judicial administration, pendency and other challenges faced by judiciary.
The event was inaugurated by Ms. Aliona Niculita, Deputy Resident Representative UNDP. Ms. Niculita appreciated the efforts of High Courts for making this event possible particularly the lead role played by the Honorable Chief Justice Peshawar High Court Mr. Justice Waqar Seth and Mr. Khawaja Wajih-ud-Din, Registrar Peshawar High Court.
The Honorable Chief Justice Peshawar High Court Mr. Justice Waqar Seth appreciated the role of UNDP for organizing the conference and support to rule of law and justice institutions in Pakistan particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
UNDP’s Amn-o-Insaf Programme supports both demand and supply sides of the rule of law and justice by strengthening institutions, citizen rights and by deepening the ongoing efforts of government and institutions to secure peace and stability in Pakistan. Judiciary being the vital pillar of rule of law and justice system, is one of the key focus areas of Amn-o-Insaf Programme.
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UNIC Pakistan
18 February 2020
_____________
United Nations
READOUT/REMARKS
Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with
H.E. Mr. Arif Alvi, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Arif Alvi, President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The Secretary-General thanked Pakistan for its support to the United Nations. The Secretary-General reiterated the UN’s commitment to support the country’s efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. They exchanged views on regional developments.
Islamabad, Pakistan
17 February
2020
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THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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REMARKS ON FUTURE CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL PEACE: THE ROLE OF THE UNITED NATIONS VIS-À-VIS A4P
Islamabad, Pakistan, 17 February 2020
[as delivered]
Rector, Dear Members of the Faculty, Dear students, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would
like to ask you to join me in paying tribute to the heroic 157 Pakistani
peacekeepers that sacrificed their lives to protect the lives of some of the
most vulnerable populations in the world. So, I would ask you please to join me
in a moment of silence.
Thank
you. I am very proud to be a colleague of theirs.
It is a great pleasure and an honour for me to be here in the Centre for International Peace and Stability, one of the most important institutions in the world that support peacekeeping activities in an extremely competent and professional way.
We all know that peace does not happen by chance. It is the result of difficult decisions based on solid evidence and facts. The Centre for International Peace and Stability, and institutions like it, are improving our knowledge and understanding of threats to peace and sources of instability. You are doing important work in the service of peace.
I myself graduated in engineering, and when I see the facilities and opportunities available to today’s students, I sometimes wish I could go back to college.
I know the students of the National University of Sciences and Technology are making the most of your education by aligning your academic studies with the broader goals of sustainable and inclusive development, equal opportunities, environmental protection and social progress.
Science and technology are an excellent starting point for changing the world, and I wish you all the best in your efforts.
Excellencies, dear students,
Pakistan is one of our most consistent and reliable contributors to peace efforts around the world.
Since the first Pakistani deployment to the Congo – as it was referred - in 1960, Pakistan has contributed more than 150,000 personnel to 41 peacekeeping missions in 23 countries.
And as I mentioned, 157 Pakistani military, police and civilian personnel have paid the ultimate price while serving under the United Nations flag. We will never forget their sacrifice.
Today, Pakistan is the sixth largest contributor of troops and police, with more than 4,000 uniformed personnel serving in nine United Nations peace operations, including in some of our most dangerous missions, like in the Central African Republic and Mali. Pakistani officers are also playing an important part as Force Commanders and Chiefs of Staff, and Pakistan contributes critical equipment, including a helicopter unit in Mali.
I have seen for myself the professionalism, the commitment of Pakistani military, police and civilian personnel in our missions and I thank you for your important contribution to creating a safer and more peaceful world.
United Nations peacekeeping is a beacon of hope for millions of people affected by conflict and instability.
Since 1948, over 70 UN peacekeeping missions have supported countries to make the transition to peace, fostering an environment of stability and development.
But as the nature of conflict changes, UN peacekeeping faces new challenges: rising threats to the security of peacekeepers themselves; difficult relations in several cases with the governments of some host countries; and problems in identifying an end-point and an exit strategy for our missions.
The growth of well-armed non-state armed groups, some of which operate across borders with shifting alliances and no clear political goals, has made it more difficult to negotiate an end to conflict.
The pathways to peace often depend on finding or creating unity of purpose and political will, at the local, national and international levels.
In some places, Blue Helmets are targeted by armed groups. That means we have to expend some of our resources on our own protection.
New digital technologies and the spread of propaganda on social media platforms are changing the face of war. Our peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mali have both been targeted by misinformation campaigns.
These new challenges called for decisive and cohesive action by all peacekeeping partners.
Excellencies and dear students,
This is the background to the Action for Peacekeeping initiative, that was launched in March 2018 to revitalize the essential partnership between the United Nations, troop-and-police contributor countries, Host Governments, regional organizations and all who have a stake in peacekeeping.
Pakistan was the first country to endorse the Declaration of Shared Commitments on A4P. I thank the Government of Pakistan for stepping forward to champion safety and security, performance and accountability.
Over the past two years, more than 150 Member States and four partnering organizations have followed Pakistan’s lead.
The Declaration covers eight areas for peacekeeping: political solutions; Women, Peace and Security; protection; safety and security; performance and accountability; sustaining peace; partnerships; and conduct.
It is a blueprint for all our peacekeeping-related work.
The success of A4P depends on all peacekeeping stakeholders upholding their commitments.
We in the United Nations Secretariat have made progress across key areas of the Declaration, including measures to reinforce the security and performance of our peacekeepers. These have resulted in improved casualty evacuation procedures and a decline in peacekeeper fatalities from malicious acts, from 59 in 2017 to 28 in 2019.
It is important to underline that this reduction in casualties is not the result of diminishment of activities, or a more protective behaviour, on the contrary, it is the result of more proactive action of our peacekeepers. It is the fact that they are being much more proactive and based on that more able to intimidate those that would eventually attack them, that it was possible to meaningfully reduce the number of casualties in our peacekeeping operations and at the same time increment the capacity for the protection of civilians by the peacekeepers themselves.
In Central African Republic, where more than 1,000 Pakistani troops serve, an enhanced partnership with the African Union contributed to a peace agreement between the government and armed groups, which is now being implemented. Levels of violence and civilian casualties have fallen.
With the deployment of the first-ever Pakistani Female Engagement Team to South Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan is a leader in championing women peacekeepers and an example for other troop contributors.
This inspiring all-women Pakistani team has implemented successful projects on vocational training, medical outreach and psychological support, and improved information-gathering that feeds into security assessments. It is my experience, with ten years as High Commissioner for Refugees, being in some of the most dangerous areas in the world, that to gain the confidence of populations, to gain the confidence of communities, women peacekeepers – both military and police - are absolutely essential, and they can do things that us, men, are not able to do – gain the confidence and create conditions for more effective action of our peacekeeping units.
Looking forward, we see several areas for progress within the A4P framework.
First, supporting missions in the most challenging environments to deal with greater security risks than ever.
Second, we are building greater capacity to improve the protection of civilians through training partnerships and provision of better equipment.
Third, we will enhance our analytical and intelligence capacities, by strengthening direct engagement with the host governments, communities and local people.
Fourth, we will strengthen implementation of the Human Rights Due Diligence policy, including through review mechanisms.
We will continue to work with troop and police-contributing countries to increase the number of women in uniform; to fill equipment gaps; and to set standards for environmental sustainability and accountability.
And we will build on our efforts to hold accountable the small minority of peacekeepers who commit unlawful acts, including sexual exploitation and abuse.
I remember the first meeting I had with the Ambassadors of troop contributing countries when I started my functions. It is true that three years ago, there was a campaign that was negative and question was very much in the limelight of the international Media. I am very proud of the fact it was possible to completely change that perception and today when we read the media on peacekeeping it is a totally different and a much more positive image that we are able to collect. I am extremely grateful to all countries that assumed leadership in order to have better training, better trainers and better accountability of their forces. This has contributed enormously to strengthen the image of peacekeeping around the world, and Pakistan has been absolutely exemplar in that regard.
We are planning to create a framework, together with our troop and police-contributing partners, to systematize performance evaluation and accountability.
Excellencies, dear students,
Pakistan’s great founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, said the aim of the state should be: “Peace within and peace without”.
United Nations peacekeeping is based on the same principle.
Peace in one place helps to build peace everywhere.
I thank you once again for your important contribution.
And I
look forward to discussing all these issues with you. Thank you very much.
***
UNIC Pakistan
18 February 2020
_____________
United Nations
REMARKS
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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REMARKS TO PRESS
Kartarpur, 18 February 2020
This is a very emotional moment — and I cannot be here without having a very strong feeling.
It is wonderful to see interfaith dialogue. It is wonderful to see in the same shrine today Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, maybe Hindus — all worshipping in harmony and in peace.
This is the best symbol that we can give for a world in peace and for a world in which there is mutual respect and there is the acceptance of what is different — recognizing that diversity is a blessing, is a richness, not a threat.
When we see so many parts of the world fighting in the name of religion, it’s necessary to say that religions unite us for peace and the best symbol is this shrine.
I also want to take profit of this occasion. I’ve been in Amritsar, today I’m here, to pay tribute to the contribution of the Sikh community all over the world for our planet. I’m a Christian but I feel very much at home when I am in a Sikh shrine and where I can pray to God here together with the Sikh community.
Thank you very much.
***
اقوام متحدہ
سیکریٹری جنرل
عالمی امن کو درپیش مستقبل کے خطرات پر تاثرات:
اے فار پی کی بابت اقوام متحدہ کا کردار
اسلام آباد، پاکستان، 17 فروری، 2020ء
ریکٹر، محترم اساتذہَ کرام، عزیز طلبا و طالبات، معزز حاضرین، خواتین و حضرات!
میں چاہتا ہوں کہ آپ میرے ساتھ مل کر امن اہلکاروں کے طور پر کام کرنے والے ان 157 پاکستانی ہیروز کو خراجِ عقیدت پیش کریں جنھوں نے دنیا کے بعض کمزور ترین طبقات کی حفاظت کرتے ہوئے اپنی جانوں کی قربانی دی ۔ لہٰذا، میں چاہوں گا کہ میرے ساتھ مل کر آپ کچھ دیر کے لیے خاموشی اختیار کریں ۔
آپ کا شکریہ! مجھے فخر ہے کہ میں ان ہیروز کے ساتھ کام کرتا تھا ۔ یہ میرے لیے بہت زیادہ خوشی اور اعزاز کی بات ہے کہ میں سنٹر فار انٹرنیشنل پِیس اینڈ سٹیبیلیٹی میں آیا ہوں جو انتہائی ماہرانہ اور پیشہ ورانہ انداز میں قیام امن کی کارروائی کو اعانت فراہم کرنے کے لیے دنیا کے اہم ترین اداروں میں سے ایک ہے ۔ ہم سب اچھی طرح جانتے ہیں کہ امن اتفاقاً قائم نہیں ہوتا ۔ یہ ٹھوس ثبوتوں اور حقائق پر مبنی مشکل فیصلوں کا نتیجہ ہوتا ہے ۔ سنٹر فار انٹرنیشنل پِیس اینڈ سٹیبیلیٹی، اور اس جیسے ادارے، امن کو لاحق خطرات اور عدم استحکام کے اسباب سے متعلق ہمارے علم اور بصیرت کو بہتر بنارہے ہیں ۔
میں نے انجینئرنگ میں گریجوایشن کی تھی، اور جب میں آج کے طلبہ کو میسر سہولیات اور مواقع کی طرف دیکھتا ہوں تو میرا کبھی کبھار دل چاہتا ہے کہ میں دوبارہ کالج میں داخلہ لے لوں ۔ میں جانتا ہوں کہ نیشنل یونیورسٹی آف سائنس اینڈ ٹیکنالوجی کے طلبہ اپنے تعلیمی معاملات کو پائیدار اور مجموعی ترقی کے وسیع تر مقاصد، مساوی مواقع، ماحولیاتی تحفظ اور معاشرتی نشوونما سے جوڑ کر اپنی تعلیم سے بھرپور فائدہ اٹھا رہے ہیں ۔ دنیا کو بدلنے کے لیے سائنس اور ٹیکنالوجی ایک عمدہ نقطۂ آغاز ہیں ، اور میں آپ کی کاوشوں کے لیے نیک خواہشات کا اظہار کرتا ہوں ۔
معزز حاضرین، عزیز طلبہ،
پاکستان پوری دنیا میں امن کاوشوں کے حوالے سے ہمارے سب سے ثابت قدم اور باعتماد شراکت داروں میں سے ایک ہے ۔ جیسے بتایا گیا ہے کہ 1960ء میں پاکستان کی کانگو میں پہلی تعیناتی سے اب تک پاکستان 23 ممالک میں 41 امن مشنز کے لیے 150,000 اہلکار بھیج چکا ہے ۔ اور جیسے ابھی ذکر کیا گیا کہ پاکستان کے 157 فوجی، پولیس اور سول اہلکار اقوام متحدہ کے پرچم تلے کام کرتے اپنی جانوں کا نذرانہ پیش کرچکے ہیں ۔ ہم ان کی قربانی کبھی نہیں بھولیں گے ۔ آج، پاکستان وسطی افریقی جمہوریہ اور مالی جیسے ہمارے بعض مشکل ترین مشنز سمیت اقوام متحدہ کی نو امن کارروائیوں میں 4,000 سے زائد باوردی اہلکاروں کے ساتھ سپاہی اور پولیس بھیجنے والا چھٹا سب سے بڑا حصہ دار ہے ۔ پاکستانی افسران فورس کمانڈرز اور چیفس آف سٹاف کے طور پر اہم کردار ادا کررہے ہیں ، اور پاکستان مالی میں ایک ہیلی کاپٹر یونٹ سمیت اہم ساز و سامان بھی مہیا کررہا ہے ۔ میں خود ان مشنز میں پاکستانی فوج، پولیس اور سول اہلکاروں کی پیشہ ورانہ مہارت اور احساس ذمہ داری دیکھ چکا ہوں اور میں ایک محفوظ تر اور زیادہ پُر امن دنیا کی تعمیر میں آپ کے اہم کردار پر آپ کا ممنون ہوں ۔ تنازعے اور عدم استحکام سے متاثر کروڑوں لوگوں کے لیے اقوام متحدہ کا قیام امن پروگرام امید کا چراغ ہے ۔
1948ء سے اب تک 70 سے زائد یو این قیام امن مشنز استحکام اور ترقی کے ماحول کو فروغ دیتے ہوئے بہت سے ممالک کو امن کی جانب بڑھنے میں معاونت دے چکے ہیں ۔ لیکن تنازعے کی نوعیت بدلنے کے ساتھ اقوام متحدہ قیام امن کو نئے چیلنجوں کا سامنا ہے جن میں امن اہلکاروں کی حفاظت کے لیے بڑھتے ہوئے خطرات، بعض میزبان ممالک کی حکومتوں کے ساتھ دشوار تعلقات، اور ہمارے مشنز کے لیے نقطۂ اختتام اور ان سے نکلنے کے لیے حکمت عملی کا تعین شامل ہیں ۔ غیر ریاستی مسلح گروہوں ، جن میں سے کچھ سرحدوں کے آر پار اتحاد بدل بدل کر کارروائیاں کرتے ہیں اور ان کے کوئی واضح سیاسی مقاصد نہیں ہیں ، کی افزائش نے تنازعے کے خاتمے کو اور زیادہ مشکل بنا دیا ہے ۔ امن کے لیے راستوں کا انحصار اکثر مقامی، قومی اور بین الاقوامی سطحوں پر مقصد کے اشتراک اور سیاسی قوتِ ارادی کی تلاش یا تعمیر پر ہوتا ہے ۔ بعض جگہوں پر، مسلح گروہ نیلے ہیلمٹ کو نشانہ بناتے ہیں ۔ اس کا مطلب یہ ہے کہ ہمیں کچھ وسائل اپنی حفاظت پر خرچ کرنا ہوں گے ۔ نئی ڈیجیٹل ٹیکنالوجیز اور سوشل میڈیا پلیٹ فارمز پر پروپیگنڈا کا پھیلاؤ جنگ کی نوعیت کو بدل رہے ہیں ۔ جمہوریہ کانگو اور مالی دونوں میں ہمارے امن اہلکاروں کو غلط معلومات والی مہموں کی بنیاد پر نشانہ بنایا گیا ۔ یہ نئے چیلنج قیام امن کے تمام شراکت داروں سے فیصلہ کن اور مربوط کارروائی کا تقاضا کرتے ہیں ۔
معزز حاضرین، عزیز طلبہ،
یہ عمل برائے قیام امن اقدام، یعنی اے فار پی، کا پس منظر ہے جس کا افتتاح اقوام متحدہ ، سپاہی اور پولیس بھیجنے والے حصہ داروں ، میزبان حکومتوں ، علاقائی تنظیموں اور قیام امن سے تعلق رکھنے والے سب حصہ داروں کی ضروری شراکت داری کو مضبوط بنانے کے لیے میں نے مارچ 2018ء میں کیا ۔ پاکستان وہ پہلا ملک تھا جس نے اے فار پی کے اعلان برائے مشترکہ ذمہ داری کی تائید کی ۔ میں سلامتی اور حفاظت، کارکردگی اور احتساب میں سبقت لے جانے کے لیے قدم آگے بڑھانے پر حکومت ِپاکستان کا شکر گزار ہوں ۔ گزشتہ دو برس میں 150 سے زائد رکن ممالک اور چار شراکت دار تنظیموں نے اس سلسلے میں پاکستان کی پیروی کی ہے ۔ یہ اعلان قیام امن کے 8 حوالوں پر مشتمل ہے، جن میں سیاسی حل؛ خواتین، امن اور حفاظت؛ تحفظ؛ سلامتی اور حفاظت؛ کارکردگی اور احتساب؛ پائیدار امن؛ شراکت داریاں ؛ اور کام کرنے کا طریقہ شامل ہیں ۔ یہ قیام امن سے متعلق ہمارے تمام کاموں کا خاکہ ہے ۔ اے فار پی کی کامیابی کا انحصار قیام امن کے تمام حصہ داروں کے اپنی ذمہ داریاں پوری کرنے پر ہے ۔
اقوام متحدہ کے سیکریٹریٹ میں موجود ہم لوگوں نے اپنے امن اہلکاروں کی حفاظت اور کارکردگی کو مضبوط بنانے سمیت اس اعلان کے اہم حوالوں سے متعلق کامیابی حاصل کی ہے ۔ اس سب کے نتیجے میں زخمیوں کو شورش زدہ علاقوں سے نکالنے کے طریقہ کار میں بہتری اور معاندانہ کارروائیوں سے امن اہلکاروں کی ہلاکتوں میں کمی آئی ہے، جو 2017ء میں 59 تھیں اور 2019ء میں کم ہو کر28 رہ گئیں ۔ وسطی افریقی جمہوریہ میں ، جہاں 1,000 سے زائد پاکستان سپاہی خدمات انجام دے رہے ہیں ،افریقی یونین کے ساتھ بہتر شراکت داری نے حکومت اور مسلح گروہوں کے درمیان امن معاہدے میں کردار ادا کیا، جو اب نافذ کیا جارہا ہے ۔ تشدد اور سول جانی نقصانات میں کمی آئی ہے ۔
جمہوریہ کانگو میں جنوبی کیوو میں پہلی پاکستانی خواتین ٹیم کی تعیناتی سے پاکستان خواتین امن اہلکاروں کے کام میں سبقت لے گیا اور دیگر سپاہی بھیجنے والے ممالک کے لیے ایک مثال بن گیا ہے ۔ صرف خواتین پر مبنی اس متاثر کن پاکستانی ٹیم نے پیشہ ورانہ تربیت، طبی خدمات کی فراہمی اور نفسیاتی امداد کے پراجیکٹس کو کامیابی سے نافذ کیا ہے، اور معلومات کی جمع آوری کو بہتر بنایا ہے جس سے حفاظتی جائزوں میں مدد ملی ہے ۔ دس سال تک بطور ہائی کمشنر برائے مہاجرین کام کرتے ہوئے دنیا کے بعض خطرناک ترین علاقوں میں جا کر یہ بات میرے تجربے میں آئی کہ مقامی آبادی اور گروہوں کا اعتماد حاصل کرنے کے لیے پولیس اور فوجی خواتین امن اہلکاروں کی موجودگی بہت ضروری ہے، اور وہ لوگوں کا اعتماد حاصل کرنے اور قیام امن یونٹس کے زیادہ موَثر انداز میں کام کرنے کے لیے جیسے کام کرسکتی ہیں ، وہ ہم مرد نہیں کرسکتے ۔
مستقبل کی طرف دیکھتے ہوئے ہم اے فار پی کے ڈھانچے کے اندر ہی ترقی کے کئی حوالے دیکھ رہے ہیں ۔ اول، دشوار ترین ماحول میں ماضی سے کہیں زیادہ حفاظتی خدشات سے نمٹنے کے لیے معاون مشنز کی ضرورت ہے ۔ دوم، ہم عام لوگوں کے تحفظ کو بہتر بنانے کے لیے تربیتی شراکت داریوں اور بہتر ساز و سامان کی فراہمی کے ذریعے استعداد کو بہت زیادہ بڑھا رہے ہیں ۔ سوم، ہم میزبان حکومتوں ، گروہوں اور مقامی لوگوں کے ساتھ براہ راست تعاون کو مضبوط بناتے ہوئے اپنی تجزیاتی اور انٹیلی جنس صلاحیتوں میں اضافہ کریں گے ۔ چہارم، ہم نظر ثانی کے نظاموں سمیت انسانی حقوق کی مطلوبہ احتیاط پالیسی کے نفاذ کو مضبوط بنائیں گے ۔ ہم باوردی خواتین کی تعداد بڑھانے، ساز و سامان کے خلا کو پُر کرنے، اور ماحولیاتی استحکام اور احتساب کے معیارات طے کرنے کے لیے سپاہی اور پولیس بھیجنے والے ممالک کے ساتھ کام جاری رکھیں گے ۔ اور ہم امن اہلکاروں کی اس چھوٹی اقلیت کے احتساب کے لیے اپنی کوششیں بڑھائیں گے جو جنسی استحصال اور ناجائز فائدے حاصل کرنے سمیت غیر قانونی کام کرتی ہے ۔
مجھے یاد ہے جب میں نے اپنا عہدہ سنبھالا تو میں نے قیام امن کے لیے سپاہی بھیجنے والے ممالک کے سفیروں سے ملاقات کی تھی ۔ یہ حقیقت ہے کہ تین سال پہلے ایک مہم چل رہی تھی جو منفی تھی اور وہ بین الاقوامی میڈیا میں بہت نمایاں تھی ۔ مجھے فخر ہے کہ اس تاَثر کو پوری طرح بدلنا ممکن ہوا اور آج ہم میڈیا میں قیام امن کے حوالے سے جو کچھ دیکھتے ہیں وہ بالکل مختلف ہے اور ہم مزید مثبت امیج حاصل کرنے کے قابل ہیں ۔ میں ان تمام ممالک کا بہت زیادہ ممنون ہوں جنھوں نے بہتر تربیت، بہتر تربیت کاروں اور اپنی افواج کے بہتر احتساب کے لیے رہنما کردار ادا کیا ۔ اس سے دنیا بھر میں قیام امن کا امیج بہت زیادہ مضبوط ہوا ہے، اور پاکستان اس سلسلے میں ایک اچھی مثال ہے ۔ کارکردگی کے جائزے اور احتساب کو منظم بنانے کے لیے ہم اپنے سپاہی اور پولیس بھیجنے والے شراکت داروں کے ساتھ مل کر ایک عملی خاکہ بنانے کی منصوبہ بندی کررہے ہیں ۔
معزز حاضرین، عزیز طلبہ،
پاکستان کے عظیم بانی محمد علی جناح نے کہا تھا کہ ریاست کا عزم ’اندرونی امن اور بیرونی امن‘ ہونا چاہیے ۔ اقوام متحدہ قیام امن اسی اصول پر مبنی ہے ۔ ایک جگہ امن کا قیام ہر جگہ امن کے قیام میں مدد دیتا ہے ۔ میں آپ کی اہم شراکت داری کے لیے ایک بار پھر آپ کا شکریہ ادا کرتا ہوں ۔ اور میں آپ سے ان تمام معاملات پر بات کرنے کی توقع کرتا ہوں ۔ بہت شکریہ!
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UN Women
PRESS RELEASE
KP government committed to accelerate actions for the implementation of Women Empowerment Policy 2017
PESHAWAR: The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is striving to improve the implementation of its Women Empowerment Policy, which was developed and approved in 2017 for creating an inclusive and enabling environment for the women of KP. The policy has identified social, economic, political and legal empowerment including access to justice as key areas for the provincial government to work on for enhancing the role of women in society. The measures taken by the government will contribute towards ending gender disparities in the province and help achieve the targets set out in the Sustainable Development Goals.
“KP’s Women Empowerment Policy substantiates the government’s strong commitment towards dealing with challenges that hinder women’s empowerment,” said Ms. Rukhshanda Naz on behalf of Social Welfare, Special Education & Women Empowerment Department (SWWED) of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while addressing a consultative workshop on the implementation framework of the WEP 2017, jointly arranged by the SWWED and UN Women Pakistan.
The Consultative Workshop was organized as an activity under the Aawaz II Joint Programme funded by the Department for International Development (DFID). Representatives from relevant provincial government departments, civil society and other stakeholders with a significant number of women participated in the session which had the aim to accelerate implementation of the WEP 2017.
Ms. Rukhshanda acknowledged and appreciated UN Women for its invaluable contribution and support in developing the province’s first Women Empowerment Policy and reiterated the government’s commitment to implement the policy effectively.
“Knowing the importance of women empowerment and understanding the responsibility of the state, the department of Social Welfare will provide monitoring and reporting support to measure progress on the implementation of the policy through both government and donor funded projects implemented in the province,” the Ombudsperson concluded.
On behalf of the Gender Mainstreaming Steering Committee (GMSC) constituted for ensuring the implementation of the Women Empowerment Policy, Ms. Sajida Hanif, member of GMSC remarked that the provincial government and the SWWED are fully committed with a strong resolve to cooperate with and support government departments at every level so that together they could effectively contribute to advancing the gender equality and women empowerment agenda in the province.
Ms. Zainab Qaisar Khan, Head of UN Women Provincial Office Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, further emphasized the importance of the policy for the women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “UN Women is determined to eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against women, and the effective implementation of this policy will contribute significantly towards this goal. UN Women will continue to support the government’s efforts in enhancing the participation of women in social and economic empowerment opportunities.”
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For media queries:
Habib Asgher
Communications Officer
UN Women Pakistan
0346-8502180
UNIC Pakistan
24 February 2020
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REMARKS
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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REMARKS TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL:
“THE HIGHEST ASPIRATION:
A CALL TO ACTION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS”
Geneva, 24 February 2020
Distinguished President of the Human Rights Council,
Madame High Commissioner,
Excellencies, Colleagues, Friends,
I would like to start by expressing my appreciation and admiration for the work being carried out by High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet and her Office.
Her personal history… her understanding of what it means for a society and an individual to suffer human rights violations… and her experience in advancing human rights as a world leader…
All of this gives her a unique and vital voice.
Excellencies,
I have come to the Human Rights Council -- the fulcrum for international dialogue and cooperation to advance all human rights – to launch a Call to Action.
And I have come now – during this 75th anniversary year of the United Nations – because human rights are under assault.
I want to begin where human rights begin -- with a core understanding.
Human rights are about the dignity and worth of the human person.
They expand the horizons of hope, enlarge the boundaries of the possible, and unleash the best of ourselves and our world.
Human rights are our ultimate tool to help societies grow in freedom. To ensure equality for women and girls. To advance sustainable development. To prevent conflict, reduce human suffering and build a just and equitable world.
As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, human rights are “humanity’s highest aspiration”.
Progress in one corner of the globe nourishes progress in another.
I have seen it.
And I have lived it.
I grew up under the Salazar dictatorship in Portugal and did not experience democracy until I was twenty-four years old.
I saw the dictatorship oppress not only its own citizens, but also people under colonial rule in Africa.
But it was the human rights struggles and successes of others around the world that inspired us.
Over the decades, the efforts of many have ushered in massive human rights gains on all continents.
Colonial rule and apartheid were overcome. Dictatorships have fallen. Democracy has spread.
Landmark covenants spell out the full range of civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights.
A robust treaty-based system is in place, along with special procedures and accountability mechanisms.
One billion people have been lifted out of poverty in a generation.
We have seen big advances in access to drinking water – and big declines in child mortality.
And all our societies have benefitted from human rights movements led by women, young people, minorities, indigenous peoples and others.
Yet, human rights today face growing challenges.
No country is immune.
We see civilians trapped in war-torn enclaves, starved and bombarded in clear violation of international law.
Human trafficking affecting every region in the world, preying on vulnerability and despair.
Women and girls enslaved, exploited and abused, denied the opportunity to make the most of their potential.
Civil society activists tossed in jail, and religious and ethnic minorities groups persecuted, under overly broad definitions of national security.
Journalists killed or harassed for seeking only to do their jobs.
Minorities, indigenous people, migrants, refugees, the LGBTI community vilified as the “other” and tormented by acts of hate.
We also see global hunger on the rise and and youth unemployment at alarming levels.
A new set of challenges is arising from megatrends such as the climate crisis, demographic change, rapid urbanization and the march of technology.
People are being left behind. Fears are growing. Divisions are widening.
Some leaders are exploiting anxieties to broaden those gaps to the breaking point.
A perverse political arithmetic has taken hold: divide people to multiply votes.
The rule of law is being eroded.
In so many places, people are rising up against political systems that fail to take them into account and economic systems that fail to deliver prosperity for all.
Excellencies,
In the face of these tensions and tests, there is an answer: Human rights.
Human rights are the birthright of every person and in the interests of every country.
They ensure stability. They build solidarity. They promote inclusion and growth.
They must never be a vehicle for double standards or a means to pursue hidden agendas.
Sovereignty remains a bedrock principle of international relations. But national sovereignty cannot be a pretext for violating human rights. We must overcome the false dichotomy between human rights and national sovereignty. Human rights and national sovereignty go hand in hand.
The promotion of human rights strengthens States and societies, thereby reinforcing sovereignty.
Our enduring challenge is to transform the ambitions of the Universal Declaration into real-world change on the ground.
That is why my Call to Action is to the UN family itself, to Member States, to parliamentarians, to the business community, to civil society and to people everywhere.
We have to fully mobilize the diverse capacities of the United Nations.
Let me also underscore a fundamental point: just as we must not discriminate between people, we cannot pick and choose among human rights.
It would be a mistake to diminish economic, social and cultural rights. But it would be equally misguided to think that those rights are sufficient to answer people’s yearning for freedom.
For our part, as a United Nations family, a culture of human rights must permeate all we do.
Indeed, when we push for a surge of diplomacy, we are reducing human suffering and promoting human rights.
When we press for climate action, we are advancing intergenerational justice and promoting human rights.
When we call out the rise of racism, white supremacy and other forms of extremism and issue the first-ever UN system-wide plan of action to combat hate speech, we are upholding human rights.
Human rights are part of the very identity of the United Nations.
That means we must deploy a diverse toolbox of actions depending on situation and context.
At times we will work hand-in-hand with Governments and other stakeholders, providing technical support to build national human rights institutions and guide the national application of international norms and standards.
At other times we will speak out, identifying both violations and violators.
At still other times we will work behind the scenes.
There is a place for each of these approaches, and often all three at once.
The ultimate test is not the headlines we generate or the catharsis of public critique.
Success must be measured by the yardstick of meaningful change in people’s lives.
Excellencies,
Our Call to Action singles out seven areas where concerted effort can achieve a quantum leap in progress or avert the risk of backsliding.
Allow me to briefly outline each.
First, rights at the core of sustainable development.
Human rights permeate the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The vast majority of the goals and targets correspond to legally binding human rights commitments made by every Member State.
When we help lift people out of abject poverty – when we ensure education for all, notably girls – when we guarantee universal health care -- when everyone has equal access to opportunity and choice, we are enabling people to claim their rights and upholding the core pledge of the 2030 Agenda to leave no one behind.
This promise obliges us to tackle all forms of inequality and eliminate all forms of discrimination.
Nobody’s prospects in life should be determined because of age, gender, how they look, where they live, how they worship or who they love.
We also must focus on the needs and experiences of young people, people living with disabilities, minorities, indigenous communities, refugees, migrants and other groups facing
specific challenges.
A human rights-based approach, oriented around peaceful and just societies and respect for the rule of law, delivers development that is more lasting and inclusive.
Today I call on all countries to put human rights principles and mechanisms front and centre in implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals – including by creating wide avenues for civil society participation.
Second, rights in time of crisis.
Human rights face few greater tests than when conflicts erupt, terrorists attack or disaster strikes.
International human rights, refugee and humanitarian law can restore a measure of humanity in even the darkest moments.
Let me also underscore that even necessary efforts to combat terrorism must not compromise human rights. Otherwise, counter-terror actions will be counter-productive.
This Call to Action recognizes that respect for human rights is an essential crisis prevention mechanism.
But when prevention falls short and violence is rampant, people need protection.
To ensure the effectiveness and coherence of UN action, we will draw on extensive work in the field and develop a common agenda for protection that will apply to the United Nations family.
This agenda for protection will take full account of differences in age, gender and diversity among the people we serve.
It will further focus on the protection of minorities and the rights of indigenous peoples.
And it will build on important initiatives such as Human Rights Up Front– enhancing human rights analysis and expanding the presence of Human Rights Advisors within UN Country Teams.
Meanwhile, we will continue to engage with the Security Council and other UN bodies to raise awareness, prevent crises, protect people and ensure accountability, including through international criminal courts and other mechanisms for global justice. These are also vital instruments in the prevention of genocide and other atrocity crimes.
Third, gender equality and equal rights for women.
Human rights will never be realized without the human rights of women.
Yet in this year in which we mark the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform of Action, we see a pushback against women’s rights, alarming levels of femicide, attacks on women human rights defenders, and the persistence of laws and policies that perpetuate subjugation and exclusion.
Violence against women and girls is the world’s most pervasive human rights abuse.
We also continue to see chronic stagnation in women’s participation in political leadership roles, peace processes and economic inclusion.
The gaps may vary but the roots and reasons are the same: power.
For millennia, women have been systematically silenced, marginalized and ignored.
Policies and laws have been shaped largely through the experiences of only half of humanity.
We need a shift in our way of thinking, so that we consciously build socio-economic, governance and security systems that work for all.
As one noted expert wrote: “If women are not perceived to be fully within the structures of power, surely it is power we need to redefine rather than women.”
That work starts within. On January 1st — for the first time in UN history — we achieved gender parity across our senior-most ranks of full-time Under- and Assistant-Secretaries-General – 90 women and 90 men.
We pledge to reach gender parity throughout the UN system at all levels by 2028, apply a gender perspective to everything the United Nations does, strengthen our push for gender equality across the board, and better track and set benchmarks on funding for gender equality.
Today, I call on every country to support policies and legislation that promote gender equality, repeal discriminatory laws, end violence against women and girls, ensure sexual and reproductive health and rights, and strive for women’s equal representation and participation in all spheres.
Fourth, public participation and civic space.
Civic space is shrinking around the world. And as that space shrinks, so, too, do human rights.
Repressive laws are spreading, with increased restrictions on the freedoms of expression, religion, participation, assembly and association.
Journalists, human rights defenders and environmental activists -- especially women -- are increasingly threatened at a time when they are critically needed to ensure accountability.
New technologies have helped civil society networks grow, but they have also given authorities unprecedented ability to control movements and curtail freedoms.
The United Nations simply could not do its work without the active engagement of civil society.
We are ramping up our efforts for more systematic inclusion of civil society voices in United Nations bodies and agencies, with special attention to women’s rights organizations and young people.
And we will design a system-wide strategy to promote and protect civic space and step up efforts to empower civil society.
Fifth, the rights of future generations.
The climate crisis is the biggest threat to our survival as a species and is already threatening human rights around the world.
This global emergency highlights how the rights of succeeding generations must figure prominently in decision-making today.
It threatens the very survival of some Member States, especially small island developing countries.
Our children and grandchildren will enjoy far fewer of their fundamental rights if we do not act.
And we can already hear them through the courageous voices of young people today.
Our Call to Action will build on the September climate summit — including the youth climate summit — to push for climate action and the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
We will create space for young people to not simply speak – but to participate and shape decisions that will affect their future.
Sixth, collective action.
This Call to Action situates human rights at the heart of the collective action we need to address today’s crises.
Multilateralism must be more inclusive, more networked, and place human rights at its core.
We will seize every opportunity to engage with different stakeholders, particularly Member States, on human rights and humanitarian concerns, including enhanced support to vital human rights institutions.
We will strengthen our efforts to build capacities and bolster state institutions and civil society organizations.
We will continue to engage in frank dialogue in the Security Council, in the General Assembly, and in the Human Rights Council, as well as bilaterally and at the regional level.
The Universal Periodic Review is a critical tool of engagement in our country-level work. We have many good practices and successful experiences -- even in the most difficult circumstances.
We pledge today to step up our efforts.
I will soon issue new practical guidance to every UN country leader around the world to strengthen our platforms of cooperation to address human rights challenges utilizing the power and potential of the Universal Periodic Review.
In all we do, we pledge to increase our support to Member States in building their own human rights institutions and make fuller use of UN human rights tools as a basis for meeting the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Seventh, and finally, new frontiers of human rights.
The digital age has opened new frontiers of human welfare, knowledge and exploration.
Yet new technologies are too often used to violate rights and privacy through surveillance, repression and online harassment and hate. They are also used by terrorists and human traffickers.
Advances such as facial recognition software, robotics, digital identification and biotechnology, must not be used to erode human rights, deepen inequality or exacerbate existing discrimination.
The independent High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation has pointed the way to a world in which everyone benefits from profound advances and new frontiers.
To that end, we will advocate for the application of human rights online and for effective data protection, particularly for personal and health data.
Work with the private sector will be crucial.
We will also strive to strengthen vital global bodies such as the Internet Governance Forum.
And we must ensure that autonomous machines are never given lethal capacity outside human judgment or control.
I repeat my call for a global ban on lethal autonomous weapon systems.
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am determined to put the full weight of my office and the United Nations family behind the Call to Action we launch today, fully supporting the vital work of the High Commissioner for Human Rights We will also strengthen the already close collaboration between my office and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to ensure that we live up to the commitments.
I ask all of you to join us in answering the call – for people and planet.
People across the world want to know we are on their side.
Whether robbed of their dignity by war, repression or poverty, or simply dreaming of a better future, they rely on their irreducible rights – and they look to us to help uphold them.
Human rights – civil, cultural, economic, political and social -- are both the goal and the path.
Let’s work together to realize humanity’s highest aspiration -- all human rights for all people.
Thank you.
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UNODC
MEDIA ADVISORY & INVITE
Handing Over Ceremony of Prisons Management Information System
(PMIS), Punjab to Punjab Prisons Department
Pearl Continental Hotel, Lahore (Emerald Hall) on Tuesday 25 February 2020 at 10:30 hrs
UNODC, on the request of the Government of Pakistan, has been engaged with criminal justice institutions to provide technical assistance under the Country Programme (CP-II) for Pakistan 2016-2020. UNODC is currently supporting the criminal justice institutions in Punjab through different initiatives, including the Prisons Management Information System (PMIS) for automation of all the prisons in Punjab.
After the successful completion and launch of the first phase of PMIS, UNODC has completed its Extension phase in 23 more prisons of Punjab (during 2017 – 2019), thus 43 prisons, including its Inspectorate received technical support in both phases. PMIS is currently operational in all prisons of Punjab.
In light of the above, UNODC intends to hand over this project to the Government of Punjab, Home Department and Inspectorate of Prisons on February 25, 2020 during a Hand Over Ceremony in Lahore.
You are cordially invited you to do the coverage of the event at PC Lahore, followed by lunch. Agenda of the event is enclosed.
For your confirmation and further information please contact:
Ms Rizwana Rahool
Communications Officer (UNODC)
Mobile: 0301-8564255, Email: rizwan...@un.org
PMIS Handing Over Ceremony
Schedule of Proceedings
|
Handover Event |
- Feb 25, 2020 |
|
Arrival of Guests |
- 10.35 am |
|
Venue |
- Emerald Hall, Pearl Continental Lahore |
|
Chief Guest |
- Zawar Hussain Warraich, Minister for Prisons Punjab |
|
Guests |
- ACS Home Punjab - SS Home Punjab - AS Home Punjab - AS Prisons Punjab - DS Prisons Punjab - IG Prisons KP, Sindh, Balochistan - ALL DIGs of Prisons in Punjab - All AIGs/Staff Officers in uniform - All Superintendents of Jails in the Punjab in Uniform - Chairman PITB, DG IT Operations, Project Director PITB and Senior Program Manager PMIS - GM Marketing and Sales NRTC, Regional Managers Project NRTC Lahore - Eminent Lawyers and Social Activists |
|
Program |
- Seating of guests – 10.45 am - Arrival of Chief Guest – 11.00 - Recitation of Holy Quran – 11.05 - Remarks by Rep UNODC – 11.10 - Presentation on PMIS by UNODC – 11.20 - Handing Over / Taking Over – 11.30 - Keynote Address by IG Prisons – 11.40 - Remarks by INL representative – 11.50 - Remarks by the ACS Home – 12.00 PM - Speech by the Chief guest – 12.10 - Exchange of Souvenirs – 12.30 |
|
Lunch |
- 12.50 PM |
UNIC Pakistan
25 February 2020
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MEDIA ADVISORY
Launch of Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) - Sindh
At Avari Towers Karachi on Wednesday 26 February 2020 @ 10:45 hrs
Pakistan's Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) with a specific reference to Sindh is jointly developed by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to empower the criminal justice institutions to proactively prevent and counter terrorism.
PACT Sindh is designed to strengthen the capacities and coordination mechanisms of federal, and provincial, counter-terrorism and criminal justice institutions. PACT Sindh will focus on improving the quality of the investigation, prosecution and adjudication process of Sindh's criminal justice system. It will strengthen the capacity of police, prosecution and judiciary in cooperation with other departments.
The event will include a presentation focusing on the findings of case analysis exercise by UNODC. Mr. Asif Saifullah Paracha, Member NACTA, H.E. Ms Androulla Kaminara, Ambassador of the EU, Dr. Muhammad Usman Chachar, Home Secretary, Sindh and Mr Danilo Campisi Officer-in-charge Country Office Pakistan will deliver remarks. Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah has kindly consented to be the Chief Guest for the occasion. The event will be attended by diplomatic community, civil society and High Officials from Government of Pakistan.
We cordially invite you to attend the launch of the Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) Sindh at Avari Towers Karachi on Wednesday 26 February 10:45 hrs followed by lunch.
For further details please contact:
Mr. Zahid Ullah Khan, Deputy Director, NACTA, Ph: 051-9216579, email: zzahi...@gmail.com
Website: https:// http://www.nacta.gov.pk
Ms Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer UNODC via 0301-8564255, rizwan...@unodc.org
Website: http://www.unodc.org/pakistan/
***
UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
43 prison facilities in Punjab automated by UNODC with INL funding
Handing over ceremony of PMIS to Punjab Prison Department
25 February 2020, Lahore – The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) jointly handed over the formal control and implementation of the Prison Management Information Systm (PMIS) to the Punjab Prisons Department, Government of the Punjab through a special ceremony in Lahore.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Zawar Hussain Warraich, Minister for Prisons, Punjab hailed the automation of prison records as a breakthrough in prison administration across the entire chain of prisons in Punjab. He appreciated the support from UNODC and INL that went beyond the provision of funds and equipment to offering hands-on soft training to a cadre of more than 200 master trainers from a cross-section of prisons in Punjab. This would ensure adaptability to technological change for efficient implementation of the system.
The PMIS has been intuitively designed to replace the redundant manual file system with a Central Data Centre to drive functionality and interoperability across the prisons in Punjab. It envisages automation of the entire prison records through an information management system developed in collaboration with the Prisons Department in Punjab. The purpose is to deliver efficiency, transparency and accountability in the management of prison affairs.
The event was also attended by Ms. Lauren A. Meehling, the INL representative; Mr. Momin Ali Agha, Additional Chief Secretary Home Department, Punjab; Mr. Mirza Shahid Saleem Baig, Inspector General, Prisons Punjab, Mr. Nusrat Hussain Mangan, IG Prisons Sindh; Mr. Masood ur Rehman, IG Prisons KP; Mr. Malik Mohammad Yousaf, IG Prisons Balochistan and Mr. Masood ur Rehman, IG Prison/Additional Secretary Home, AJK along with other distinguished guests from the law enforcement and criminal justice system. The initiative was unanimously acclaimed as a groundbreaking innovation to leverage technology and enhance productivity in prison management.
Ms. Jouhaida Hanano, Criminal Justice Advisor, UNODC appreciated the functionality of PMIS and its linkages to the broader reform agenda in the criminal justice system. She stressed on the availability of objective and transparent data that can help in reforming the prison system through effective decision-making. Ms. Hanano thanked the Chief Minister, Punjab and all stakeholders for their support in making the event a success and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) for their generous support.
The Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) will replicate the Prison Management Information System (PMIS) across the prisons in Punjab, proactively engaging as a technology partner to support implementation and sustainability of the PMIS. UNODC has also supplemented the PMIS with the necessary equipment, including more than 200 computers and UPS, biometric systems, networking and fingerprint devices for the automation of prisons, Inspectorate General Prisons and Prisons Training Academy in Sahiwal.
This Project is supported by Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Govt of United States of America.
For further details please contact: Ms Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer UNODC via 0301-8564255, rizwan...@un.org
25 February 2020
Islamabad
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UNIC Pakistan
27 February 2020
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United Nations
PRESS RELEASE
INCB calls for increased focus on improving substance use prevention and treatment services for young people
In its 2019 Annual Report, the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB):
• Highlights the connection between the use of alcohol & tobacco and the use of psychoactive substances like cannabis, opiates and cocaine by children and adolescents;
• Focuses on the physical, emotional and social impact that psychoactive drugs have on young people between the ages of 15-24;
• Urges governments to improve services using evidence-based prevention and treatment interventions for young people;
• Expresses concern about the fast-changing global landscape of illegally manufactured designer-precursors tailored to a diverse and online market;
• Addresses injustices related to the availability of controlled medicines from over-prescription in some countries to limited access in other countries;
• Reminds governments to respect human rights in the implementation of drug policies and in compliance with the three international drug control conventions.
Nature and extent of substance use among young people
The 2019 INCB Annual Report raises concern about psychoactive substance use among young people citing findings of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) World Drug Report 2018. Substance use and associated health consequences are highest among young people, with cannabis being the most widely used substance. UNODC estimates that in 2016, cannabis use affected 5.6 per cent or 13.8 million young people aged 15-16 with rates varying by region. The highest rates were in Europe (13.9 per cent) followed by the Americas (11.6 per cent), Oceania (11.4 per cent), Africa (6.6 per cent), and then Asia (2.7 per cent). Furthermore, the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Health Estimates 2015 show that while deaths from all causes account for only 4.8 per cent in the age group 15-29, they account for 23.1 per cent of deaths attributed to drug use disorders.
The INCB President says: “Of internationally controlled substances, cannabis continues to play the most prominent role among both adolescents and adults. We pay special attention to this development […] and highlight our concern over the situation in a few countries that have moved to permit the use of controlled substances, namely cannabis, for non-medical use contrary to the provisions of and their obligations under the drug control treaties.”
Relationship of alcohol and tobacco with the use of psychoactive substances
The INCB Annual Report highlights that the use of alcohol and tobacco by children and adolescents is closely linked to starting to use psychoactive substances. Often, the use of alcohol and tobacco precedes the use of cannabis and other controlled substances. Longitudinal studies that followed children into adulthood have revealed that the earlier the onset of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use during the ages of 16-19 years, the greater the likelihood of the use of opiates and cocaine in adulthood.
A new framework for the causes of substance use
Research has shown that young people are particularly vulnerable to habitual use of drugs, leading to the risk and protective factors being reviewed. The need for prevention and treatment for children and adolescents should take into account the individual and environmental influences on young people and their development.
Evidence-based prevention interventions that work
According to the UNODC–WHO International Standards on Drug Use Prevention, evidence-based prevention programmes for children and adolescents should include the following elements:
• A focus on family and parenting skills; encourage positive involvement in children’s lives; effective communication including setting rules and limits.
• School curricula to develop personal and social skills for youth, including decision-making, goal-setting and analytic skills so young people are informed correctly on the effects of psychoactive substances and can resist pro-drug influences.
• Use of schools for screening and assessment with referrals for counselling and follow-up.
• Strict enforcement of regulations to limit access to medications with psychoactive qualities and reduce accessibility to tobacco, alcohol and cannabis for children and adolescents.
The Standards also identify ineffective prevention approaches that influence youth to initiate substance use and presents specific recommendations for the treatment of adolescents who are substance users.
Recommendations to governments
The INCB Annual report calls on governments to establish national epidemiological data systems to monitor changing trends in psychoactive substance use among young people. This will enable evidence-based prevention to be implemented prior to the age of initiation of use (pre-natal, early/middle childhood, and early adolescence).
Governments should invest in the development of professional expertise in the field of substance use prevention and treatment with a focus on the needs of young people. This should include national training and credentialing systems for prevention and treatment professionals involved in decision making, planning and programme implementation.
Pace of emergence of non-scheduled substitute chemicals tests international precursor controls
The use of non-scheduled chemicals as substitutes for scheduled drug precursors is steadily increasing around the world and with a virtually unlimited variety of chemicals being used. Substance-by-substance scheduling continues to lag behind the speed of innovation of drug traffickers, while many substances have no known legitimate uses and cannot easily be monitored. The INCB urges Governments to continue the wider policy discussion initiated in 2019 on options to respond to these challenges and put in place a global framework to address non-scheduled substances more effectively.
INCB recommends designer precursor for international scheduling
The INCB recommends the international control of methyl alpha-phenylacetoacetate (MAPA), a pre-precursor of amphetamine and methamphetamine. MAPA has no known legitimate uses beyond limited research and analytical purposes and can be classified as a designer precursor, made specifically to circumvent existing precursor controls. In March 2020, upon the recommendation of the INCB, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs will vote on placing the chemical under international control, through inclusion in Table I of the 1988 Convention
Continued support to Afghanistan
In 2018, there was a substantial reduction in the total area under illegal opium poppy cultivation and the estimated amount of opium produced in Afghanistan due to severe drought. However, the estimated size of the opiate economy remains substantial, exceeding the value of the country’s legal exports of goods and services. The INCB will continue to consult the Government of Afghanistan with a view to facilitate the delivery of assistance in addressing drug control challenges in the country.
In its 2019 report, the INCB reiterates the need to prioritize measures to address the illegal drug economy in Afghanistan, which should be part of the overall effort to build peace, establish security and achieve sustainable development in the country. The INCB is calling on the international community to take part in this process through comprehensive, local, national, regional and international assistance efforts.
* *** *
For further information, please contact:
INCB Secretariat
Telephone for media inquiries: (+43-1) 26060 4163
Email: incb.secretariat[at]un.org
Website: www.incb.org
***
FAO
PRESS RELEASE
Pakistan and FAO to join hands to fight the Desert Locust emergency
25 February 2020, Islamabad – FAO representative in Pakistan Minà Dowlatchahi met Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar in Islamabad today following the first national locust coordination meeting on Friday. The discussion focused on better understanding of unusual behavior of the locust in Punjab, options for chemical and biological control measures and locust surveillance system being introduced by FAO.
Minà Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative in Pakistan said that FAO as a neutral coordinator is organizing a meeting of locust affected countries in the region including Pakistan, India, Iran and Afghanistan next month. Federal Minister, Khusro Bakhtiar appreciated the efforts of FAO and stressed on the need for developing an integrated work plan for controlling the locust without any time lag.
The meeting followed FAO Director-General QU Dongyu’s three-day official visit to Pakistan from 14-16 February during which he pledged to help Pakistan fight its Desert Locust emergency after seeing first-hand the unusual impact of the upsurge in the country’s Punjab province.
FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu and Minà Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative in Pakistan were joined by Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Khusro Bakhtiar while visiting Okara district in the South-West region of Punjab province where locust swarms have invaded various areas with threats to livelihoods and food security of vulnerable farmers.
The Ministry of National Food Security & Research and FAO last week also signed a $500,000 Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) to make FAO’s technical expertise available to national experts in order to strengthen their capacities to combat the Desert Locust infestation and improve locust management.
Locusts are the oldest migratory pest in the world. They have a high capacity to multiply, form groups, migrate over relatively large distances and, if ecological conditions become favourable, rapidly reproduce.
FAO operates a Desert Locust Information Service that receives and analyzes data from locust-affected countries to assess the current locust situation, provide forecasts and if necessary issue warnings and alerts in order to keep the global community informed of locust developments and threats. FAO’s elocust system is helping to improve early warning by enabling rapid detection of locust outbreaks and green vegetation likely to become sites of locust infestations. FAO is supporting the Ministry of National Food Security & Research to ensure availability of locust surveillance data in real-time. The locust surveillance data is being made part of the regular Food Security Nutrition and Information System for early warning and early action. Locust monitoring and timely control operations are vital to ensure food security and protect agriculture.
For media inquiries, please contact Mehr Hassan, FAO Pakistan at mehr....@fao.org
***
UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
Government of Sindh launches a counter-terrorism project in collaboration with the European Union and UNODC
26 Feb 2020 – In their resolve to support the efforts of Government of Sindh to counter the threats of terrorism, the European Union and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office Pakistan, have launched a 18 months technical assistance programme to strengthen the criminal justice to terrorism with a specific reference to Sindh Province.
The project will improve the investigative processes and promote the use of forensic evidence during the prosecution stages of terrorism related cases. It will also strengthen the co-ordination between Sindh Province including Police, Prosecution and Judiciary while enhancing information sharing with NACTA and other federal entities.
With the financial support of 4 million euros by the European Union, “Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism with a special reference to Sindh” (PACT) project was developed by the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) on behalf of Government of Pakistan in collaboration with the UNODC. During the project development stages both provincial and federal stakeholders were closely consulted to ensure that project objectives directly contribute to the needs of each institution.
In his opening remarks the Member Policy, NACTA Mr. Asif Paracha appreciated and recognized the role of the international community particularly the European Union and UNODC in working closely with NACTA in delivering technical support to Pakistan to prevent and counter terrorism.
More than ever there is a need for strong international collaboration to counter terrorism. It remains a top priority in the EU's security dialogue with Pakistan and PACT Sindh falls under the framework of our common objectives and showcases our strong partnership said H.E. Androulla Kaminara, EU Ambassador to Pakistan in her key remarks.
The Officer-in-Charge of UNODC Mr. Danilo Campisi in his remarks highlighted the importance of the project and mentioned that “UNODC has been collaborating with the Government of Pakistan for over 40 years for delivering technical assistance in areas of priority to the host government and it is the evident success of PACT that led to an invitation from the Government of Pakistan for its expansion to the Sindh Province.
Home Secretary Sindh Dr. Usman Chachar appreciated the financial contribution of the European Union and stated that we are committed to working with our international partners in overcoming the challenges posed by terrorism and its financing.
The Chief Guest on the occasion Honorable Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah acknowledged the ongoing support of UNODC and the European Union in various areas and highlighted that PACT project would complement the Government of Sindh’s efforts under Rule of Law roadmap.
The Government of Pakistan is in the process of implementing a National Action Plan against terrorism and the objectives of PACT Sindh project would directly contribute towards its implementation.
About UNODC
UNODC is the key United Nations entity with the mandate and expertise to deliver counter-terrorism legal technical assistance to Member States for the ratification, legislative incorporation and implementation of the international legal instruments against terrorism.
For further details please contact:
Mr. Zahid Ullah Khan, Deputy Director, NACTA, Ph: 051-9216579, email: zzahi...@gmail.com
Website: https:// http://www.nacta.gov.pk
Ms Rizwana Asad, Communications Officer UNODC via 0301-8564255, rizwan...@unodc.org
Website: http://www.unodc.org/pakistan/
UNIC Pakistan
28 February 2020
_____________
United Nations
REMARKS
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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REMARKS AT THE NEW SCHOOL: “WOMEN AND POWER”
New York, 27 February 2020
President Van Zandt,
Professor Aleinikoff,
Ms. Juju Chang,
Dear students, dear friends,
It is a great pleasure to be here today. Thank you for honouring me with this degree and through me, the United Nations and our staff around the world.
The New School is a special place. I am an engineer by training and physics has been the biggest intellectual passion of my life. But I reserve my greatest admiration for artists, philosophers, social scientists and those who explain the world and make it more beautiful.
I thank the New School for helping to uplift us and give meaning to our lives.
Dear students, dear friends,
As a man born in western Europe, I have enjoyed many privileges. But my childhood under a military dictatorship in Portugal opened my eyes to injustice and oppression. Throughout my political career, as Prime Minister, and as the leader of the United Nations refugee agency, I have always felt compelled to fight for justice, equality and human rights.
Today, as Secretary-General of the United Nations, I see one overwhelming injustice across the globe; an abuse that is crying out for attention.
That is gender inequality and discrimination against women and girls.
Everywhere, women are worse off than men, simply because they are women.
Migrant and refugee women, those with disabilities, and women members of minorities of all kinds face even greater barriers.
This discrimination harms us all.
Just as slavery and colonialism were a stain on previous centuries, women’s inequality should shame us all in the 21st.
Because it is not only unacceptable; it is stupid.
Only through the equal participation of women can we benefit from the intelligence, experience and insights of all of humanity.
Women’s equal participation is vital to stability, helps prevent conflict, and promotes sustainable, inclusive development.
Gender equality is the prerequisite for a better world.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, dear students,
This is not a new issue. Women have been fighting for their rights for centuries.
Five hundred years ago, Queen Nzinga Mbandi of the Mbundu waged war against Portuguese colonial rule in present-day Angola.
Mary Wollstonecraft, who wrote A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1792, is often seen as the mother of western feminism.
Sixty years later, Sojourner Truth delivered an impassioned plea for women’s rights while she worked to abolish slavery.
The women’s rights movement came of age in the twentieth century. Women heads of state dispelled any doubts about women’s ability to lead. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserted the equal rights of men and women; and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women outlined a vision of gender equality.
Today, young women like Malala Yousafzai and Nadia Murad are breaking barriers and creating new models of leadership.
But despite these advances, the state of women’s rights remains dire.
Inequality and discrimination are the norm, everywhere.
Progress has slowed to a standstill – and in some cases, been reversed.
There is a strong and relentless pushback against women’s rights.
Legal protections against rape and domestic violence are being diluted or rolled back. Rape within marriage continues to be legal in 34 countries. Women’s sexual and reproductive rights are under threat from all sides.
Women leaders and public figures face harassment, threats and abuse, online and off.
The policing of personal freedom and dress are a daily reality for millions of women and girls.
From governments to corporate boards to awards ceremonies, women are excluded from the top table.
Policies that penalize women, like austerity and coercive reproduction, are back in fashion.
Peace negotiations still exclude women, twenty years after all countries pledged to include them.
And the digital age could make these inequalities even more entrenched.
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,
Gender equality is fundamentally a question of power.
We live in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture. We have done so for millennia.
The historian Mary Beard has identified the deep historical roots of patriarchy in western culture.
In the Odyssey, written three thousand years ago, Homer describes Telemachus telling his mother, Penelope, to be quiet and to leave the talking to men.
Unfortunately, Telemachus would not be out of place in some of my meetings with world leaders.
Patriarchy – a social system founded on inheritance through the male line -- continues to affect every area of our lives. We are all – men and women, girls and boys – suffering the consequences.
Male-dominated power structures underpin our economies, our political systems and our corporations.
Even Hollywood fame does not protect women from men who wield physical, emotional and professional power over them. I salute those who have courageously spoken up and fought back.
A hidden layer of inequality is built into the institutions and structures that govern all our lives -- but are based on the needs of just half the population.
The writer Caroline Criado Perez calls this “default man” thinking: the unquestioned assumption that men are standard, and women are an aberration.
This has led to the biggest data gap in the world. Women are not counted, and their experiences don’t count.
The consequences are everywhere, from toilet facilities to bus routes. Women are at higher risk of being injured in a car accident, because seats and safety belts fit default man. Women have a higher fatality rate from heart attacks because diagnostic tools are designed around default man.
Default man thinking even extends into space, which is indeed the final frontier – for women. More than 150 men have walked in space, but just a handful of women, partly because spacesuits are designed for default man. No woman has walked on the moon -- although women mathematicians played an essential part in putting men there.
At last, we are finally celebrating the achievements of these women, including Katherine Johnson who passed away this week.
All too often, alongside violence, control, male-dominated power structures and hidden discrimination, women and girls contend with centuries of misogyny and the erasure of their achievements.
From the ridiculing of women as hysterical or hormonal, to the routine judgement of women based on their looks; from the myths and taboos that surround women’s natural bodily functions, to mansplaining and victim-blaming -- misogyny is everywhere.
Conversely, across centuries and cultures, words like “genius” and “brilliant” are used far more often to describe men than women.
Which is less surprising when men have made the rules and banned women from participating.
The damage done by patriarchy and inequality goes far beyond women and girls.
Men have a gender too. It is defined so rigidly that it can trap men and boys into stereotypes that involve risky behaviour, physical aggression and an unwillingness to seek advice or support.
As the writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie puts it: “Masculinity is a hard, small cage, and we put boys inside this cage.”
Around the world, men have shorter life spans than women; they are more likely to be in prison and to use and experience violence; and they are less likely to seek help.
We have defined men’s power in ways that come at great cost – to men themselves.
Gender equality has enormous benefits for men’s personal relationships. Men who share caregiving and spend more time with their families are happier, and have happier children.
On a larger scale, transforming the balance of power is essential, not only as a question of human rights, personal development, health and wellbeing.
It is critical to solving some of the most damaging and intractable problems of our age, from deepening inequality and polarization to the climate crisis.
Excellencies, dear students,
I see five areas in which achieving gender equality will transform our world.
There is a straight line between violence against women, civil oppression and conflict.
Trillions of dollars are spent every year on peace and security. But we should be asking: whose peace? Whose security?
Inter-state conflict makes headlines, but in some of the most violent parts of the world, levels of femicide – the killing of women – are comparable to a war zone. 137 women around the world are killed by a member of their own family every day. Impunity rates are above 95 percent in some countries.
In other words, we have men waging war on women – but no one is calling for a ceasefire or imposing sanctions.
Conversely, involving women leaders and decision-makers in mediation and peace processes leads to more lasting and sustainable peace.
The United Nations is committed to putting women at the centre of our conflict prevention, peacemaking, peacebuilding and mediation efforts – and to increasing the numbers of our women peacekeepers.
Second, the climate crisis.
The existential emergency we are facing is the result of decisions that were taken mainly by men, but have a disproportionate impact on women and girls.
Drought and famine mean women work harder to find food and water, while heatwaves, storms and floods kill more women and girls than men and boys.
Women and girls have long been leaders and activists on the environment, from Wangari Maathai and Jane Goodall to the Fridays for Future movement.
But the impact of gender inequality on climate action goes deeper.
Initiatives to reduce and recycle are overwhelmingly marketed at women, while men are more likely to put their faith in untested technological fixes.
There is plenty of evidence that women are more open than men to reducing their personal environmental impact.
And recent studies show that women economists and parliamentarians are more likely to support sustainable, inclusive policies.
There is a risk that safeguarding our planet is seen as “women’s work” – just another domestic chore.
I am grateful to young people, Generation Z, including many of you here in this room, who are working for climate action and gender equality, while recognizing the reality of non-binary identities and solutions.
Macho posturing will not save our planet.
Dear students, dear friends,
The third area in which women’s rights and equal opportunities can create a breakthrough is in building inclusive economies.
Worldwide, women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar earned by men. The latest research by the World Economic Forum says it will take until 2255 to close the gender pay gap.
How can I tell my granddaughters that their granddaughters’ granddaughters will still be paid less than a man for the same work?
The gender pay gap is one reason why 70 percent of the world’s poor are women and girls.
Another is that women and girls do some 12 billion hours of unpaid care work around the world every day – three times more than men.
In some communities, women can spend 14 hours a day cooking, cleaning, fetching wood and water and caring for children and the elderly.
Economic models classify these hours as “leisure time”.
Gross Domestic Product puts zero value on anything that happens in the home. But this flawed metric is the baseline for economic decision-making, distorting policies and denying women opportunities.
Women who do have an income are more likely than men to invest in their families and communities, strengthening economies and making them more resilient.
Women also tend to take a longer view. Corporate boards that include them are more stable and profitable.
The recent decision by one of the world’s biggest investment banks not to take a company public unless it has a woman board member was not made on moral grounds. It was financial good sense.
Women’s equal economic rights and opportunities are a global imperative if we are to build a fair globalization that works for all.
Fourth, the digital divide.
When a couple complained last year that the man’s credit limit was 20 times higher than his wife’s, despite her higher credit score, the discrepancy was blamed on an algorithm.
But with women occupying just 26 per cent of jobs in Artificial Intelligence, it is no surprise that many algorithms are biased towards men.
Digital technology can be an enormous force for good. But I am deeply concerned by the male domination of technological professions in the universities, start-ups and Silicon Valleys of this world.
These tech hubs are already shaping the economies and societies of the future, with a huge impact on the evolution of power relations.
Unless women play an equal role in designing digital technologies, progress on women’s rights could be reversed.
Lack of diversity will not only expand gender inequality. It will limit the innovation and scope of new technologies, making them less useful for everyone.
Fifth and finally, political representation.
Women’s participation in parliaments around the world has doubled in the last 25 years – to one quarter. Fewer than one-tenth of states are led by a woman.
Women are more likely to advocate for investment in education and health; and to seek cross-party consensus and common ground.
When the numbers of women reach a critical mass, governments are more likely to innovate, and to challenge established orthodoxies.
In other words, women in politics are redefining and redistributing power.
It is no coincidence that the governments that are redefining GDP to include wellbeing and sustainability are led by women.
It is simple math. Women’s participation improves institutions.
Doubling the resources, capacity and expertise we put into decision-making benefits everyone.
One of my first priorities as Secretary-General of the United Nations was to bring more women into leadership positions. On 1st January this year, we achieved gender parity – 90 women and 90 men – in the ranks of full-time senior leadership, two years ahead of the target date I set at the start of my tenure. We have a roadmap in place to achieve parity at all levels in the years ahead.
This long-overdue change is an essential recognition of the equal rights and abilities of women staff. It is also about improving our efficiency and effectiveness for the people we serve.
Dear students, dear friends,
The opportunity of man-made problems – and I choose these words deliberately – is that they have human-led solutions.
Thriving matriarchal societies throughout history and around the world show that patriarchy is not inevitable.
We have recently seen women, many of them young, demanding transformational change.
From Sudan to Chile to Lebanon, they are calling for freedom from violence, greater representation and urgent climate action, and questioning economic systems that fail to deliver opportunities and fulfilment for many.
We owe these young leaders our voices and our support.
Gender equality is part of the DNA of the United Nations. The equal rights of women and men are included in the Charter – our founding document. As we mark our 75th anniversary this year, along with the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Conference on Women, we are redoubling our efforts to support women’s rights across the board.
Last month, the United Nations launched a Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals – the blueprint for our partnership with governments to build peaceful, prosperous and inclusive societies on a healthy planet.
Gender equality is a goal in itself, and key to achieving the other 16 goals.
The Decade of Action is aimed at transforming institutions and structures, broadening inclusion and driving sustainability.
Repealing laws that discriminate against women and girls; increasing protection against violence; closing the gap in girls’ education and digital technology; and ending the gender pay gap are just some of the areas we are targeting.
Women’s equal leadership and participation are fundamental.
That is why I have always supported quotas – the most effective way to achieve a radical shift in the balance of power. Now is the time for gender parity in governments, parliaments, corporate boards and institutions everywhere.
Over the next two years, I intend to deepen my personal commitment to highlighting and supporting gender equality in all areas of our work.
I will contact governments that have discriminatory laws on their books to advocate for change and offer our support; and urge each new government to achieve gender parity in senior leadership.
I will explore ways to maximize the influence of the United Nations to make sure women have equal representation in peace processes; and strengthen our work on the links between violence against women and international peace and security. I will continue to meet women whose lives have been affected by violence.
I will also advocate for GDP to include measures of wellbeing and sustainability, and for unpaid domestic work to be given its true value.
I am committed to ending “default male” thinking across the United Nations. We are a data-driven organization; it is essential that our data does not make the ridiculous assumption that men are the norm and women are the exception.
Excellencies, dear students, dear friends,
Gender equality is a question of power; power that has been jealously guarded by men for millennia.
It is about an abuse of power that is damaging our communities, our economies, our environment, our relationships and our health.
We must urgently transform and redistribute power, if we are to safeguard our future and our planet.
That is why all men should support women’s rights and gender equality.
And why I am a proud feminist.
Women have equaled and outperformed men in almost every sphere.
It is time to stop trying to change women, and start changing the systems that prevent them from achieving their potential.
Our power structures have evolved gradually over thousands of years. One further evolution is long overdue.
The 21st century must be the century of women’s equality.
Let us all play our part in making it so.
Thank you.
UNIC Pakistan
5 March 2020
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United Nations
STATEMENT
Statement by the Secretary-General on the death of Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
I am profoundly saddened at the passing of my predecessor, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.
He was an accomplished statesman, a committed diplomat and a personal inspiration who left a profound impact on the United Nations and our world.
Mr. Pérez de Cuéllar’s life spanned not only a century but also the entire history of the United Nations, dating back to his participation in the first meeting of the General Assembly in 1946.
His tenure as Secretary-General coincided with two distinct eras in international affairs: first, some of the iciest years of the Cold War, and then, with the ideological confrontation at an end, a time when the United Nations began to play more fully the role envisaged by the founders.
Mr. Pérez de Cuéllar played a crucial role in a number of diplomatic successes — including the independence of Namibia, an end to the Iran-Iraq War, the release of American hostages held in Lebanon, the peace accord in Cambodia and, in his very last days in office, a historic peace agreement in El Salvador.
I extend my deepest condolences to Mr. Pérez de Cuéllar’s family, the Peruvian people and so many others around the world whose lives were touched by a remarkable and compassionate global leader who left our world a far better place.
Antonio Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations
4 March 2020
New York
Bio link: http://webtv.un.org/news-features/watch/javier-perez-de-cuellar/6027732403001
***
UNDP
PRESS RELEASE
Almost 90% of Men/Women Globally Are Biased Against Women
New Analysis Provides Clues to “Glass Ceiling”; Tools to Shatter It
New York, 5 March 2020 – How big and thick is the Glass Ceiling? New analysis suggests that it covers all aspects of women’s lives – including the household – and that it is constructed, not of glass, but of pervasive bias and prejudice against women held by both men and women worldwide.
These were the findings behind the new Gender Social Norms Index released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today. This index measures how social beliefs obstruct gender equality in areas like politics, work, and education, and contains data from 75 countries, covering over 80 percent of the world’s population.
This new analysis reveals that, despite decades of progress closing the equality gap between men and women, close to 90 percent of men and women hold some sort of bias against women, providing new clues to the invisible barriers women face in achieving equality, and a potential path forward to shattering the Glass Ceiling.
According to the index, about half of the world’s men and women feel that men make better political leaders, and over 40 percent feel that men make better business executives and that men have more right to a job when jobs are scarce. 28 percent think it is justified for a man to beat his wife.
Information is also available on how bias is changing in around 30 countries. It shows that while in some countries there have been improvements, in others, attitudes appear to have worsened in recent years, signaling that progress cannot be taken for granted.
“We have come a long way in recent decades to ensure that women have the same access to life’s basic needs as men. We have reached parity in primary school enrollment and reduced maternal mortality by 45 percent since the year 1990. But gender gaps are still all too obvious in other areas, particularly those that challenge power relations and are most influential in actually achieving true equality. Today. the fight about gender equality is a story of bias and prejudices.” said Pedro Conceição, head of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office.
The “Power Gap”
This new analysis sheds light on why enormous “power gaps” still exist between men and women in our economies, our political systems, and our corporations despite real progress closing gender inequalities in basic areas of development like education and health; and the removal of legal barriers to political and economic participation.
For example, while men and women vote at similar rates, only 24 percent of parliamentary seats worldwide are held by women and there are only 10 female heads of government out of a possible 193. Women in the labour market are paid less than men and are much less likely to be in senior positions: less than 6 percent of CEOs in S&P 500 companies are women. And while women work more hours than men, this work is more likely to be unpaid care work.
“The work that has been so effective in ensuring an end to gaps in health or education must now evolve to address something far more challenging: a deeply ingrained bias – among both men and women - against genuine equality. Current policies, while well intentioned, can only take us so far.” said Achim Steiner, Administrator of UNDP.
2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+25), the most visionary agenda on women’s empowerment to date.
UNDP is calling on governments and institutions to use a new generation of policies to change these discriminatory beliefs and practices through education, and by raising awareness and changing incentives. For instance, by using taxes to incentivize fairly sharing child-care responsibilities, or by encouraging women and girls to enter traditionally male-dominated sectors such as the armed forces and information technology.
“#MeToo, #NiUnaMenos, #TimesUp. #UnVioladorEnTuCamino. The women’s rights demonstrations we’re seeing across the world today, energized by young feminists, are signaling that new alternatives for a different world are needed,” said Raquel Lagunas, UNDP Gender Team Acting Director. “We must act now to break through the barrier of bias and prejudices if we want to see progress at the speed and scale needed to achieve gender equality and the vision laid out in the Beijing Declaration over two decades ago and the Sustainable Development Goals.”
Link to Index and Report: http://hdr.undp.org/en/GSNI
UNDP & Gender:
UNDP’s gender strategy focuses on removing structural barriers to women’s economic empowerment; preventing and responding to gender-based violence; promoting women’s participation and leadership in all forms of decision-making; and strengthening strategies that work for both women and men in crisis prevention, preparedness and recovery, including climate change.
● In 2019, UNDP established 74 new partnerships to address discriminatory gender social norms.
● UNDP has worked in 97 countries to advance women’s leadership in natural resource management, in 74 countries to integrate gender into environmental and climate policies, plans and frameworks.
● 48% of all registered voters in 39 countries supported by UNDP electoral assistance are women.
● With UNDP support, 23.4 million women gained access to basic services, financial services and non-financial assets in 2019.
● UNDP worked in 26 countries in 2019 to ensure that 1.7 million women in crisis or post-crisis settings benefitted from jobs and improved livelihoods.
● UNDP is a core partner in the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, a global, multi-year initiative to accelerate efforts to end violence against women and girls that is targeting 50 million direct beneficiaries across five regions and more than 25 countries.
Progress since 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action:
● More girls are in school than ever before; more countries have reached gender parity in educational enrolment; and global literacy rates have improved, especially among youth.
● The global maternal mortality ratio declined by 38% from 2000 to 2017.
● Over the past decade, the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel increased by 12 percentage points.
● Globally, the proportion of women in parliament has doubled since 1995.
● There has been constant progress over the past two decades in the enactment of legislation to address violence against women. Today, more than three quarters of countries have laws on domestic violence in place.
***
For more information and media interviews, contact:
Adam Cathro; adam....@undp.org; +1 212 906 5326
Anna Ortubia anna.o...@undp.org +1 212 906 5964
__________________________________
ABOUT UNDP:
UNDP partners with people at all levels of society to help build nations that can withstand crisis, and drive and sustain the kind of growth that improves the quality of life for everyone. On the ground in some 177 countries and territories, we offer a global perspective and local insight to help empower lives and build resilient nations.
ABOUT THE GENDER SOCIAL NORMS INDEX:
The Gender Social Norms Index captures how social beliefs can obstruct gender equality along multiple dimensions— political, educational, economic and physical integrity. It is constructed based on responses to seven questions from the World Values Survey, which are used to create seven indicators. The Index is available for 75 countries, covering 81 percent of the world’s population. Trends over time are available for 31 countries covering 59 percent of the global population.
***
UNIC Pakistan
5 March 2020
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UNAIDS
PRESS RELEASE
Forty years into the HIV epidemic, AIDS remains the leading cause of death of women of reproductive age—UNAIDS calls for bold action
Gender discrimination and violence, gaps in education and lack of economic empowerment and protection of sexual and reproductive health and rights are blocking progress
GENEVA/JOHANNESBURG, 5 March 2020—Ahead of International Women’s Day, UNAIDS has launched a new report showing that the stark inequalities and inequities between men and women are continuing to make women and girls more vulnerable to HIV. We’ve got the power urges governments to do more to empower women and girls and fulfil their human rights.
“The HIV epidemic holds a mirror up to the inequalities and injustices faced by women and girls and how the gaps in rights and services are exacerbating the epidemic,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “This is unacceptable, it is avoidable and it must end.”
Twenty-five years ago, governments took the historic step of adopting the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, the most comprehensive and progressive global policy road map for fulfilling the human rights of women and girls and achieving gender equality.
Progress has been made in key areas. More girls are in school and gender gaps in primary schooling are closing globally, in some countries there are more women involved in political leadership and other countries have worked to protect women’s rights in legislation. HIV treatment has also been scaled up, so that by mid-2019 there were more than 24 million people living with HIV on treatment, including more than 13 million women aged 15 years and over.
The report shows, however, that many of the promises made to improve the lives of women and girls around the world have not been kept. Almost 40 years into the response, AIDS is still the leading cause of death for women aged between 15 and 49 years and around 6000 young women aged between 15 and 24 years acquire HIV every week.
We’ve got the power outlines some critical areas to address, including eliminating violence against women. In areas with a high HIV prevalence, intimate partner violence has been found to increase the risk of women acquiring HIV by 50%. Being HIV-positive can also be a trigger for violence, with women living with HIV frequently reporting violence from intimate partners, family and community members and in health services.
The report highlights that outside of sub-Saharan Africa, most women at risk of HIV belong to marginalized communities, such as sex workers, women who inject drugs, transgender women and women in prison. However, gender inequality, stigma and discrimination, criminalization, violence and other human rights violations continue to prevent them from accessing the services they need. Laws and policies need to be reformed in order to end harmful criminalization and coercive practices based on people’s sexuality, sexual activity, HIV status and gender.
For the AIDS response to be fully effective, policies and services must answer to what woman and girls want and need. This includes ensuring adolescent-focused approaches and peer support systems and that rights, gender and non-violence components are integrated into comprehensive sexuality education. Data show that in 2019 adolescents younger than 18 years needed parental or guardian consent in 105 of 142 countries in order to take an HIV test and in 86 of 138 countries they needed consent to access HIV treatment and care.
Surveys from 2013 to 2018 also show that knowledge of HIV prevention remains worryingly low, particularly among women and girls. In sub-Saharan Africa, the region most affected by HIV, seven out of 10 young women did not have comprehensive knowledge about HIV. In contrast, countries that do invest in scaling up effective HIV prevention programmes show impressive results. When Lesotho provided a comprehensive package of HIV prevention programmes it saw new HIV infections among women and girls fall by 41% between 2010 and 2018.
There are huge gaps in education more generally. Studies show that keeping girls in school can have a protective effect against HIV. When Botswana extended mandatory secondary education, it found that each additional year of schooling after year 9 was associated with a 12% reduction in girls’ risk of acquiring HIV. However, nearly one in three adolescent girls from the poorest households around the world has never been to school.
The economic autonomy of women is crucial in its own right and an important component of the AIDS response, yet women still have far fewer economic opportunities than men and shoulder most unpaid care and domestic work. Only 88 countries of 190 had laws mandating equal pay for equal work. Ensuring legal protections to end gender discrimination and guaranteeing women equality before the law are critical to advancing the response to HIV.
“Women and adolescent girls are demanding their rights,” said Ms Byanyima. “Governments must act on those demands by providing resources and services to protect their rights and properly respond to their needs and perspectives.”
The report highlights a number of ways forward. These include investing in HIV policies and programmes proven to foster gender equality, investing in education, including comprehensive sexuality education and the economic empowerment of women and girls, reforming laws that uphold the equal rights of all women and girls, including measures to end stigma and discrimination, violence and criminalization directed at women and girls, holistic care and dignified treatment, the meaningful participation of women in all decision-making relating to HIV programming and supporting the leadership and engagement of women and young people in decision-making at all levels of the AIDS response.
Contact UNAIDS Geneva | Sophie Barton-Knott | tel. +41 79 514 6896 | barton...@unaids.org
UNAIDS Media | tel. +41 22 791 4237 | communi...@unaids.org
UNAIDS
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) leads and inspires the world to achieve its shared vision of zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths. UNAIDS unites the efforts of 11 UN organizations—UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP, UNDP, UNFPA, UNODC, UN Women, ILO, UNESCO, WHO and the World Bank—and works closely with global and national partners towards ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn more at unaids.org and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
UNIC Pakistan
6 March 2020
_____________
United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
MESSAGE FOR WOMEN’S DAY: THE GENDER POWER GAP
8 March 2020
Women’s rights have made significant progress in recent decades, from the abolition of discriminatory laws to increased numbers of girls in school. But we now face a powerful pushback. Legal protections against rape and domestic abuse are being diluted in some countries; women’s sexual and reproductive rights are under threat.
All this is because gender equality is fundamentally a question of power. Centuries of discrimination and deep-rooted patriarchy have created a yawning gender power gap in our economies, our political systems, our corporations and our culture.
This profoundly affects us all and is a barrier to solving many of the challenges and threats we face, from achieving a fair globalization that works for everyone, to ending the epidemic of violence against women and building peaceful and secure societies. We must also urgently address the digital gender divide that threatens to entrench gender inequality in societies and economies for decades to come.
With women still occupying just one quarter of seats in parliaments around the world, political representation is the clearest evidence of the gender power gap. That is why gender parity at the United Nations is one of my top priorities, which has already led to the achievement of parity at senior levels, two years ahead of our target. Going forward, I will do everything in my power to make sure women are represented in all decision-making at the United Nations, including in peace processes. I will also advocate with Member States for the repealing of all discriminatory laws, for women’s equal participation in all spheres, for increased protection from violence, and for more inclusive economies.
Gender equality is a means of redefining and transforming power that will yield benefits for all. It is time to stop trying to change women, and to start changing the systems and power imbalances that prevent them from achieving their potential.
***
UNFPA
MEDIA ADVISORY
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2020
Sunday, 8 March, 2020
1030 - 1330 hours
Khorshad Mahal Hall, Avari Hotel
Lahore
International
Women’s Day (IWD) celebrated on the 8th of March every year, the day
is dedicated to honoring the achievements and contribution of women in the
various field all over the world, and also reflect upon what more needs to be
done to accelerate efforts for the gender equality and women’s rights.
This year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan has joined hands with the Women Development Department (WDD), the Government of the Punjab and brought together a diverse group of Pakistani women to celebrate their remarkable achievements in social, economic, cultural and various fields of life.
The inspiring event will be held on 8 March at the Khorshad Mahal Hall, Avari Hotel, Lahore
which is expected to be attended by parliamentarians, heads of diplomatic
missions, government officials, representatives from development organizations,
private sector, and UN agencies.
Media partners are cordially invited to attend the event.
Please RSVP or contact us for more information:
Shoaib Ahmed Shahzad,
Program &
Technical Specialist (SRH/FP)
United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) Pakistan
Email: ssha...@unfpa.org
Tel: +92-042-35784996-7
UNIC Pakistan
8 March 2020
_____________
UNFPA
PRESS RELEASE
8th March – International Women’s Day
8 March 2020 (Lahore, Pakistan): International Women’s Day (IWD)
celebrated on the 8th of March every year, the day is dedicated to honoring
the achievements and contribution of women in the various field all over the
world, and also reflect upon what more needs to be done to accelerate efforts for
the gender equality and women’s rights.
This year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan joined hands with the Women Development Department (WDD), the Government of the Punjab and brought together a diverse group of Pakistani women to celebrate their remarkable achievements in social, economic, cultural and various fields of life.
The inspiring event was held on 8 March in Lahore which attended by
parliamentarians, heads of diplomatic missions, government officials,
representatives from development organizations, private sector, UN agencies and
media.
Speaking to the occasion, Ms Ambreen Raza, Secretary, Women Development
Department shared the progress of WDD since its inception in 2012. She said, WDD
is working closely with UNFPA to address gender-based violence by working
towards multi-sectoral mechanism, the coordination mechanism would identify and
evaluate the essential services to be delivered by key sectors i.e. health,
social services, police, justice and governance. Ms Raza said, the platform
will have representatives from each sector to promote coordination and
reflection based on the experiences from the field and guide policy and
advocacy actions to be promoted within and across the sectors.
Ms Raza further added, the Women Development Department is committed to
support the implementation of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the
Workplace Act 2010 within government departments while working with
Ombudsperson offices and other relevant departments. Ms Raza highlighted, the Women
Development Department is working with UNFPA on evidence-based policy advocacy,
legislative reforms, collection and use of robust and reliable data, and
establishing systems for monitoring as well as addressing women’s rights
violations.
UNFPA commended work done by WDD and efforts of the Government of
Pakistan for the implementation of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2010 including
establishing mechanisms to address sexual harassment at workplace both at
federal and provincial level. UNFPA look forward to working closely with
honorable Minister, Ms. Ashifa Riaz Fatyana and Women Development Department
Punjab for a meaningful, effective and close partnership.
Ms Ashifa Riaz Fatyana, Minister of Punjab for Women Development thanked UNFPA for their continued commitment and support to the ministry to putting in place the mechanism and procedures to address gender based violence.
The event also featured a panel discussion moderated by Ms Irum Bukhari,
Additional Chief Secretary Energy Department, the discussion focused on Women
Breaking Barriers: Safe and Dignified Workplace. The panel comprised of prominent
personalities from civil society, lawyers, technical experts and women rights activists
and shared reflections on their work for advocating women’s rights, changing
environment with respect to dignified workplaces, and the existing challenges.
The event also marked ‘10 Years of Protection of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2010’ by highlighting its impact on the lives of women participating in the workforce: lessons learned over the years, the challenges that still hamper its implementation in every walk of life, and the way forward.
UNIC Pakistan
10 March 2020
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FAO - UN Women - ILO
PRESS RELEASE
‘Right to own land crucial for empowering rural women’
ISLAMABAD: Women’s increased access to land through inheritance and purchase and elimination of discriminatory practices and customs that prevent rural women from acquiring land are crucial to empower rural women of Pakistan and bridge the gender gap. Experts suggested implementation of Women’s Property Act 2019 to make sure rural women are not left behind.
They were speaking at an event jointly hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of United Nations, UN Women Pakistan and International Labour Organization (ILO) in connection with the International Women’s Day here on Tuesday.
Out of Pakistan’s 132 million rural population, 65 million are women. 62 percent women work in the fields while only 19 percent women are in paid employment and 60 percent work as unpaid workers on family farms and enterprises. The unpaid work is valued at 2.6 percent of the national GDP. Only one percent women are entrepreneurs in Pakistan; 20 percent of rural women are classified as own account workers – 14 percent in agriculture and 6 percent in non-agri work.
International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”, which is aligned with UN Women’s new multigenerational campaign, Generation Equality, which marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most progressive roadmap for the empowerment of women and girls, everywhere.
Two panel discussions were organized where development sector actors, NGO representatives, and rural women discussed about the existing policies and frameworks to safeguards the rights of rural working women.
Country Representative FAO Mina Dowlatchahi while moderating the panel said, “Women are not paid equally to that of their male counterparts. Despite steady progress in representation, women are still not present in equal numbers in business or politics, and globally women's education, health and the violence against them is worse than that of men. Pakistan ranks 152nd in Human Development Index.”
Younas Khalid, Senior Gender Advisor UN Women Pakistan, in his presentation said, “We cannot claim to be on the road to advancing gender equality if we do not promote rural women’s participation in decision-making and involve them in the design, development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all relevant policies and strategies with focus on climate change.”
“Fewer rural women make decisions about paid work, marriage or family planning. Rural women face limited access to financial services, health and basic services. We must strengthen rural women’s access to health and other basic services, including education,” he added. He further suggested to introduce technology for easing domestic burden through labour saving devices and improving agricultural work through tools and equipment in order to support rural women.
FAO together with partners is marking the International Women’s Day by highlighting the role of rural women in agriculture Sector in Pakistan, the systems set in place that support them, and the policy work that needs to be done to ensure implementation of policies and reforms.
****
For media queries:
mehr....@fao.org | aliyy...@fao.org | habib....@unwomen.org
***
UNFPA
PRESS RELEASE
8th March – International Women’s Day
8 March 2020 (Lahore, Pakistan): International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrated on the 8th of March every year, the day is dedicated to honoring the achievements and contribution of women in the various field all over the world, and also reflect upon what more needs to be done to accelerate efforts for the gender equality and women’s rights.
This year, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Pakistan joined hands with the Women Development Department (WDD), the Government of the Punjab and brought together a diverse group of Pakistani women to celebrate their remarkable achievements in social, economic, cultural and various fields of life.
The inspiring event was held on 8 March in Lahore which attended by parliamentarians, heads of diplomatic missions, government officials, representatives from development organizations, private sector, UN agencies and media. Dr. Firdous Asiq Awan, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, attended the event as the Key Note speaker.
Speaking to the occasion, Ms Ambreen Raza, Secretary, Women Development Department shared the progress of WDD since its inception in 2012. She said, WDD is working closely with UNFPA to address gender-based violence by working towards multi-sectoral mechanism, the coordination mechanism would identify and evaluate the essential services to be delivered by key sectors i.e. health, social services, police, justice and governance. Ms Raza said, the platform will have representatives from each sector to promote coordination and reflection based on the experiences from the field and guide policy and advocacy actions to be promoted within and across the sectors.
Ms Raza further added, the Women Development Department is committed to support the implementation of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010 within government departments while working with Ombudsperson offices and other relevant departments. Ms Raza highlighted, the Women Development Department is working with UNFPA on evidence-based policy advocacy, legislative reforms, collection and use of robust and reliable data, and establishing systems for monitoring as well as addressing women’s rights violations.
UNFPA commended work done by WDD and efforts of the Government of Pakistan for the implementation of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2010 including establishing mechanisms to address sexual harassment at workplace both at federal and provincial level. UNFPA look forward to working closely with honorable Minister, Ms. Ashifa Riaz Fatyana and Women Development Department Punjab for a meaningful, effective and close partnership.
Ms Ashifa Riaz Fatyana, Minister of Punjab for Women Development thanked UNFPA for their continued commitment and support to the ministry to putting in place the mechanism and procedures to address gender based violence.
Dr. Firdous Asiq Awan, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, addressed the event as the Key Note speaker. She reaffirmed the Government's commitment to women and girls in Pakistan.
"PM Imran Khans policies and democracy reflects his commitment to women's participation, empowerment, education, protection and respect."
"Girls will be empowered if they study, build their capacity, get orientation, and are protected by the State." She concluded.
UNIC Pakistan
11 March 2020
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UNICEF - WHO
PRESS RELEASE
COVID-19: IFRC,
UNICEF and WHO issue guidance to protect children and support safe school
operations
Guidance includes practical actions and checklists for
administrators, teachers, parents and children
Download the joint guidance on protecting children and schools from COVID-19: https://uni.cf/33hxaSd
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 11 March 2020 – The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) today issued new guidance to help protect children and schools from transmission of the COVID-19 virus. The guidance provides critical considerations and practical checklists to keep schools safe. It also advises national and local authorities on how to adapt and implement emergency plans for educational facilities.
In
the event of school closures, the guidance includes recommendations to mitigate
against the possible negative impacts on children’s learning and wellbeing.
This means having solid plans in place to ensure the continuity of learning,
including remote learning options such as online education strategies and radio
broadcasts of academic content, and access to essential services for all
children. These plans should also include necessary steps for the eventual safe
reopening of schools.
Where schools remain open, and to make sure that children and their families
remain protected and informed, the guidance calls for:
· Providing children with information about how to protect themselves;
· Promoting best handwashing and hygiene practices and providing hygiene supplies;
· Cleaning and disinfecting school buildings, especially water and sanitation facilities; and
· Increasing airflow and ventilation.
The guidance, while specific to countries that have already confirmed the transmission of COVID-19, is still relevant in all other contexts. Education can encourage students to become advocates for disease prevention and control at home, in school, and in their community by talking to others about how to prevent the spread of viruses. Maintaining safe school operations or reopening schools after a closure, requires many considerations, but if done well, can promote public health.
For
example, safe school guidelines implemented in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
during the outbreak of Ebola virus disease from 2014 to 2016 helped prevent
school-based transmissions of the virus.
UNICEF is urging schools – whether open or helping students through remote
learning – to provide students with holistic support. Schools should provide
children with vital information on handwashing and other measures to protect
themselves and their families; facilitate mental health support; and help to
prevent stigma and discrimination by encouraging students to be kind to each
other and avoid stereotypes when talking about the virus.
The new guidance also offers helpful tips and checklists for parents and
caregivers, as well as children and students themselves. These actions include:
· Monitoring children’s health and keeping them home from school if they are ill;
· Encouraging children to ask questions and express their concerns; and
· Coughing or sneezing into a tissue or your elbow and avoid touching your face, eyes, mouth and nose.
###
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
Follow
UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook. For more information about COVID-19
and guidance on how to protect children and families, visit www.unicef.org/coronavirus
About IFRC
IFRC is the world’s largest humanitarian network, comprising 192
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies working to save lives and promote
dignity around the world.
www.ifrc.org - Facebook - Twitter - YouTube
About WHO
For updates on COVID-19 and public health advice to protect
yourself from coronavirus, follow WHO on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube
For further information, please contact:
Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, +1 917 340 3017, cti...@unicef.org
Laura Ngô-Fontaine, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, + 41 22 730 4485, Mob. +41 79 570 4418, laura.ng...@ifrc.org
Tarik Jasarevic, WHO, +41227915099, Mob. +41 79 367 6214, jasar...@who.int
***
UNDP - UNFPA
PRESS RELEASE
Seminar on International Women's Day 2020 at
Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS)
March 10, 2020, Islamabad: To celebrate International Women’s Day 2020, Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), Women Parliamentary Caucus, UNDP and UNFPA jointly organized a seminar with parliamentarians, provincial commission on the Status of Women, Social Welfare and Labour Departments of the four provinces, civil society, lawyers, nurses, academia and people belonging to various walks of life at PIPS, Islamabad. The women’s day theme being celebrated globally this year is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”. In this backdrop, the local theme of event focused on Marking Ten Years of Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Work Place Act, 2010. The event stood as post-legislative scrutiny of the Act which thoroughly discussed the progress, gaps and barriers to effective implementation.
Executive Director PIPS Mr. Mohammad Anwar welcomed the participants of seminar and underscored the importance of holding such events leading to an intellectual discourse for resolving legislative issues. He further stressed upon the need of effective post-legislative scrutiny regarding Acts of crucial importance for the society at large. Resident Representative of UNDP Deputy Representative Ms. Aliona Niculita said at the occasion that, “Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act 2010 is an important legislation for safety and protection of women at workplaces. She commended the Government’s efforts to create a safe working environment for women in Pakistan. Ms. Lina Mousa, Representative emphasized that “Gender Based Violence is a grave human rights violation that undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims”. She stressed on joint efforts to eliminate violence, discriminatory and harmful practices against women and girls, by strengthening the capacity of the relevant government institutions to better respond to the needs of victims of abuse and harassment.
MNA Shahida Rehmani presented the Salient Features of the Protection
Against Harassment of Women at the Work Place Act, 2010. She said that the bill
has provided mandatory protection to women who are a part of labour force.
Maliha Hussain, representative of Mehergarh, presented a review of ten years
performance of the act and underlined its various features. Furthermore, she
applauded the role of ombudsperson in handling the complaints and issues
regarding harassment. Farida Shaheed, Member National Commission on the Status
of Women said that the parliamentarians deserve appreciation on this landmark
legislation.
The session was followed by a thorough panel discussion among women parliamentarians of the national and the four provincial assemblies to discuss the situation in different provinces regarding protection of women rights and the role of provincial WPCs. They highlighted that the provinces have made tremendous progress in spreading awareness about women rights and protection against harassment. Parliamentarians discussed various aspects of the bill and the role women MPs are playing to strengthen ombudsperson offices. They emphasized on the need to strengthen committees to address various challenges to women and complains of harassment.
Chief Guest of the occasion, MNA and
Secretary Women Parliamentary Caucus of National Parliament, Ms. Munazza Hassan
stressed on the inclusivity of the legislative process. She highlighted that we
need to accept the flaws of our society and try to deal with the issues of sexual
harassment with effective implementation of relevant laws.
***
UNIC Pakistan
12 March 2020
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SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
Message on COVID 19
New York, 11 March 2020
All of us face a common threat – the coronavirus – COVID 19.
Today’s declaration of a pandemic is a call to action – for everyone, everywhere.
It’s also a call for responsibility and solidarity – as nations united and as people united.
As we fight the virus, we cannot let fear go viral.
Together, we can still change the course of this pandemic – but that means addressing inaction.
The best science tells us, if countries detect, test, treat, isolate, trace and mobilize their people in the response, we can go a long way to mitigating transmission.
I call on every government to step up and scale up their efforts – now.
And since this is a crisis that affects everyone, we must all play our part.
As we mourn all those who have lost their lives and the many families who are suffering, we must show solidarity with the most vulnerable – the elderly, the sick, those without reliable healthcare, and those on the edge of poverty.
Let’s move forward with resolve and without stigma.
You can count on the UN to do our part.
Let’s overcome this common threat together.
***
UNICEF
STATEMENT
UNICEF statement on COVID-19 outbreak
NEW YORK, 11 March 2020 – “Characterizing COVID-19 as a pandemic is not an indication that the virus has become deadlier. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of the disease’s geographical spread.
“UNICEF has been preparing and responding to the epidemic of COVID-19 around the world, knowing that the virus could spread to children and families in any country or community.
“We will continue working with governments and our partners to stop transmission of the virus, and to keep children and their families safe.
“At the same time, we remain very concerned by the secondary impacts of the outbreak and related control measures on children, including school closures, the burden on local health systems for the delivery of primary care, protection risks and economic pressures felt by some families.
“Fear of the virus is also contributing to discrimination against people from vulnerable groups, including refugees and migrants – this is unacceptable.
“We remain on the ground working in affected communities to mitigate secondary impacts for children and push back against stigmatization.”
###
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
Follow UNICEF
on Twitter and Facebook.
For more information about COVID-19 and guidance on how to protect children and
families, visit www.unicef.org/coronavirus
For further information, please contact:
UNIC Pakistan
12 March 2020
_____________
UN Women
PRESS RELEASE
KP’s women empowerment policy implementation to benefit GBV survivors’
SWAT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Women Empowerment Policy (WEP) substantiates government’s strong commitment towards dealing with challenges that hinder women’s empowerment, said Sajida Hanif, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) and Member Gender Mainstreaming Committee KP, at an event organized by UN Women Pakistan to mark International Women’s Day with the residents of Dar-ul-Aman (shelter home) Swat on Thursday.
Residents of Dar-ul-Aman were briefed on different aspects of WEP and how an effective implementation will benefit women and girls of KP, including survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) living in shelter homes across the province. Officials from government line departments and civil society members also attended the event.
KP’s Women Empowerment Policy has identified social, economic, political and legal empowerment including access to justice as key areas for the provincial government to work on enhancing the role of women in society with an aim to advance gender equality and contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with focus on SDG 5.
MPA Zeenat Bibi said that measures had been taken by the government under the policy to end gender disparities and help achieve the targets set out in the provincial framework for SDGs.
Ayesha Bano, General Secretary of the Women Parliamentary Caucus KP, acknowledged and appreciated UN Women Pakistan for its invaluable contribution and support in developing the first provincial Women Empowerment Policy and reiterated the government’s commitment towards implementing the policy effectively.
Zainab Qaisar Khan, Head of UN Women Provincial Office KP, reassured UN Women’s support to the government for WEP implementation in order to advance women empowerment and end all forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls in the province.
Earlier, GBV survivors shared their stories and coping strategies that they had adopted to recover from their untoward experiences. Nusrat Bibi, District Officer Social Welfare Swat, briefed about the journey of women survivors from sufferings to reintegration into society.
****
UNIC Pakistan
13 March 2020
_____________
PRESS RELEASE
Regional Cooperation to counter Locust threat promoted during key meeting
Islamabad– A high-level ministerial meeting was organized by the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South West-Asia (SWAC) at the request of four FAO member countries, Pakistan, Iran, India, and Afghanistan to present the latest desert locust situation and forecast; take stock of national, regional and global capacities; review contingency plans and preparations for addressing the potential desert locust threat, and identify gaps to propose actions.
Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research represented Pakistan at the meeting where he gave an overview of Pakistan’s action plan to control the locust threat. The Federal Minister proposed the formation of a high level technical committee, comprising of senior officers from Southwest Asian countries for effective management and control of the locust threat.
The meeting was attended by Lt. General Muhammad Afzal, Chairman National Disaster Management Authority, Dr. Muhammad Hashim Popalzai, Secretary, National Food Security & Research and key technical staff from Pakistan, ministers and high officials from Iran, India and Afghanistan and key FAO experts in Rome and Pakistan.
“Setting up of a new agile technical and operational coordination mechanism under the FAO Commission for Controlling the Desert Locust in South West-Asia (SWAC) will allow information exchange, addressing gaps and cross border synchronisation of control operations.” Minà Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative in Pakistan.
The Assistant Director General FAO briefed countries on the current locust situation, the expected migratory patterns of the swarms, and recommendations for preparedness. The horn of Africa and South West Asia, regions affected by the infestations, have been divided into zones for better regional cooperation and coordination. FAO’s facilitation to the governments in their efforts to counter the infestations was discussed and countries were encouraged to come up with extensive national plans, which would ultimately contribute to the regional action plan. The e-Locust3 application developed by FAO was also presented which the countries were encouraged to use for gathering data on the ground.
A technical and operational coordination team will be formulated to increase coordination between the four countries, which will facilitate information exchange and preventive measures while addressing the gaps. The team would be comprised of national locust technical officers, as well as relevant authorities and will provide a platform for discussing threats, and the best planning and implementation of data, giving a regional overview of the locust situation.
For media enquiries please contact: Mehr Hassan, FAO Pakistan at mehr....@fao.org or Aliyya Noor, FAO Pakistan at Aliyy...@fao.org
***
FAO
PRESS RELEASE
National dialogue on agriculture held to provide recommendations on mainstreaming agriculture in policy and planning
Islamabad – The National Dialogue on Agriculture, convened with the technical support of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), concluded with a declaration and a new resolve to uplift Pakistan's agro-economy. The members of the National Assembly of Pakistan agreed to maximize efforts to mainstream agriculture in the national policy planning and budgeting.
A flagship initiative of the Speaker National Assembly of Pakistan, Mr. Asad Qaiser, the national dialogue was attended by the President of Pakistan, Members of the cabinet, treasury and opposition benches, international financial institutions, agriculture specific international organizations, ambassadors, farmers unions and technical experts.
Speaking on the occasion the President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi stressed on the need to build new synergies, mobilization of investment in Agriculture Research and enabling environment for the private sector to drive the Agriculture transformation agenda. He appreciated the Speaker National Assembly’s efforts to turn around Pakistan's Agricultural decline. Minister for National Food Security and Research also spoke on the occasion.
The Speaker termed the dialogue as the beginning of a nationally integrated effort to facilitate policy shifts in the agriculture sector. He vowed that the jointly agreed recommendations would be pursued to a logical end. The Speaker National Assembly stressed that enhanced farmers’ profitability, diversified national nutrient base and employment generation in agriculture sector were key objectives of such national deliberations.
The dialogue addressed 8 themes which included agriculture research, extension and technology transfer frameworks, farmers’ access to credit, input for higher yields, pathways for enhancing Pakistan’s agriculture exports, women and youth in agriculture, integrated natural resource management, high value agricultural products and value addition for a resilient agriculture sector.
Experts from FAO participated in the dialogue stressing on the need to focus on sustainability, productivity, value and inclusion to revitalize Pakistan's agricultural sector and rural economy.
FAO Representative in Pakistan, Mina Dowlatchahi while speaking on the theme of women and youth in agriculture said, “75% of the manual labour in agriculture is done by women, yet they are extremely underrepresented. It is pertinent to have a dialogue on how women and youth can be included in policy related to agriculture sector employment, which is important for the design of the government structure.”
The Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shah Mehmood Qureshi speaking at the conclusion of the dialogue remarked that poor farmers’ lack of access to finance and markets precluded them from achieving the economies of scale in agriculture.
***
For media enquiries please contact Mehr Hassan, FAO Pakistan at mehr....@fao.org
UNIC Pakistan
18 March 2020
_____________
UNICEF
STATEMENT
Statement by
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the COVID-19 pandemic
NEW YORK, 18 March 2020 – “One week since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, the number of cases continues to soar around the world. Hundreds of millions of children are not in school. Parents and caregivers are working remotely whenever they can. Borders have been closed. Lives have been upended.
“These are uncharted waters for all of us. At UNICEF, we are fighting a new virus, debunking myths and battling misinformation, all while looking after the well-being of our staff and our own families.
“Our life-saving work to provide children with health, education, nutrition and protection has never been more critical. With millions of children uprooted, affected by wars, dying from preventable causes, out of school, or missing out on essential vaccines, the need for support has never been greater.
“UNICEF is working to help prevent the spread of the virus among communities in the affected countries. We are sharing accurate information on how to keep families safe, providing hygiene and medical kits to schools and health clinics, and mitigating the impact of the outbreak on children’s access to health, education and social services.
“Now more than ever, we count on our donors to continue supporting our
mission for those with nothing and no one – despite these difficult times.”
###
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
.
For more information about COVID-19 including guidance for children, families
and schools, visit https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19
For further information, please contact:
UNIC Pakistan
19 March 2020
_____________
WFP - FAO - Korean Embassy
News Release
the Republic of Korea donates funds to help Pakistan combat locust outbreak
Islamabad – The Republic of Korea is donating US$200,000 to help the Government of Pakistan respond to the worst locust infestation in more than two decades.
“Sympathizing with Pakistani farmers’ suffering and damages from desert locust, the Korean government has decided to participate in helping Pakistani government’s relief effort.” said Korean Ambassador Mr. Kwak Sung-Kyu. “I hope this support will serve as a good momentum to upgrade bilateral agricultural cooperation between Korea and Pakistan including currently on-going project to establish KOPIA center in Pakistan.”
The contribution will be channeled through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and goes towards supporting smallholder farmers who are most at risk of food shortage due to the crisis.
“Concerted efforts will help address the imminent threat of desert locust to ensure food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture,” said Minà Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative in Pakistan.
“We are grateful for the timely support from the Republic of Korea,” said Chris Kaye, WFP Representative and Country Director. “Our priority is not only to help communities protect their crops and livelihoods, but also build their resilience so that they withstand such shocks better in the future.”
WFP and FAO will work together under the ‘critical support for Desert Locust prevention and control operations in Pakistan’ project to build the capacities of the relevant government departments and local farming communities living in locus-prone and affected areas.
The project will be implemented in close collaboration with the Departments of the Plant Protection and Agriculture, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs).
***
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with the communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists 80 million people in 80 countries.
Follow us on Twitter @wfp_media; @Pakistan; Facebook: WFP Pakistan
***
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Our goal is to achieve food security for all and make sure that people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.
Follow us on Twitter: @FAOPakistan
***
For more information, please contact:
Mahira Afzal, WFP Islamabad, Mobile: +92 345 8559333, mahira...@wfp.org
Mehr Hassan, FAO Pakistan, mehr....@fao.org
UNIC Pakistan
20 March 2020
_____________
United Nations
Transcript of UN Secretary-General's virtual press encounter on COVID-19 crisis
We are facing a global health crisis unlike any in the 75-year history of the United Nations — one that is spreading human suffering, infecting the global economy and upending people’s lives.
A global recession – perhaps of record dimensions – is a near certainty.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has just reported that workers around the world could lose as much as 3.4 trillion U.S. dollars in income by the end of this year.
This is, above all, a human crisis that calls for solidarity.
Our human family is stressed and the social fabric is being torn. People are suffering, sick and scared.
Current responses at the country level will not address the global scale and complexity of the crisis.
This is a moment that demands coordinated, decisive, and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies. We must recognize that the poorest and most vulnerable — especially women — will be the hardest hit.
I welcome the decision by G20 leaders to convene an emergency summit next week to respond to the epic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic – and I look forward to taking part.
My central message is clear: We are in an unprecedented situation and the normal rules no longer apply. We cannot resort to the usual tools in such unusual times.
The creativity of the response must match the unique nature of the crisis – and the magnitude of the response must match its scale.
Our world faces a common enemy. We are at war with a virus.
COVID-19 is killing people, as well as attacking the real economy at its core – trade, supply chains, businesses, jobs. Entire countries and cities are in lockdown. Borders are closing. Companies are struggling to stay in business and families are simply struggling to stay afloat.
But in managing this crisis, we also have a unique opportunity.
Done right, we can steer the recovery toward a more sustainable and inclusive path. But poorly coordinated policies risk locking in -- or even worsening -- already unsustainable inequalities, reversing hard-won development gains and poverty reduction.
I call on world leaders to come together and offer an urgent and coordinated response to this global crisis.
I see three critical areas for action:
FIRST, TACKLING THE HEALTH EMERGENCY.
Many countries have exceeded the capacity to care for even mild cases in dedicated health facilities, with many unable to respond to the enormous needs of the elderly.
Even in the wealthiest countries, we see health systems buckling under pressure.
Health spending must be scaled up right away to meet urgent needs and the surge in demand -- expanding testing, bolstering facilities, supporting health care workers, and ensuring adequate supplies – with full respect for human rights and without stigma.
It has been proven that the virus can be contained. It must be contained.
If we let the virus spread like wildfire – especially in the most vulnerable regions of the world -- it would kill millions of people.
And we need to immediately move away from a situation where each country is undertaking its own health strategies to one that ensures, in full transparency, a coordinated global response, including helping countries that are less prepared to tackle the crisis.
Governments must give the strongest support to the multilateral effort to fight the virus, led by the World Health Organization (WHO), whose appeals must be fully met.
The health catastrophe makes clear that we are only as strong as the weakest health system.
Global solidarity is not only a moral imperative, it is in everyone’s interests.
SECOND, WE MUST FOCUS ON THE SOCIAL IMPACT AND THE ECONOMIC RESPONSE AND RECOVERY.
Unlike the 2008 financial crisis, injecting capital in the financial sector alone is not the answer. This is not a banking crisis – and indeed, banks must be part of the solution.
And it is not an ordinary shock in supply and demand; it is a shock to society as a whole.
The liquidity of the financial system must be guaranteed, and banks must use their resilience to support their customers.
But let’s not forget this is essentially a human crisis.
Most fundamentally, we need to focus on people -- low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises and the most vulnerable.
And that means wage support, insurance, social protection, preventing bankruptcies and job loss.
And that also means designing fiscal and monetary responses to ensure that the burden does not fall on those who can least afford it.
The recovery must not come on the backs of the poorest – and we cannot create a legion of new poor.
We need to get resources directly in the hands of people. A number of countries are taking up social protection initiatives such as cash transfers and universal income.
We need to take it to the next level to ensure support reaches those entirely dependent on the informal economy and countries less able to respond.
Remittances are a lifeline in the developing world – especially now. Countries have already committed to reduce remittance fees to 3 percent, much below the current average levels. The crisis requires us to go further, getting as close to zero as possible.
In addition, G20 leaders have taken steps to protect their own citizens and economies by waiving interest payments. We must apply that same logic to the most vulnerable countries in our global village and alleviate their debt burden.
Across the board, we need a commitment to ensure adequate financial facilities to support countries in difficulties. The IMF, the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions play a key role. The private sector is essential to seeking and creating investment opportunities and protecting jobs.
And we must refrain from the temptation of resorting to protectionism. This is the time to dismantle trade barriers and re-establish supply chains.
Looking at the broader picture, disruptions to society are having a profound impact.
We must address the effects of this crisis on women. The world’s women are disproportionally carrying the burden at home and in the wider economy.
Children are also paying a heavy price. More than 800 million children are out of school right now — many of whom rely on school to provide their only meal. We must ensure that all children have access to food and equal access to learning – bridging the digital divide and reducing the costs of connectivity.
As people’s lives are disrupted, isolated and upturned, we must prevent this pandemic from turning into a crisis of mental health. Young people will be most at risk.
The world needs to keep going with core support to programmes for the most vulnerable, including through UN-coordinated humanitarian and refugee response plans. Humanitarian needs must not be sacrificed.
THIRD, AND FINALLY, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO “RECOVER BETTER”.
The 2008 financial crisis demonstrated clearly that countries with robust social protection systems suffered the least and recovered most quickly from its impact.
We must ensure that lessons are learned and that this crisis provides a watershed moment for health emergency preparedness and for investment in critical 21st century public services and the effective delivery of global public goods.
We have a framework for action – the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We must keep our promises for people and planet.
The United Nations – and our global network of country offices -- will support all governments to ensure that the global economy and the people we serve emerge stronger from this crisis.
That is the logic of the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
More than ever before, we need solidarity, hope and the political will to see this crisis through together.
Thank you.
Under-Secretary-General Fleming: SecretaryGeneral, we're now going to take questions from the press. This is a virtual press conference, the first of its kind for you and in our age.
Our first question is from Edith Lederer from the Associated Press. She asks: Mr. SecretaryGeneral, you're calling especially on the G20 countries to take the lead, but many of them are struggling to deal with the COVID19 pandemic in their own countries. Where is the money going to come from to fulfil the ambitious programme you just outlined?
Secretary-General: Well, we see that whenever there is a problem in the banking system, trillions appear to solve the problems of the banks. And these trillions must appear now. Governments, Central Banks must work to guarantee that there is liquidity in the economy but also that funds are mobilised to those that are most in need. And those that are most in need are people on one hand and the poorest countries on the other. And it is absolutely essential to show solidarity in the way we respond to the crisis.
A wealthy country must not be convinced that it has only to deal with its own citizens. It's in the interest of a wealthy country to contribute to a global response because the crisis can come from wherever at any moment, and it is in the interest of everybody to fight it effectively, especially in the most vulnerable areas of the world.
Ms. Fleming: The next question is from many journalists collectively. Are you concerned that the restrictions on travel will boost nationalist sentiments? You say that international cooperation is the answer. How do you achieve that?
Secretary-General: I think that the restrictions on travel can be understood because of the need to contain the spread of the disease, but it's very important at the same time people feel the need of solidarity. It's very important to fight fake news, to fight those campaigns in social media that try to spread fear, that try to spread antagonism, that try to create divisions.
This is a moment of solidarity, and this is a moment where political leaders, religious leaders, community leaders must convey a very strong message, asking for people to feel that we need do this together. And even if we are physically separated I am physically separated from my family at the present moment, but we are together fighting this crisis. And I think that the same must happen with countries. The same must happen with peoples. We can be physically separated, but we need to do it together.
Ms. Fleming: The next question is from Valeria Robecco from the Italian news agency ANSA. Africa is now experiencing a limited number of cases, but some experts fear that there will be a wave of cases in the near future. Are you working on some plans to help the most vulnerable areas?
Secretary-General: Yes. Our teams in Africa are working very hard with the governments to support them, but my very strong appeal to the G20 is to have a particular concern with African countries and other countries in the developing world. We must absolutely be strong in supporting them because the virus will come... is coming to them, and their systems are extremely weak. So, they need very strong support from the developed world, and if that support is denied, we could have catastrophic consequences.
If the virus is not contained because countries have not the capacity to contain it, it can spread like wildfire, as I mentioned, and we could have... even with low rates of mortality, we could have millions of people dying, and this is absolutely unacceptable.
Ms. Fleming: We're going to take two more questions. This next question is from a number of journalists. As you know, the journalists gathered here are working in this building. And they want to know: Is it worth the risk to keep the UN Secretariat building open? And can the UN Security Council and the General Assembly meet virtually?
Secretary-General: First of all, we were ahead of the curve in the UN, in the UN Headquarters. We took precautions earlier than they were prescribed even by the authorities here and in different other parts of the world. We have been extremely careful in order to contain the spread of the disease.
I'm working in headquarters. Most of our staff is working at home, and I believe that when people absolutely need to come, they can come, because I think we have created the conditions to do it in perfect safety.
On the other hand, it is very important to create the conditions for Member States to be able to meet. The Security Council will meet next week, more than once, and we have provided conditions for virtual meetings to take place at any moment.
In some circumstances, physical presence is needed. In others, it is not. But we have all the conditions to allow for virtual meetings to take place with any number of people.
I was just, today, in a virtual meeting with our 140 resident coordinators around the world. I've been in contact every day with eight to ten of our offices around the world and of our missions around the world. And I can tell you I'm very proud, because even in these very difficult circumstances, the UN everywhere is open for businesses, and we are working to make sure that we deliver in relation to the Member States that need our support and in relation to the people we care for, the most vulnerable everywhere.
Ms. Fleming: Final question from Majeed at Rudaw Network. Does the SG think there should be any special financial support from developed countries to the developing countries, especially the ones dealing with other crises, such as wars?
Secretary-General: It is absolutely essential to have solidarity at the present moment. It's absolutely essential that the effort that the developed countries are making to support their own citizens is extended to those countries that have not the capacity to do the same to their citizens and where poverty is much more widespread and the conditions to fight the disease are much less effective.
Ms. Fleming: That's the end of this press conference. Thank
you all for tuning in, and those who tuned in online, also, thank you very much.
Secretary-General: Thank you very much.
[Press Conference concludes at 12:50 p.m.]
Video Link:
International Clean:
English Captioned:
***
United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NOWRUZ
New York, 21 March 2020
Every year, we mark Nowruz as a day of new beginnings, when we step into a new year with hope and joy. We celebrate the renewal of nature and the first day of spring.
This year, for many, Nowruz comes at a time of sadness and anxiety. The novel coronavirus, COVID-19, is casting a shadow around the world, including the regions that mark this ancient festival. I send my deepest condolences to those who have lost loved ones, and my best wishes to all who have been affected.
I hope the festival of Nowruz will provide a welcome break to relax and spend time with close family, enjoy the beauty of the changing seasons, and to remember and celebrate our common humanity.
Nowruz is renewal. As you mark its arrival with fire, special dishes, green shoots and other rituals, I hope you will find a shared sense of friendship and harmony with nature.
I wish you a happy, healthy, peaceful and prosperous Nowruz.
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF FORESTS
21 March 2020
Forests cover some 30 per cent of our planet’s land area and are home to 80 per cent of all terrestrial species. The ecosystem services they provide to humanity range from purifying air and water to producing foods, medicines and wood and paper products. Forests sustain essential watersheds and influence the global climate and rainfall patterns.
Forests also act as important carbon sinks, absorbing about 2 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually. Sustainably managing forests is therefore critical for closing the emissions gap and limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C from pre-industrial levels.
Given the vital role of forests in capturing carbon dioxide, it is alarming that forests are increasingly victims of drought conditions induced by climate change. The past year has seen enormous forest fires, from the Canadian Arctic and Siberia to California and Australia. As well as heart-breaking losses of lives, homes and livelihoods in populated areas, these fires have been responsible for massive carbon dioxide emissions.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes the vital role of forests for our future. In 2017, the first United Nations Strategic Plan for Forests 2030 was adopted by the UN General Assembly. The Plan includes a set of six Global Forest Goals and 26 associated targets to be achieved by 2030. These targets are laudable, but we are not on track.
Deforestation is mainly caused by the conversion of habitats for large-scale agriculture. Increasing agricultural production without replacing natural forests is a key challenge. Over the past 25 years, the annual rate of net global deforestation has slowed by over 50 per cent, which is a credit to the efforts of governments and other stakeholders working to sustainably manage forests. Yet, vast areas of forest continue to be lost.
This year’s International Day of Forests highlights the connections between forests and the rich biodiversity they support. Last year, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services sounded the alarm that the health of our ecosystems was declining at unprecedented speed and species extinction rates were accelerating. We must act quickly to reverse this. Safeguarding forests is part of the solution.
2020 has been referred to as a “Nature Super Year” and must be the year where we turn the tide on deforestation and forestry loss. The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October aims to adopt a Global Post-2020 Framework for Biodiversity. This framework must comprise new ambitious targets to protect nature and address the underlying drivers of nature loss, coupled with robust implementation and financing mechanisms.
Our global environment is being degraded by our unstainable choices. The way we consume natural resources is accelerating biodiversity loss and exacerbating climate change. On this International Day, I urge all governments, businesses and civil society to take urgent action to halt deforestation and restore degraded forests, so future generations can enjoy a greener, healthier future.
WORLD WATER DAY
22 March 2020
The world’s water resources are under unprecedented threat. Today, some 2.2 billion people lack safe drinking water and 4.2 billion people live without access to adequate sanitation. Unless we act with urgency, the impacts of climate change are projected to exacerbate these figures. By 2050, between 3.5 and 4.4 billion people will live with limited access to water, with more than 1 billion of them living in cities.
This year’s World Water Day focuses on water and climate change. With 2020 a make-or-break year for climate action, this focus is timely. Water is the primary medium through which we perceive the effects of climate disruption, from extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, to glacial melting, saltwater intrusion and sea level rise.
Global heating and unsustainable use will create unprecedented competition for water resources, leading to the displacement of millions of people. This will negatively affect health and productivity and act as a threat multiplier for instability and conflict. The solution is clear. We must urgently scale up investments in healthy watersheds and water infrastructure, with dramatic improvements in the efficiency of water use. We must anticipate and respond to climate risks at every level of water management. We need to urgently step up efforts to strengthen resilience and adaptation for people affected by climate disruption. And, above all, we must use this year and COP26 in Glasgow to bend the emissions curve and create a secure foundation for water sustainability.
On World Water Day, everyone has a role to play. I call on all stakeholders to increase climate action and invest in robust adaptation measures for water sustainability. By limiting global heating to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world will be in a much better position to manage and solve the water crisis that we all face.
WORLD METEOROLOGICAL DAY
23 March 2020
Climate and water are inextricably linked. Water evaporates from the planet’s surface to the atmosphere, where it condenses into clouds that are transported around the globe. They then release rain and snowfall that returns fresh water to Earth’s land, rivers, lakes and glaciers. This is what sustains life on our planet. Climate drives the hydrological cycle, and it in turn defines our climate.
This cycle is often taken for granted. But it lies at the heart of many of our global Sustainable Development Goals -- from ending hunger, to ensuring health and well-being, enabling productive industries, sustaining thriving communities and unlocking the potential of affordable and clean energy for all.
Climate change is disrupting our hydrological cycle and redistributing water availability around the world. This means increased floods for some and more prolonged droughts for others. Our planet already faces great hydrological challenges from unsustainable use, with more than half the world’s population facing severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year. With global demand for water continuing to increase, we face a grave water crisis.
That is why, this year, World Meteorological Day and World Water Day share the theme of climate and water. We need to manage climate and water in a more coordinated and sustainable manner to address the urgent need for improved forecasting, monitoring and management of water supplies and to tackle the problem of too much, too little or too polluted water. We cannot manage what we do not measure. Improved hydrological monitoring and forecasting are vital to underpin effective water management policies and flood and drought early warning services.
Let us mark World Meteorological Day this year by appreciating the inextricable link between climate and water and the importance of our hydrological cycle. Let us intensify our efforts to support our meteorological and hydrological communities to further the effective management of water resources. Let us count every drop, because every drop counts.
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE RIGHT TO THE TRUTH CONCERNING GROSS HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS AND FOR THE DIGNITY OF VICTIMS
24 March 2020
The International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations honours the memory of victims of heinous and systematic abuses.
The day coincides with the anniversary of the murder of Monsignor Oscar Romero, who was killed four decades ago for speaking out against injustice and impunity in El Salvador.
On this Day, we honour the bravery and determination of victims, civil society representatives and community leaders around the world who relentlessly strive for a better future, guided by the compass of human dignity. Their efforts to uncover the truth about gross human rights violations and the circumstances in which they were committed is an inspiration and a service to us all.
Truth opens the path to justice, reparation and healing. It helps us overcome prejudice, divisive narratives and extreme polarization. It also helps address the root causes of conflict and prevent its recurrence. This also why “The Highest Aspiration” -- my Call to Action for Human Rights – features efforts to promote justice and accountability for all.
As we recognize the courage of human rights defenders everywhere, let us commit to protect those who seek truth and justice, and provide victims with effective remedies and restore their dignity.
UNIC Pakistan
Media Update
24 March 2020
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United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL’s STATEMENT
APPEAL FOR GLOBAL CEASE-FIRE
Our world faces a common enemy:
COVID-19.
The virus does not care about nationality or
ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks
all, relentlessly.
Meanwhile, armed conflict rages on around the
world.
The most vulnerable — women and children, people with disabilities, the marginalized and the displaced — pay the highest price.
They are also at the highest risk of suffering
devastating losses from COVID-19.
Let’s not forget that in war-ravaged countries, health systems have collapsed.
Health professionals, already few in number, have often been targeted.
Refugees and others displaced by violent conflict are doubly vulnerable.
The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war.
That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world.
It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.
To warring parties, I say:
Pull back from hostilities.
Put aside mistrust and animosity.
Silence the guns; stop the artillery; end the
airstrikes.
This is crucial…
To help create corridors for life-saving aid.
To open precious windows for diplomacy.
To bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.
Let us take inspiration from coalitions and dialogue slowly taking shape among rival parties to enable joint approaches to COVID-19. But we need much more.
End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world.
It starts by stopping the fighting everywhere. Now.
That is what our human family needs, now more than ever.
***
UNIC Pakistan
25 March 2020
_____________
United Nations
Secretary-General Message
THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE VICTIMS OF SLAVERY AND THE TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE
25 March 2020
This moving memorial commemorates the women, men and children who suffered and died after being forced on to slave ships to cross the Atlantic -- one of the biggest crimes in the history of humankind.
The theme for this year’s International Day of Remembrance is: “Confronting Slavery’s Legacy of Racism Together.”
Because while we reject racism, we still live in the shadow of the Transatlantic slave trade.
Racism continues to play a strong role in our world.
Racism is the reason why outside Africa, people of African descent are often among the last in line for health care, education, justice and opportunities of all kinds.
We need to raise our voices against all expressions of racism and instances of racist behaviour. We urgently need to dismantle racist structures and reform racist institutions.
We can only move forward by confronting the racist legacy of slavery together.
***
FAO
Press Release
Secretary IT & FAO Representative Virtually Signed MoU
Mr. Shoaib Ahmed Siddique, Secretary IT & Telecommunication and Ms. Minà Dowlatchahi FAO Representative virtually signed a memorandum of understanding while sitting in Pakistan and Rome, Italy respectively. The arrangement was adopted to thwart any delay imposed by worldwide social distancing in the wake of COVID-19.
Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Shoaib Ahmed Siddique said that agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy as it contributes around 20 percent in the overall gross domestic product (GDP) and is also a big source of employment. Low growth, water shortage, environmental concerns, volatile energy prices, rising expectations of consumers – these are some of the complex challenges the agriculture sector is facing today, in the face of diminishing production profit margins for farmers.
He said Ministry of IT & Telecommunication would do everything to resolve these challenges through technology interventions by bringing innovative solutions for increased yield and profit margins for the farmers by diminishing the role of middlemen.
Ms. Minà Dowlatchahi, FAO Representative Pakistan through a video link said that innovation in agriculture in Pakistan is a necessity – small farmers are not only food producers, they are consumers and also guardians of Pakistan natural resources: soils, water, biodiversity and seeds. Eighty percent of arable land is in small farms in Pakistan, the vast majority still under outdated agriculture systems. Innovation is the process whereby individuals or organizations bring new or existing products, processes or ways of organization into use for the first time. Innovation in agriculture cuts across all dimensions of the production cycle along the entire value chain - from crop, forestry, fishery or livestock production to the management of inputs and resources to market access.
It is time to help small-holder men and women farmers in Pakistan innovate at scale, adapt to climate change, increase their incomes and contribute to the transformation of Pakistan agriculture systems and will contribute to sustainable and inclusive food systems and healthy diets in the country.
Through the MoU both organizations vow to collaborate in providing a framework for supporting the formulation and execution of local and/or national projects in Pakistan. These projects will aim to benefit sustainable and inclusive agricultural and food systems (agriculture, livestock, forestry, aquaculture) to contribute to achieving zero hunger and poverty eradication.
Both FAO and MOITT through Ignite will share material such as statistical information, software and maps, made available by the FAO or MOITT/Ignite for use in the activities under this collaboration agreement. Both organizations jointly agree to host the “e-Agriculture Innovations Challenge” to be held in Islamabad to address the pressing challenges facing agriculture sector.
For media enquiries please contact Mehr Hassan, Communications Specialist FAO Pakistan at mehr....@fao.org
***
ESCAP
Press Release
Striking lack of progress on environmental SDGs in Asia-Pacific, reveals new UN report
Bangkok (ESCAP news) – There is overwhelming evidence that the Asia-Pacific region needs to accelerate action on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and substantially reverse current negative trends, especially those which are depleting and degrading its environmental resources, according to a new report released today by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
The Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2020 draws attention to the region’s poor performance on most of the measurable environmental targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. For example, the share of renewable energy has dropped to 16 per cent, one of the lowest rates globally. The region also emits half of the world’s total greenhouse gas - a number which has doubled since 2000. 35 per cent of countries continue to lose their forests.
“Our analysis finds that the Asia-Pacific region has struggled the most with two Goals: advancing responsible consumption and production, and climate action. In fact, the region is not even moving in the right direction,” underscored United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana.
“These findings sound the alarm for the region to urgently foster sustainable use of natural resources, improve the management of chemicals and wastes, increase its resilience against natural disasters, and adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change through integrated policies,” added Ms. Alisjahbana.
On a positive note, many countries are moving decisively and showing remarkable progress in improving the quality of education (Goal 4) and providing access to affordable and clean energy (Goal 7). The Report suggests that achieving these two Goals is well within reach. The region is also making good progress on targets related to economic growth. Real GDP per capita growth in the Asia-Pacific was more than double the world average in 2017, and at the same time, at least 18 countries in the region are experiencing less income inequality.
Yet, to grow more sustainably and equitably, the current economic progress of the region must be coupled with human well-being and a healthy environment. Progress has been far too slow in areas such as gender equality (Goal 5) and building sustainable cities and communities (Goal 11). ESCAP warns that the region remains unlikely to meet any of the 17 SDGs by 2030 without concerted and extra efforts from all stakeholders.
Progress has also been uneven across the five Asia-Pacific subregions, most especially in reducing inequalities (Goal 10), responsible consumption and production (Goal 12), and peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16). A positive example of collective progress across all five subregions however is on access to electricity, where steady improvement is noticeable, particularly in rural areas.
Data availability for the SDG indicators has substantially increased over the past few years in Asia and the Pacific, from 25 per cent in 2017 to 42 per cent in 2020. But data is still lacking on over half of the SDG indicators, especially those Goals with slow progress. This, according to ESCAP, highlights the urgent need to strengthen the policy-data nexus in the region.
A flagship annual publication produced by ESCAP, in partnership with five other UN agencies, the Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report uses the latest data for global SDG indicators to determine where additional effort is needed in the region and where momentum for future progress is building.
The full Asia and the Pacific SDG Progress Report 2020 can be accessed at: https://www.unescap.org/publications/asia-and-pacific-sdg-progress-report-2020
For media enquiries, please contact:
Ms. Kavita Sukanandan, Public Information Officer
Strategic Communications and Advocacy Section, ESCAP
T: (66) 2 288 1869 / E: sukan...@un.org
UNIC Pakistan
Media Update
26 March 2020
___________
UNOCHA
PRESS RELEASE
COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan
A global approach is the only way to fight COVID-19, the UN says as it launches humanitarian response plan
· UN humanitarian chief warns that failing to help vulnerable countries fight the coronavirus now could place millions at risk and leave the virus free to circle back around the globe.
· UN launches US$2 billion global humanitarian response to fight COVID-19 in 51 countries across South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
· Governments urged to commit to fully supporting the global humanitarian response plan, while sustaining funding to existing humanitarian appeals.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today [Wednesday, 25 March] launched a US $2 billion coordinated global humanitarian response plan to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect millions of people and stop the virus from circling back around the globe.
COVID-19 has killed more than 16,000 people worldwide and there are nearly 400,000 reported cases. It has a foothold across the globe and is now reaching countries that were already facing humanitarian crisis because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.
The response plan will be implemented by UN agencies, with international NGOs and NGO consortia playing a direct role in the response. It will:
· deliver essential laboratory equipment to test for the virus, and medical supplies to treat people;
· install handwashing stations in camps and settlements;
· launch public information campaigns on how to protect yourself and others from the virus; and
· establish airbridges and hubs across Africa, Asia and Latin America to move humanitarian workers and supplies to where they are needed most.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said:
“COVID-19 is menacing the whole of humanity – and so the whole of humanity must fight back. Individual country responses are not going to be enough.
“We must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable – millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves. This is a matter of basic human solidarity. It is also crucial for combating the virus. This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable.”
Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said:
“COVID-19 has already upended life in some of the world’s wealthiest countries. It is now reaching places where people live in warzones, cannot easily access clean water and soap, and have no hope of a hospital bed if they fall critically ill.
“To leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries to their fate would be both cruel and unwise. If we leave coronavirus to spread freely in these places, we would be placing millions at high risk, whole regions will be tipped into chaos and the virus will have the opportunity to circle back around the globe.
“Countries battling the pandemic at home are rightly prioritizing people living in their own communities. But the hard truth is they will be failing to protect their own people if they do not act now to help the poorest countries protect themselves.
“Our priority is to help these countries prepare and continue helping the millions who rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN to survive. Properly funded, our global response effort will equip humanitarian organizations with the tools to fight the virus, save lives, and help contain the spread of COVID-19 worldwide.”
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said:
“The virus is now spreading in countries with weak health systems, including some which are already facing humanitarian crises. These countries need our support – out of solidarity but also to protect us all and help suppress this pandemic. At the same time, we must not fight the pandemic at the expense of the other humanitarian health emergencies.”
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore said:
“Children are the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lockdowns and school closures are affecting their education, mental health and access to basic health services. The risks of exploitation and abuse are higher than ever, for boys and girls alike. For children on the move or living through conflicts, the consequences will be unlike any we have ever seen. We must not let them down.”
At the virtual launch of the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan, the UN Secretary-General was joined via video link by Mr. Lowcock, Dr Tedros and Ms. Fore.
Together they called on UN Member States to commit to stemming the impact of COVID-19 in vulnerable countries and containing the virus globally by giving the strongest possible support to the plan, while also sustaining core support to existing humanitarian appeals that help the more than 100 million people who already rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN just to survive.
Member States were warned that any diversion of funding from existing humanitarian operations would create an environment in which cholera, measles and meningitis can thrive, in which even more children become malnourished, and in which extremists can take control – an environment that would be the perfect breeding ground for the coronavirus.
To kick-start the response plan, Mr. Lowcock released an additional $60 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). This brings CERF’s support to humanitarian action in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to $75 million. In addition, country-based pooled funds have allocated more than $3 million so far.
This new CERF allocation – one of the largest ever made – will support: WFP to ensure the continuity of supply chains and transport of aid workers and relief goods; WHO to contain the spread of the pandemic; and other agencies to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to those most affected by the pandemic, including women and girls, refugees and internally displaced people. Support will include efforts around food security, physical and mental health, water and sanitation, nutrition and protection.
Notes to editors
1. The COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan can be found here: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1060222 The COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan will be coordinated by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
2. It brings together requirements from the World Health Organization (WHO), Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN-Habitat, UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP).
For further details, please contact:
WHO Spokesperson: Tarik Jasarevic, +41 793 676 214, jasar...@who.int
OCHA New York: Zoe Paxton, + 1 917 297 1542, pax...@un.org
OCHA Geneva: Jens Laerke, +41 79 472 9750, lae...@un.org
***
UNIC Pakistan
26 March 2020
_____________
UNICEF
Statement
Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on the disruption of immunization and basic health services due to the COVID-19 pandemic
NEW YORK, 26 March 2020: “Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic is overstretching health services as health workers are diverted to support the response.
“Physical distancing is leading parents to make the difficult decision to defer routine immunization.
“Medical goods are in short supply and supply chains are under historic strain due to transport disruptions. Flight cancellations and trade restrictions by countries have severely constrained access to essential medicines, including vaccines.
“As the pandemic progresses, critical life-saving services, including immunization, will likely be disrupted, especially in Africa, Asia and the Middle East where they are sorely needed.
“At the greatest risk are children from the poorest families in countries affected by conflicts and natural disasters.
“We are particularly concerned about countries that are battling measles, cholera or polio outbreaks while responding to COVID-19 cases, such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, the Philippines, Syria and South Sudan. Not only would such outbreaks tax already stretched health services, they could also lead to additional loss of lives and suffering. At a time like this, these countries can ill-afford to face additional outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
“The message is clear: We must not allow lifesaving health interventions to fall victim to our efforts to address COVID-19.
“UNICEF is committed to supporting basic health care and immunization needs in the worst affected countries, and to doing so in a way that limits the risk of COVID-19 transmission. We are working hard to ensure adequate vaccine supplies are available in countries that need them. We are in close communication with global vaccine suppliers to ensure production is not disrupted and supply is managed in the best possible manner under these difficult circumstances. We are also providing greater support to governments to continue the supply of vaccines during this pandemic.
“In the days to come, governments may have to temporarily postpone preventive mass vaccination campaigns in many places to ensure that the delivery of immunization services does not contribute to COVID-19 spread, and to follow recommendations on physical distancing.
“UNICEF strongly recommends that all governments begin rigorous planning now to intensify immunization activities once the COVID -19 pandemic is under control. These vaccination activities must focus on children who will miss vaccine doses during this period of interruption and prioritize the poorest and most vulnerable children. To successfully roll-out vaccines against COVID -19 when they become available, we need to ensure that our immunization programmes remain robust and can reach those that will need these vaccines the most.
“Immunization remains a life-saving health intervention. As the world's biggest buyer and supplier of vaccines, UNICEF will continue to play a pivotal role in supporting governments’ current and future immunization efforts.”
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Notes to editor
Download multimedia content on COVID-19 outbreak, handwashing and vaccines here: https://uni.cf/2WydpEk
About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.
Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook.
For more information about COVID-19 including guidance for children, families
and schools, visit https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19
For more information on UNICEF’s work immunization, visit https://www.unicef.org/immunization
For further information, please contact:
Sabrina Sidhu, UNICEF New York, +1 917 4761537, ssi...@unicef.org
Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, +1 917 340 3017, cti...@unicef.org
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UNICEF
PRESS RELEASE
UNICEF scales up support in 145 countries to keep children learning, as COVID-19 forces majority of schools worldwide to close
NEW YORK, 26 March 2020 – As nationwide school closures disrupt the education for more than 80 per cent of students worldwide, UNICEF today announced it will significantly scale up support in all countries to help children continue their learning while keeping schools safe.
“Schools in the majority of countries worldwide have closed. It is an unprecedented situation and unless we collectively act now to protect children’s education, societies and economies will feel the burden long after we’ve beaten COVID-19. In the most vulnerable communities, the impact will span generations,” said Robert Jenkins, UNICEF Global Chief of Education.
“Based on lessons learned with the school closures in response to Ebola, the longer children stay away from school, the less likely they are to ever return. Giving children alternative ways to learn and also by doing so, rebuild a routine is a critical part of our response,” said Jenkins.
To help curb the disruption to children’s education and keep children learning safely, UNICEF has allocated additional funding to accelerate work with governments and partners in more than 145 low- and middle-income countries. The initial global allocation of US $13 million – nearly $9 million of which is from a contribution made by the Global Partnership for Education – will be catalytic by supporting national governments and a wide range of education partners in each country to develop plans to enable a rapid, system-wide response.
The initiative will enable countries to prepare alternative learning programmes in the case of school closures and help schools keep children and their communities safe by providing vital information on handwashing and other hygiene practices. The funds will also help support children’s mental health and prevent stigma and discrimination by encouraging students to avoid stereotypes when talking about the virus.
In all 145 countries, UNICEF will work with partners to:
1. Support governments’ crisis response plans including technical assistance, rapid risk analysis, data collection, and planning for the reopening of schools.
2. Support the planning and implementation of safe school operation and risk communication including translating, printing, disseminating and implementing safe school guidelines; equipping schools with hygiene packages and circulating critical information on disease prevention; and training teachers and caregivers in psychosocial and mental health support for themselves and students.
3. Ensure continuity of learning and access to remote learning programs including designing and preparing alternative education programmes through online, radio and television.
4. Enhance knowledge sharing and capacity building for the current response and future pandemics.
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Notes to editors
Earlier this month, UNICEF, along with the World Health Organization and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, released operational guidance on protecting children and schools from COVID-19.
UNIC Pakistan
27 March 2020
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United Nations
Remarks
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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REMARKS AT G20 VIRTUAL SUMMIT ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC
26 March 2020
Thank you, Your Majesty, for convening this meeting.
We are at war with a virus – and not winning it.
It took the world three months to reach 100,000 confirmed cases of infection.
The next 100,000 happened in just 12 days.
The third took four days.
The fourth, just one and a half.
This is exponential growth and only the tip of the iceberg.
This war needs a war-time plan to fight it.
Solidarity is essential. Among the G-20 – and with the developing world, including countries in conflict.
That is why I appealed for a global ceasefire.
Allow me to highlight three critical areas for concerted G-20 action.
First, to suppress the transmission of COVID-19 as quickly as possible.
That must be our common strategy.
It requires a coordinated G-20 response mechanism guided by WHO.
All countries must be able to combine systematic testing, tracing, quarantining and treatment with restrictions on movement and contact – aiming to suppress transmission of the virus.
And they have to coordinate the exit strategy to keep it suppressed until a vaccine becomes available.
At the same time, we need massive support to increase the response capacity of developing countries.
The United Nations system has a well-established supply chain network, and we stand ready to place it at your disposal.
Second, we must work together to minimize the social and economic impact.
The G-20 came of age in the 2008 financial crisis.
The challenges before us dwarf those of 2008.
And what we face today is not a banking crisis; it is a human crisis.
While the liquidity of the financial system must be assured, our emphasis must be on the human dimension.
We need to concentrate on people, keeping households afloat and businesses solvent, able to protect jobs.
This will require a global response reaching double-digit percentages of the global economy.
I welcome infusions of liquidity and social and economic support in developed countries — with direct transfer of resources to people and businesses.
But a stimulus package to help developing countries with the same objectives also requires a massive investment.
For this, we need greater resources for the International Monetary Fund and other International Financial Institutions, a meaningful emission of Special Drawing Rights, coordinated swaps between central banks and steps to alleviate debt, such as a waiver of interest payments.
I also appeal for the waving of sanctions that can undermine countries’ capacity to respond to the pandemic.
Third, we must work together now to set the stage for a recovery that builds a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable economy, guided by our shared promise — the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Let us do what it takes, urgently and together.
Thank you.
UNIC Pakistan
1 April 2020
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United Nations
Press Release
United Nations Secretary-General launches plan to address the potentially devastating socio-economic impacts of COVID-19
Establishes global fund to support low- and middle-income countries
NEW YORK, 31 MARCH 2020 —The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is attacking societies at their core, claiming lives and people’s livelihoods. The potential longer-term effects on the global economy and those of
individual countries are dire.
In a new report, Shared responsibility,global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19, the United Nations Secretary-General calls on everyone to act together to address this impact and lessen the blow to people.
The report describes the speed and scale of the outbreak, the severity of cases, and the societal and economic disruption of COVID-19, which has so far claimed the lives of 33 257 people, with 697 244 confirmed cases in
204 countries, areas and territories1.
“COVID-19 is the greatest test that we have faced together since the formation of the United Nations,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. “This human crisis demands coordinated, decisive,
inclusive and innovative policy action from the world’s leading economies – and maximum financial and technical support for the poorest and most vulnerable people and countries.”
The report comes after the IMF has announced that the world has entered into a recession as bad or worse than in 2009. The report calls for a large-scale, coordinated and comprehensive multilateral response amounting to
at least 10 percent of global GDP.
The United Nations system—and its global network of regional, sub-regional and country offices working for peace, human rights, sustainable development and humanitarian action, will support all governments and partners through the response and recovery.
To that end, the Secretary-General has established a dedicated COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund to support efforts in low- and middle-income countries. Its approach underpins the reformed UN with a coordinated
multi-agency, multi-sectoral response for priority national and local actions to address the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis. It will count on the country leadership of Resident Coordinators and UN Country Teams in swiftly supporting and enabling governments in this crisis, and recovery.
1 World Health Organization 31 March 2020
NOTES TO EDITORS
The shared responsibility and global solidarity roadmap calls for:
• Suppressing the transmission of the virus to control the pandemic.
• Safeguarding people’s lives and their livelihoods.
• Learning from this human crisis to build back better.
Suppressing the transmission of the virus to control the pandemic
The report warns that there is no time to lose in mounting the most robust and cooperative health response the world has ever seen. The strongest support must be provided to the multilateral effort to suppress transmission
and stop the pandemic, led by the World Health Organization.
At the same time there is great need for scientific collaboration in the search for a vaccine and effective therapeutics. This must be matched with assurances of universal access to vaccines and treatment.
Throughout the report a people-centred approach is promoted that calls for engaging communities affected by COVID-19, respect for human rights and inclusion, gender equality and dignity for all.
Safeguarding people’s lives and their livelihoods
Recognizing that epidemics can expose and exacerbate existing inequalities in society, the road map shows it will be crucial to cushion the knock-on effects on people’s lives, their livelihoods and the economy.
The report highlights examples of actions countries could take, such as direct provision of resources to support workers and households, provision of health and unemployment insurance, scaling-up of social protection, and
support to businesses to prevent bankruptcies and job loss.
The report strongly recognizes that women and girls must have a face in the response; and opportunities for young people, seriously affected, need to be preserved.
Learn from this crisis to build back better
The world will be faced with a choice in its recovery. Go back to the world we knew before or deal decisively with those issues that make everyone unnecessarily vulnerable to this and future crises.
From stronger health systems and fewer people living in extreme poverty to achieving gender equality and taking climate action for a healthy planet, the report gives hope that lessons from this human crisis can build more just
and resilient societies and deliver on the promise of the 2030 Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Partnerships for progress
No single country or entity will win alone against the pandemic. A successful response and recovery will require international cooperation and partnerships at every level -- governments taking action in lock step with communities; private sector engagement to find pathways out of this crisis. Partnerships based on solidarity will be the cornerstone for progress.
Civil Society, women and grassroots organizations, community-based organizations and faith-based organizations will play a vital role. In assisting the most vulnerable populations, these networks are active in bringing economic and livelihood opportunities and adapting responses to the community context. These organizations, in many locations in the world, are the first, or only, point of reference for individuals and families as they seek to cope with the impacts of COVID-19 and for the recovery ahead.
Call to action
The COVID-19 Pandemic is a defining moment for modern society, and history will judge the efficacy of the response not by the actions of any single set of government actors taken in isolation, but by the degree to which
the response is coordinated globally across all sectors for the benefit of our human family.
The United Nations and its global network of regional, sub-regional and country offices working for peace, human rights, sustainable development and humanitarian action, supported by established coordination mechanisms, will work with partners to ensure first and foremost that lives are saved, livelihoods are restored, and that the global economy and the people we serve emerge stronger from this crisis.
The 129 UN Resident Coordinators and the UN Country Teams will provide comprehensive policy and operational support at the national level in support of a whole of society approach in countries. With the right actions, the COVID-19 pandemic can mark the beginning of a new type of global and societal cooperation.
Recommended measures to cope with the impacts of COVID-19:
1 Global measures to match the magnitude of the crisis
• Advocate and support implementation of a human-centered, innovative and coordinated stimulus package reaching double-digit percentage points of the world’s gross domestic product.
• Resist the temptation to resort to protectionist measures.
• Take explicit measures to boost the economies of developing countries.
2 Regional mobilization
A coordinated regional approach will enable collective examination of impacts, coordination of monetary, fiscal and social measures, and sharing best practices and the lessons learned.
• Adopt DO NO HARM trade policies, preserve connectivity, and ensure regional monetary-fiscal coordination.
• Engage with private financial sector to support businesses.
• Address structural challenges and strengthen normative frameworks to deal with transboundary risks.
3 National solidarity is crucial to leave no one behind
The pandemic is hitting an already weak and fragile world economy. Global growth in 2019 was already the slowest since the global financial crisis of 2008/2009. According to ILO estimates, the world could lose between 5 million and 25 million jobs.
• Undertake fiscal stimulus and support for the most vulnerable.
• Protect Human Rights and focus on inclusion.
• Support to Small and Medium sized Enterprises.
• Support decent work.
• Support education.
• Prioritize social cohesion measures.
COVID-19 socio-economic estimates for 2020 as of March 2020
5 - 25 million jobs lost (ILO)
US$ 860 billion – US$ 3.4 trillion losses in labor income (ILO)
30% -- 40% downward pressure on global foreign direct investment flows (UNCTAD)
20% – 30% decline in international arrivals (UNWTO)
3.6 billion people offline (ITU)
1.5 billion students out of school (UNESCO)
[END]
Link to Report: www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sg_report_socio-economic_impact_of_covid19.pdf
UNIC Pakistan
1 April 2020
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UNHCR
Press Release
UNHCR donates ambulances to KP Government
PESHAWAR, 1 April 2020 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency donated five fully equipped ambulances to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Head of UNHCR’s Sub-Office in Peshawar, Mr. Bernard Inkoom, handed over the five ambulances with advanced medical equipment to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). The ambulances were purchased by the Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, through UNHCR’s programme of support.
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, UNHCR has redoubled its efforts to assist the government to cope with increased numbers of patients requiring emergency transportation. The ambulances will be deployed to the districts of Haripur, Kohat, Mardan, Peshawar and Swabi.
“These ambulances will cater to the needs of Pakistanis and Afghan refugees needing urgent access to medical care,” said Mr. Inkoom.
He commended the Government of Pakistan for including Afghan refugees in the national COVID-19 surveillance, preparedness and response plans. He also applauded Pakistan’s tremendous generosity towards refugees for having granted them access to health and education in the course of four decades.
The Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr. Muhammad Abbas Khan, thanked UNHCR for the assistance at this time of need and said that the Ministry of SAFRON fully supports the provincial government’s ongoing measures to combat the coronavirus.
Other CAR officials were also present on the occasion.
END
Caption of the photo:
The
Head of UNHCR’s Sub-Office in Peshawar, Mr. Bernard Inkoom, handing over the
five ambulances with advanced medical equipment to Mr. Muhammad Shoaib,
Director of Operations of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Emergency Rescue Service
(1122) © UNHCR/Z. Saleah
Media Contact
Qaiser Khan Afridi - 0300-5018696 afr...@unhcr.org
UNIC Pakistan
2 April 2020
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IPA-WHO-UNICEF
Press Release
IPA, WHO and UNICEF launch Read the World on International Children’s Book Day to support children and young people in isolation
Geronimo Stilton author to kickstart exclusive children’s book reading initiative amid COVID-19 pandemic
NEW
YORK/GENEVA, 2 April 2020 – Much-loved children’s authors are
joining an initiative to read extracts of their books to millions of children
and young people currently living in isolation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read
the World is a collaboration between the International Publishers
Association (IPA), the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF. It kicks off
today, on International Children’s Book Day, at 15.00 GMT/17.00 CET with
Italian author Elisabetta Dami, creator of the popular character Geronimo
Stilton.
“These are uncharted waters for us all, and the psycho-social effects of prolonged isolation and social distancing are yet to be seen and understood,” said IPA President Hugo Setzer. “All of us should take particular care of our mental health at the moment, and especially that of young minds. The IPA wanted to do something positive to bring children and their favourite writers closer, to stimulate their interest in books and to create a carefree moment for families to share during this difficult period of confinement.”
“Children’s
lives and routines have been turned upside down in just a few short weeks,”
said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Even when the outside world is
out of bounds for now, reading can remind children and young people that the
transportive power of books is unlimited.”
“WHO is committed to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic on all fronts, especially when it comes to protecting young people,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “We understand the fear and anxieties many feel and know how the joy of reading can stimulate young minds, ease tensions and provide hope.”
Elisabetta Dami will read on her personal Instagram account in English from 15.00-15.30 GMT 17.00-17.30 CET. Dami, whose books have sold more than 180 million copies around the world and are published in 50 different languages, will also respond to comments and questions via the platform.
Several other noted children’s authors have agreed to join the Read the World initiative, details of which will be available soon at https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/read-the-world
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About IPA
The IPA is the world’s largest federation of publishers associations. Established in 1896, it is an industry body with a human rights mandate, whose mission is to promote and protect publishing and raise awareness of publishing as a force for economic, cultural and social development. Working in cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and other supranational bodies, the IPA champions the interests of book and journal publishing at national and supranational level. Internationally, the IPA actively opposes censorship and promotes copyright, freedom to publish (including through the IPA Prix Voltaire), and literacy.
About WHO
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the United Nations’ specialized agency for health. It is an inter-governmental organization and works in collaboration with its Member States usually through the Ministries of Health. The World Health Organization is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends. Learn more at www.who.int.
Follow WHO on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook
For
further information, please contact:
Ben Steward, Chief of Staff to IPA Vice-President, Bodour Al
Qasimi: b...@kalimat.ae
Paul Garwood, WHO, garw...@who.int
UNIC Pakistan
3 April 2020
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United Nations
Secretary-General Message
INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR
MINE AWARENESS AND ASSISTANCE IN MINE ACTION
4 April 2020
Decades ago, millions of landmines were buried in countries across the world. From Cambodia to Mozambique, in Angola and in Afghanistan, thousands of lives were lost, with others altered forever because of one unlucky step. The outcry by civil society in the early 1990s drove the multilateral system to take a stand against the use of anti-personnel mines, leading to the Mine Ban Convention of 1997 and other crucial frameworks. Today, many countries have declared themselves mine free – with others well on the way.
Now, the world is facing a daunting pandemic. The dangers posed by COVID-19 are forcing every country, and every person, to take steps that would have seemed unimaginable mere weeks ago. It is for this reason that this year’s observance of the International Day for Mine Awareness has been scaled back. The football tournaments, due to take place on land cleared of explosive ordnance, have been cancelled; the events aimed at bringing together the mine action community will take place virtually, if at all.
Yet, even in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, we cannot let this Day go unnoticed, nor can we allow the rights of persons with disabilities to go unacknowledged. Mines, explosive remnants of war and improvised explosive devices threaten some of the most vulnerable people in society: women traveling to markets, farmers herding cattle, humanitarian workers trying to reach those most in need.
Moreover, the achievements of the mine action community show that, in working together, we can reach milestones once seen as impossible – a timely message for our efforts today to suppress transmission of the pandemic.
So let us remember the people living under the shadow of explosive ordnance, from Syria to Mali and elsewhere. As many people around the world work safely from home, they will remain exposed and vulnerable. And, when the world emerges from today’s crisis, they will continue to need our support.
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UNHCR
PRESS RELEASE
UNHCR intensifies its outreach to refugee communities on the coronavirus
Announces Rs.1,000 mobile top-up for 3,000 Outreach Volunteers and community mobilizers
ISLAMABAD, 3 April 2020: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency has intensified its outreach to Afghan refugee communities to raise awareness of the coronavirus.
Amid these challenging times, arranging large group discussions in the community is not only risky but not permitted. To help overcome this, UNHCR announced the top-up of mobile cards for 3,000 Outreach Volunteers and community mobilizers across the country to strengthen effective digital communication.
The Outreach Volunteers and community mobilizers are Afghan refugees who help disseminate information within their communities. They also carry out important advocacy with the local authorities and service providers.
UNHCR supports around 2,200 Outreach Volunteers and some 800 community mobilizers in Pakistan. Outreach Volunteers, community organizers as well as elders and shuras are all an integral part of UNHCR’s community-based approach, which ensures that refugees play a role in responding to situations that affect their lives.
“The role of Outreach Volunteers in Pakistan is especially instrumental at this time in ensuring that government information on COVID-19 is effectively disseminated through digital channels,” said the Deputy Representative of UNHCR in Pakistan, Mr. Iain Hall. He noted that this is a one-time mobile top-up of Rs.1,000 per person.
The UN Refugee Agency supports the Government of Pakistan’s surveillance, preparedness, and response plans, which include refugees. Together with the Ministry of SAFRON and the Commissionerate of Afghan Refugees, NGO partners are also supporting health education campaigns at the community level and in health facilities in all the refugee villages on COVID-19 prevention and response.
Media contact
Qaiser Khan Afridi - +92 300 5018696 - afr...@unhcr.org
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