Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 9 August 2021
UNIC Islamabad
9 August 2021
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United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL STATEMENT
STATEMENT BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
ON THE IPCC WORKING GROUP I REPORT
ON THE PHYSICAL SCIENCE BASIS OF THE SIXTH ASSESSMENT
Today’s IPCC Working Group 1 Report is a code red for humanity. The alarm bells are deafening, and the evidence is irrefutable: greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel burning and deforestation are choking our planet and putting billions of people at immediate risk. Global heating is affecting every region on Earth, with many of the changes becoming irreversible.
The internationally agreed threshold of 1.5 degrees Celsius is perilously close.
We are at imminent risk of hitting 1.5 degrees in the near term. The only way to prevent exceeding this threshold is by urgently stepping up our efforts, and pursuing the most ambitious path.
We must act decisively now to keep 1.5 alive.
We are already at 1.2 degrees and rising. Warming has accelerated in recent decades. Every fraction of a degree counts. Greenhouse gas concentrations are at record levels. Extreme weather and climate disasters are increasing in frequency and intensity. That is why this year’s United Nations climate conference in Glasgow is so important.
The viability of our societies depends on leaders from government, business and civil society uniting behind policies, actions and investments that will limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We owe this to the entire human family, especially the poorest and most vulnerable communities and nations that are the hardest hit despite being least responsible for today’s climate emergency.
The solutions are clear. Inclusive and green economies, prosperity, cleaner air and better health are possible for all if we respond to this crisis with solidarity and courage. All nations, especially the G20 and other major emitters, need to join the net zero emissions coalition and reinforce their commitments with credible, concrete and enhanced Nationally Determined Contributions and policies before COP26 in Glasgow.
We need immediate action on energy. Without deep carbon pollution cuts now, the 1.5-degree goal will fall quickly out of reach. This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet. There must be no new coal plants built after 2021. OECD countries must phase out existing coal by 2030, with all others following suit by 2040. Countries should also end all new fossil fuel exploration and production, and shift fossil fuel subsidies into renewable energy. By 2030, solar and wind capacity should quadruple and renewable energy investments should triple to maintain a net zero trajectory by mid-century.
Climate impacts will undoubtedly worsen. There is a clear moral and economic imperative to protect the lives and livelihoods of those on the front lines of the climate crisis. Adaptation and resilience finance must cease being the neglected half of the climate equation. Only 21 per cent of climate support is directed towards adaptation. I again call on donors and the multilateral development banks to allocate at least 50 per cent of all public climate finance to protecting people, especially women and vulnerable groups. COVID-19 recovery spending must be aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement. And the decade-old promise to mobilize $100 billion annually to support mitigation and adaptation in developing countries must be met.
The climate crisis poses enormous financial risk to investment managers, asset owners, and businesses. These risks should be measured, disclosed and mitigated. I am asking corporate leaders to support a minimum international carbon price and align their portfolios with the Paris Agreement. The public and private sector must work together to ensure a just and rapid transformation to a net zero global economy.
If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as today’s report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses. I count on government leaders and all stakeholders to ensure COP26 is a success.
New York, 9 August 2021
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ILO
NEWS RELEASE
What if your pencil was a tool against forced labour?
50 countries have now ratified the Protocol on Forced Labour, demonstrating their determination to end forced labour in all its forms. They have committed to prevent forced labour, protect victims and ensure they have access to justice and remedies-Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO)
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In a bid to raise awareness on the negative effects of forced labour as well as concerted efforts required to eliminate the scourge, the ILO under its #50forFreedom campaign in collaboration with Human Resources without Borders (RHSF) and Cartooning for Peace, launched a cartoon drawing competition under the theme: What if your pencil was a tool against forced labour.
The competition, launched on 10th March 2021 aimed to raise awareness on forced labour through striking images and visual messages that need little or no words.
More than 200 cartoonists from 65 countries took on the challenge of representing the invisible and complex realities of forced labour, submitting over 460 cartoons. Using diverse graphic styles and techniques, cartoonists delivered powerful messages that challenge us and encourage reflection. The stirring images depicted by global cartoonists are also a reminder for the public, policy makers and legislators to take action and curb the incidence of forced labour in all its forms.
The cartoons were judged by a prestigious jury made up of experts from the Alliance 8.7, activists and former victims of exploitation, as well as representatives of the International Trade Union Confederation, the International Organisation of Employers, the ILO Global Business Network on Forced Labour, the US Department of Labor, the ILO and RHSF. Special awards were also attributed by Cartooning for Peace and the public.
Ms Hira Kazmi, a cartoonist from Pakistan participated in the global competition and highlighted the injustice of forced labour through her cartoon. Under the Honourable Mention, the competition's jury distinguished submissions, including Ms Kazmi's cartoon, for their compelling portraits of the complex and invisible issue that is forced labour.
ABOUT THE ILO-RHSF CARTOON COMPETITION ON FORCED LABOUR
There are still 25 million men, women and children in forced labour today. As a consequence of the COVID19 pandemic, vulnerable workers and populations are at a greater risk of being trapped in forced labour. We all have a role to play to prevent forced labour and put an end to it.
In 2021, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Human Resources Without Borders (RHSF), in partnership with Cartooning for Peace, co-organised a cartoon competition to raise awareness, inspire action and emphasize the urgent need to eradicate this severe violation of human rights.
Cartoons are powerful tools: they can make complex messages understandable without using words and encourage people to reflect on sensitive topics. They can make us REFUSE, UNDERSTAND and TAKE ACTION against forced labour.
More details can be found at https://50forfreedom.org/cartoon/
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
11 August 2021
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United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
Secretary-General’s Video Message
International Youth Day, 12 August 2021
Young people are on the frontlines of the struggle to build a better future for all.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the dire need for the kind of transformational change they seek – and young people must be full partners in that effort.
This year’s International Youth Day highlights solutions developed by young innovators to address challenges to our food systems. They are tackling inequities in food security, biodiversity loss, threats to our environment and much more.
We see that same drive, creativity, and commitment in many other areas – from gender equality to education and skills development.
But young people cannot do it on their own. They need allies to make sure they are engaged, included and understood.
Guided by the United Nations system-wide Youth Strategy, Youth2030, the UN is strengthening its work for and with young people worldwide.
I urge everyone to guarantee young people a seat at the table as we build a world based on inclusive, fair, and sustainable development for all.
Thank you.
Video download link:
Int’l clean with B-roll,
English sub-title with B-roll,
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UNICEF - WHO
PRESS RELEASE
COVAX delivers first tranche of 6 million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan
This latest shipment will bring the total of number of doses of COVID-19 vaccines delivered to Pakistan by the COVAX Facility to 14 million.
ISLAMABAD, 11 August 2021 – Today the first tranche of 6.1 million doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine (BBIBP-CorV) procured through COVAX, the global COVID-19 vaccine equity scheme, reached Pakistan.
Early this morning 976,782 doses of the vaccine landed in Islamabad; the remaining 5.1 million doses will arrive within the next four days. All will support the Government’s national vaccination drive, which recently hit the milestone of one million doses of vaccine administered in a day.
Nearly 8 million people have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, and 30 million have received one dose since the start of the vaccination campaign, which began one year after the first case of COVID-19 was reported in Pakistan. The Government has used doses of COVID-19 vaccines procured through COVAX and through bilateral purchases.
This is the first Sinopharm vaccine consignment to arrive in Pakistan through COVAX, bringing the total number of doses delivered by the Global Facility to the Government to more than 14 million over the past three months. This includes the 6.1 million doses Sinopharm, 5.5 million doses of Moderna donated by the United States under COVAX’ dose-sharing mechanism, 100,160 doses of Pfizer and 2.4 million doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
“WHO applauds the Government of Pakistan for its massive countrywide efforts to get people vaccinated. With this increased large supply, through COVAX Facility, we can boost the national COVID-19 response and keep everyone safe from the recent emergence of more transmissible variants. These vaccines supplied through the COVAX Facility will help in realizing our shared vision of vaccine equity. Accelerating vaccine equity is not only critical to saving lives but also to driving a faster and fairer recovery from the pandemic with benefits for all, said Dr Palitha Mahipala, WHO Representative in Pakistan. WHO has been and will continue working hard alongside the Government of Pakistan to attain the capacity and infrastructure needed to safely delivery the vaccines across the country.”
So far one million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Pakistan and at least 24,004 people have succumbed to the disease.
“UNICEF appreciates the concerted efforts by COVAX partners to accelerate the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan. These latest shipments of 6.1 million doses of vaccines will contribute to the NCOC’s plan to vaccinate at least 70 million people by the end of this year, having now reached the milestone of vaccinating more than one million people per day, said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “UNICEF will continue to support the Government in ensuring an efficient roll-out of the campaign so that no one is left behind. This includes closing the gender gap as currently barely more than one-third of people vaccinated are women. COVID-19 vaccines are safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women, and they do not disrupt fertility. Women are as much exposed to the virus as men, they need to be vaccinated to prevent COVID-19 and stay healthy.”
Strictly complying with COVID-19 public health and social measures remains as critical as ever to stop the spread of virus. These include regularly washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds or use a sanitizer; wear a mask; remain at least six feet away from other people; avoid crowded places; and stay home when having COVID-19 symptoms.
“The COVAX Facility and Gavi are proud to support this delivery of COVID vaccines and commend the Government of Pakistan for their continuing efforts to ensure that vulnerable populations in Pakistan are protected from COVID-19,” said Alexa Reynolds, Gavi Senior Country Manager for Pakistan.
The goal of COVAX is to help address the acute phase of the global pandemic by the end of 2021 by providing rapid, fair and equitable access to safe and effective vaccines for all participating countries and territories regardless of income level.
The COVAX Facility, co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, together with UNICEF, aims to provide access to quality-assured COVID-19 vaccines, enabling the protection of frontline health care and social workers, as well as other high-risk and vulnerable groups.
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For more information, please contact
UNICEF
Catherine Weibel, UNICEF Pakistan, cwe...@unicef.org, +92 300 500 2592
Abdul Sami Malik, UNICEF Pakistan, asm...@unicef.org, +92 300 855 6654
WHO
Maryam Yunus, WHO Pakistan, yun...@who.int, +92 300 8441744
Notes to editors
So far donors to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, European Union, Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Colombia, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Monaco, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Anonymous Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, KS Relief/Gamers Without Borders, Mastercard, Medline International, Nikkei Inc., Reed Hastings and Patty Quillin, Shell, Thistledown Foundation, TikTok, Transferwise, Soccer Aid.
The list of donor pledges to COVAX AMC is available here.
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پریس ریلیز
کویکس نے پاکستان کو سینوفارم کووڈ 19 ویکسین کی 60 لاکھ خوراکوں کی پہلی قسط فراہم کر دی
اس تازہ ترین کھیپ سے کووڈ -19 ویکسین کی خوراک کی تعداد 14 ملین تک پہنچ جائے گی۔
اسلام آباد، 11 اگست 2021 – آج سینوفرم کووڈ -19 ویکسین ( بی بی آئی بی پی -کور – وی ) کی عالمی کووڈ -19 ویکسین ایکویٹی اسکیم کویکس کے ذریعے خریدی گئی 6.1 ملین خوراکوں کی پہلی قسط پاکستان پہنچا دی گئی ۔
آج صبح سویرے اسلام آباد میں ویکسین کی 976,782 خوراکیں پاکستان پہنچا دی گئیں ؛ باقی 5.1 ملین خوراکیں اگلے چار دنوں کے اندر پہنچا دی جائیں گی۔ ویکسین کی تازہ ترین کھیپ اس وقت حکومت کی طرف سے جاری ویکسین لگانے کی قومی مہم کا سلسلہ جاری رکھنے میں مدد دے گی ۔ پاکستان میں جاری اس مہم نے حال ہی میں ایک دن میں ویکسین کی دس لاکھ لگانے کا اہم سنگ میل عبور کیا ہے۔
پاکستان میں کووڈ -19 کے پہلے کیس کی اطلاع ملنے کے ایک سال کے اندر شروع ہونے والی اس ویکسین مہم کے آغاز سے اب تک تقریبا 80 لاکھ افراد کو کووڈ -19 ویکسین کی دو خوراکیں اور 30 ملین افراد کو ایک جزوی خوراک دی جاچکی ہے ۔ حکومتِ پاکستان نے اس دوران کویکس کے ذریعے اور دو طرفہ خریداری کے عمل سے حاصل ہونے والی کووڈ -19 ویکسین کی خوراک کا استعمال کیا ہے ۔
پاکستان پہنچنے والی سینوفارم ویکسین کی یہ پہلی کھیپ ہے جو کویکس کے ذریعے پہنچی ہے اور اس سے گذشتہ تین ماہ کے دوران عالمی سہولت کی جانب سے حکومت کو فراہم کی جانے والی خوراکوں کی مجموعی تعداد ایک کروڑ 40 لاکھ سے تجاوز کرگئی ہے۔ اس میں سینوفارم کی 6.1 ملین ، کویکس کے ویکسین کی تقسیم کے طریقہ کار کے تحت امریکہ کی جانب سے عطیہ کی گئی ماڈرنا کی 5.5 ملین ، فائزر کی 100,160 اورکووڈ -19 ویکسین اسٹرازینکا کی 2.4 ملین خوراکیں بھی شامل ہیں۔
عالمی ادارہ صحت حکومت پاکستان کی جانب سے لوگوں کو اس وبا سے بچانے کے لئے ویکسین کے ٹیکے لگوانے کی وسیع پیمانے پر ملک گیر کوششوں کی بھرپور حمایت اور تہہ دل سے تعریف کرتا ہے۔ کویکس کی سہولت کےذریعے ویکسین کی اس مزید فراہمی کی مدد سے ہم قومی کووڈ -19 کے خلاف قومی مزاحمت اور رد، عمل کو فروغ دینے میں کامیاب ہونگے اور ہر فرد کو حالیہ دنوں میں ظاہر ہونے والی وائرس کی مزید اقسام سے بھی محفوظ رکھ پائیں گے ۔ کویکس سہولت کے توسط سے فراہم کردہ یہ خوراکیں ہمارے ویکسین کی مساوی اور منصفانہ تقسیم کے مشترکہ نصب لعین کے حصول میں مدد گار ثابت ہوں گی ۔ پاکستان میں ڈبلیو ایچ او کی نمائندہ ڈاکٹر پلیتھا مہیپالا نے مزید کہا کہویکسین کی مساوی اور منصفانہ تقسیم کے عمل کو تیز تر کرنا نہ صرف زندگیاں بچانے کے لئے اہم اقدام ہے بلکہ اس سے سب کو یکساں فوائد بھی حاصل ہوتے ہیں ۔ اس کے علاوہ اس اقدام کی مدد سے وبا کے بعد تیز رفتار اور منصفانہ بحالی کا مقصد بھی حاصل ہوسکتا ہے ۔ عالمی ادارۂ صحت ملک بھر میں ویکسین کی تیز اور محفوظ تر فراہمی کے لئے درکار صلاحیت اور بنیادی ڈھانچے کے حصول کے لئے حکومت پاکستان کی مدد کرتا رہا ہے اور آئندہ بھی کرتا رہے گا ۔ "
پاکستان میں کووڈ -19 کےاب تک کے دس لاکھ کیسز رپورٹ ہوئے ہیں اور کم از کم 24 ہزار 4 افراد اس بیماری کا شکار ہو چکے ہیں۔
پاکستان میں یونیسف کی نمائندہ ایدا گیرمانے کہا کہ یونیسف کویکس کے شراکت داروں کی جانب سے پاکستان کو کووڈ 19 ویکسین کی فراہمی کا عمل تیز کرنے کی مشترکہ کاوشوں کو سراہتا ہے۔ ویکسین کی 61 لاکھ خوراکوں کی یہ تازہ ترین کھیپ رواں سال کے آخر تک کم از کم 70 ملین افراد کو ویکسین دینے کے این سی او سی کے اس منصوبے کے مقاصد کے حصول میں معاون ثابت ہوگی جو اب روزانہ دس لاکھ سے زائد افراد کو ٹیکے لگانے کا سنگ میل عبور کرچکا ہے ۔
انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ یونیسف اس مہم کے موثر آغاز کو یقینی بنانے میں حکومت کی حمایت جاری رکھےگا تاکہ کوئی ایک بھی شخص ویکسین سے محروم نہ رہ جائے ۔ انہوں نے زور دیا کہ ہر شخص کو ویکسین کی فراہمی کے اس عمل میں صنفی تفریق کو ختم کرنا بھی شامل ہے کیونکہ ویکسن حاصل کرنے والوں میں خواتین کی تعداد بمشکل ایک تہائی ہے ۔ اس موقع پر بات کرتے ہوئے انہوں نے واضح کیا کہ کووڈ -19 ویکسین کی ہر قسم حاملہ اور دودھ پلانے والی خواتین کے لیے محفوظ ہے اور ویکسین سے زچگی کی صلاحیت بھی ہرگز متاثر نہیں ہوتی ۔ خواتین مردوں کی طرح اس وائرس کا شکار ہوتی ہیں، انہیں کووڈ -19 سے بچاؤ اور صحت مند رہنے کے لئے ویکسین فراہم کرنا ضروری ہے۔ "
وائرس کے پھیلاؤ کی روک تھام اور کووڈ -19 سے تحفظ کے لئے صحت عامہ کے اصولوں اور سماجی اقدامات پر سختی سے عمل درآمد ہمیشہ کی طرح آج بھی ضروری ہے۔ ان اقدامات میں کم از کم 20 سیکنڈ تک باقاعدگی سے صابن سے ہاتھ دھونا یا سینیٹائزر یعنی ہاتھوں کو جراثیم سے پاک کرنے کا محلول استعمال کرنا؛ ماسک پہننا؛ دوسرے لوگوں سے کم از کم چھ فٹ کا فاصلہ رکھنا ، پر ہجوم مقامات سے دور رہنا اور کووڈ – 19 کی علامات ظاہر ہونے پر گھر میں رہنا شامل ہیں ۔
پاکستان کے لئے گاوی کے سینئر کنٹری منیجر الیکسا رینالڈزنے کہا کہ کویکس سہولت اور گاوی کا پاکستان کو کووڈ ویکسین کی فراہمی کا عمل ہمارے خوشی اور افتخار کا باعث ہے اور وہ حکومت پاکستان کی جانب سے اس بات کو یقینی بنانے کی کوششوں پر بے حد تعریف کرتے ہیں کہ حکومت زیادہ خطرات کا شکار آبادیوں کو کووڈ -19 سے محفوظ بنانے کے لئے اپنا کام کامیابی سے جاری رکھے ہوئے ہے ۔
کویکس کی سہولت کا مقصد آمدنی کی سطح سے قطع نظر تمام شریک ممالک کو منظور شدہ ویکسین تک تیز رفتار، مساوی اور منصفانہ رسائی فراہم کرکے 2021 کے آخر تک عالمی وبا کے شدید مرحلے سے نمٹنے میں مدد کرنا ہے۔
کویکس (کوڈ-19 ویکسین گلوبل ایکسس) گاوی، اتحاد برائے وبائی صورتِ حال کے لئے تیاری اور جدت کی ذمہ دار (سی ای پی آئی) کی مشترکہ قیادت میں ڈبلیو ایچ او اور یونیسف کے ساتھ مل کر کام کررہا ہے اور اس کا مقصد اعلیٰ معیار کی ویکسین تک رسائی ممکن بنانا ، فرنٹ لائن ہیلتھ و سوشل ورکرز کے علاوہ زیادہ خطرات سے دوچار آبادیوں کا تحفظ کو یقینی بنانا ہے ۔
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مزید معلومات کے لیے براہ کرم رابطہ کریں
یونیسف
کیتھرین ویبل، یونیسف
پاکستان، cwe...@unicef.org، +92 300 500
2592
عبدالسمیع ملک،یونیسف پاکستان،
asm...@unicef.org،+92 300 855 6654
عالمی ادارۂ صحت
مریم یونس، ڈبلیو ایچ او پاکستان، yun...@who.int، +92 300 8441744
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
13 August 2021
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UNDP
PRESS RELEASE
UNDP Pakistan hosts Pakistan Inequality Debate series on its Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2020: The Three Ps of Inequality: Power, People, and Policy
Value of the privileges of Pakistan’s vested interests added up to PKR 2,660 billion in 2017-2018: UNDP Pakistan NHDR
Islamabad, 13th August 2021—UNDP Pakistan hosted the second webinar of its Pakistan Inequality Debate series today. These webinars are being held to discuss the findings of the Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) 2020: The Three Ps of Inequality: Power, People, and Policy which was launched by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan in April this year.
The webinar began with a plenary session, entitled “Policy as a Driver of Inequality: Centering People for Inclusive Policy”, addressing the Report’s emphasis on Policy. The session included Dr. Sania Nishtar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety as the Chief Guest; Mr. Knut Ostby, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan; and former Federal Minister and NHDR 2020 lead author Dr. Hafiz Pasha. The panelists for the session included Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Chairperson, Karandaaz and the Pakistan Stock Exchange; Dr. Abid Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI; and feminist researcher Dr. Saba Gul Khattak.
In her keynote address, Dr. Sania Nishtar spoke of the government’s commitment to building a ‘welfare state’ where rule of law, meritocracy and transparency is guaranteed to all citizens and a social safety net is provided to marginalized segments. “This year we will cover 1 million families under Ehsaas Kafaalat, breaking a record—this will be the highest number of families ever getting regular support from the government,” said Dr. Nishtar.
In his welcoming remarks, UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative, Mr. Knut Ostby, highlighted policy as a core strategy through which governments determine what kind of country they want to create for citizens. “Citizen power is an important part of public policy. By participating in the political process, citizens can play an important role in defining the future of the country,” said Mr. Ostby.
Dr. Hafiz Pasha, when presenting the report’s findings, spoke of policy in the context of areas that need redressal. “Pakistan has experienced high income and wealth inequality, with the richest groups co-opting the lion’s share of national income, bank advances, farm area, and property. The NHDR 2020 shows that the value of the privileges of Pakistan’s vested interests added up to PKR 2,660 billion in 2017-2018,” observed Dr. Hafiz Pasha.
Moderated by Mr. Mosharraf Zaidi, CEO and Senior Fellow at Tabadlab, the panel discussion explored the role of policy in creating inequality in the country. Speakers engaged in a wide-ranging discussion covering challenges to inclusive policymaking; how financial inclusion can lead to greater human development; and how the government has leveraged policy for inequality reduction in the wake of COVID-19.
UNDP’s Pakistan Inequality Debates continue to explore themes related to inequality at the national, provincial, and regional levels, with the goal to deconstruct Pakistan’s disparities and move the country towards an Equal Pakistan.
The NHDR 2020 on Inequality can be viewed here.
For additional information, please contact Ayesha Babar at ayesha...@undp.org or +92 (51) 835 5650
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
20 August 2021
_____________
United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
the Secretary-General
--
MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE OF
AND TRIBUTE TO THE VICTIMS OF TERRORISM
21 August 2021
Today, we remember and pay tribute to all victims and survivors of terrorism. We stand in solidarity with those whose loved ones have been killed, those who still suffer from physical and psychological harm, and those communities and societies that have been permanently scarred by terrorist acts.
We support survivors by listening to and amplifying their voices, upholding their rights and providing the support, justice and dignity to which they are entitled. This year’s observance focuses on the importance of connections, especially during the ongoing pandemic, which continues to restrict movements, limit peoples’ ability to see loved ones and, for victims and survivors, denies them the opportunity to come together to support each other.
Connection can be a powerful agent of healing, helping terrorism survivors around the world to feel heard, seen and less alone. Connections between survivors, victims’ associations, civil society and Member States are also crucial in helping better uphold the rights and support the needs of victims now and in the future. I look forward to seeing how we can further these efforts during the first ever United Nations Global Congress of Victims of Terrorism to be held later this year.
The United Nations is committed to a world free from terrorism. On this International Day of Remembrance of and Tribute to the Victims of Terrorism, and on all days, let us stand in solidarity with all victims and survivors so we may support them in healing their trauma and bring them hope.
***
United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
the Secretary-General
--
MESSAGE FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DAY COMMEMORATING
THE VICTIMS OF ACTS OF VIOLENCE BASED ON RELIGION OR BELIEF
22 August 2021
Today we honour and remember the victims of acts of violence based on religion or belief.
Across the world, we continue to witness a rise in hate speech, intolerance, and even physical violence and attacks on individuals, groups, and sites, purely because of their religious beliefs or significance.
This violence often goes hand-in-hand with the infringement of other fundamental rights, including the right to freedom of thought or conscience. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has fueled racism, stigma, and disinformation, often targeting ethnic and religious minorities, has further exacerbated this dangerous convergence.
Despite the risks, victims continue to speak out with great courage to defend their rights. I stand in full solidarity with them — and with the determined efforts of civil society actors, community and faith leaders, to mobilize against any act of violence or discrimination.
States have the primary responsibility to prohibit and deter discrimination and violence and to protect the human rights of religious minorities and ensure that perpetrators of these crimes are held accountable. At the same time, the international community must do more to support the victims of these heinous acts, as well as those who are working to address the root causes of intolerance and hate. I have made tackling this issue a priority, including through initiatives like the Call to Action for Human Rights, the UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech, and the UN Plan to Safeguard Religious Sites.
Freedom of religion or belief is a human right, enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, this right is being tested.
Let us commit to turning the tide on this appalling trend, to building more inclusive and peaceful societies, where diversity is celebrated as a richness that strengthens us all.
***
UNICEF
PRESS RELEASE
Children in four South Asian countries at ‘extremely high risk’ of the impacts of the climate crisis - UNICEF
According to a first-ever report of its kind, children in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are extremely vulnerable to climate change risks such as heatwaves and floods
KATHMANDU, 20 August 2021 – Young people living in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan are among those most at risk of the impacts of climate change, threatening their health, education, and protection, according to a new UNICEF report launched today. In addition Nepal and Sri Lanka are among the top 65 countries most impacted globally.
‘The Climate Crisis Is a Child Rights Crisis: Introducing the Children’s Climate Risk Index’ (CCRI) is UNICEF’s first child-focused climate risk index. It ranks countries based on children’s exposure to climate and environmental shocks, such as cyclones and heatwaves, as well as their vulnerability to those shocks, based on their access to essential services.
Pakistan, Bangladesh Afghanistan and India are among four South Asian countries where children are at extremely high risk of the impacts of the climate crisis, with a ranking of 14, 15, 15 and 26 respectively. While Nepal is ranked 51, Sri Lanka is at 61st place. Bhutan is ranked 111, with children at relatively lower risk. Approximately 1 billion children live in one of the 33 countries classified as “extremely high-risk”, including the four South Asian countries.
“For the first time, we have clear evidence of the impact of climate change on millions of children in South Asia. Droughts, floods, air pollution and river erosion across the region have left millions of children homeless and hungry, and without any healthcare and water,” said George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia. “Together, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic have created an alarming crisis for South Asian children. The time to act is now - if we invest in water, healthcare and education, we can protect their futures from the impacts of a changing climate and degrading environment.”
Children’s Climate Change Risk Index for South Asia, UNICEF 2021
|
Country Name |
Children’s Climate Risk Index (CCRI) Rank |
Climate and environmental shocks |
Child vulnerability to climate change shocks |
Emissions Per Capita (Mt) |
|
Pakistan |
14 |
8.7 |
6.4 |
0.98 |
|
Afghanistan |
15 |
7.3 |
7.9 |
0.20 |
|
Bangladesh |
15 |
9.1 |
5.1 |
0.51 |
|
India |
26 |
9.0 |
4.6 |
1.80 |
|
Nepal |
51 |
7.5 |
4.2 |
0.43 |
|
Sri Lanka |
61 |
7.0 |
3.3 |
1.00 |
|
Bhutan |
111 |
4.3 |
3.3 |
1.83 |
The report found that these South Asian children are in constant danger from riverine floods and air pollution, but also that investments in child health, nutrition, and education can make a significant difference to protect children from climate change.
South Asia is home to over 600 million children and has the highest number of young people globally. South Asian countries are among the most vulnerable globally to the impacts of climate change. Extreme climate-related events - heatwaves, storms, floods, fires and droughts - affect more than half of the region's population every year and continue to burden South Asian countries’ economies. Rising global temperatures and changing weather patterns have put the futures of millions of children living in climate-vulnerable areas in South Asia at constant risk. Worse, before they can recover from one disaster, another one strikes, reversing any progress made.
The report also reveals a disconnect between where greenhouse gas emissions are generated, and where children are enduring the most significant climate-driven impacts. The 33 extremely high-risk countries , including four from South Asia, collectively emit just 9 per cent of global CO2 emissions. Conversely, the 10 highest emitting countries collectively account for nearly 70 per cent of global emissions.
“The frightening environmental changes we are seeing across the planet are being driven by a few but experienced by many in South Asia,” added Laryea-Adjei. “We must urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions and work together as a community to build greater resilience in South Asia. Children and young people are at the heart of this change, with almost half of 1.8 billion people below the age of 24 in South Asia.”
Compared to adults, children require more food and water per unit of their body weight, are less able to survive extreme weather events, and are more susceptible to toxic chemicals, temperature changes and diseases, among other factors. Without the urgent action required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions globally, children will continue to suffer the most.
Young people across South Asia are championing the cause. In Bangladesh, exposures to cyclones, droughts, floods and river erosion moved Tahsin, 23, to action. Through the youth organization he established, Tahsin and 400 children and young people from across the country are cleaning up public spaces, selling the plastic they collect to recycling centres and planting trees. In Pakistan, 14-year-old Zymal started producing biodegradable bags in order to clean up her country from the plastic pollution. In India, a youth filmmaker Divy is traveling across the country and spreading awareness about global warming and Gavita developed a water budgeting app.
In light of these findings, UNICEF is urgently calling on governments, businesses and relevant actors to:
1. Increase investment in climate adaptation and resilience in key services for children.
2. Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Countries must cut their emissions by at least 45% (compared to 2010 levels) by 2030 to keep warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius.
3. Provide children with climate education and greens skills, critical for their adaptation to and preparation for the effects of climate change.
4. Include young people in all national, regional and international climate negotiations and decisions, including at COP26.
5. Ensure the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic is green, low-carbon and inclusive, so that the capacity of future generations to respond to the climate crisis is not compromised.
#####
Notes to Editors:
Read the report here. (Website will go live at 0546 Nepal Time (0001 GMT) 20 August 2021)
Download multimedia content here.
The CCRI was developed in collaboration with several partners including the Data for Children Collaborative. In order to make the report more accessible to global youth, UNICEF also collaborated with Climate Cardinals, an international youth led non-profit which translates climate change research and information so that they can reach as many young people and leaders as possible.
About Maldives: Maldives was not included in the report due to lack of global data. However, the Government of Maldives is committed to addressing the country’s vulnerability to climate change and its debilitating effects on children, women and other vulnerable communities.
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 UNICEF’s work for children in South Asia, visit www.unicef.org/rosa and follow UNICEF ROSA on Twitter and Facebook.
For more information about UNICEF South Asia’s regional climate change campaign - One Planet, One Love, One Youth - click here.
For more information, please contact:
Sabrina Sidhu, UNICEF South Asia, +197471537/ +919818717522, ssi...@unicef.org
Pravaran Mahat, UNICEF South Asia, +977-9802048256, pma...@unicef.org
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
23 August 2021
_____________
MoNHS,R&C and UNICEF
PRESS RELEASE
UNICEF Hands Over Life-Saving Oxygen Concentrators Worth USD 1.4 Million to the Government for Treating COVID-19 Patients
Islamabad – August 23, 2021: The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) handed over 1000 Oxygen Concentrators and related accessories worth USD 1.4 million to the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (MoNH,R&C), in Islamabad today.
The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan received the life-saving medical devices used for treating patients suffering from coronavirus infection, birth asphyxia and complicated pneumonia, from the UNICEF Representative in Pakistan, Ms. Aida Girma.
"The Delta variant has contributed to the current wave of Covid-19 in Pakistan and with a resultant inflow of hospitalized patients,” said APM Dr. Faisal Sultan. "UNICEF's timely contribution will supplement the Ministry's continuous efforts to augment the healthcare system and provide the best possible care to all patients. We value our partnership with UNICEF, which actively participates in various aspects of Pakistan's pandemic response."
The 1000 Oxygen
Concentrators which have been procured by UNICEF with funds provided by the
Government of Canada’s global contributions Accelerator Supplies Financing
Facility, will be distributed by the MoNH,R&C to 289 health facilities in
four provinces and the federal areas of Islamabad.
“UNICEF commends the Government of Pakistan’s enduring efforts to fight the recurrent waves of coronavirus in the country and is determined to continue its support to national response, including through the procurement and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines or life-saving medical equipment, such as Oxygen Concentrators,” said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.
“With the fourth wave of COVID-19 and the new Delta variant causing yet another spike of infections across the country, under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, we are campaigning hard for all men and women above 18 years of age, to get vaccinated while continuing to strictly adhere to precautionary measures, such as social distancing, wearing of facial mask, frequent hand-washing with soap to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.”
Including the latest consignment, UNICEF has so far provided a total of 3065 Oxygen Concentrators to the Government of Pakistan, during the last twelve months. Earlier, UNICEF had provided 525 Oxygen concentrators from its own funds, 220 from funds received from the Asian Development Bank and 1320 from the World Bank’s Pandemic Emergency Funding.
To date, UNICEF has delivered over 14 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Pakistan on behalf of the COVAX facility and another 11 million doses are in the pipeline expected to arrive by next month.
For further Information, please contact:
Sajid Shah, PRO Ministry of NHS,R&C, Email: sajids...@gmail.com, Phone: 0301 5103069
A. Sami Malik. UNICEF, Email: asm...@unicef.org, Phone: 0300 8556654
***
یونیسف نے کووڈ - 19مریضوں کے علاج کے لئے 1.4 ملین امریکی ڈالر مالیت کے زندگی بچانے والے آکسیجن کونسنٹریٹرز حکومت کے سپرد کر دیے۔
اسلام آباد – 23 اگست 2021ء : اقوام متحدہ کے بچوں کے فنڈ (یونیسف ) نے آج اسلام آباد میں 14 لاکھ امریکی ڈالرز کی مالیت کے1000 آکسیجن کونسنٹریٹرزاور دیگر متعلقہ لوازمات وزارت قومی صحت (ایم او این ایچ، آر سی) کے سپرد کر دیے۔
وزیر اعظم کے معاون خصوصی برائے صحت ڈاکٹر فیصل سلطان نے پاکستان میں یونیسف کی نمائندہ محترمہ عائدہ گیرما سے کورونا وائرس کے انفیکشن، پیدائش کے بعد دم گھٹنے سے واقع ہونے والی اموات اور پیچیدہ نمونیا میں مبتلا مریضوں کے علاج کے لئے استعمال ہونے والے زندگی بچانے والے طبی آلات وصول کیے۔
ڈاکٹر فیصل سلطان نے کہا کہ حالیہ دور میں وائرس ڈیلٹا کی صورت میں سامنے آیا ہے۔ اس کی وجہ سے پاکستان میں کووڈ-19 کی موجودہ لہر کی شدت اور اسپتال میں داخل ہونے والے مریضوں کی تعداد میں اضافہ ہوا ہے۔ "یونیسف کی بروقت مدد کی وجہ سے صحت کی دیکھ بھال کا نظام تمام مریضوں کو بہترین ممکنہ دیکھ بھال فراہم کرنے میں کامیاب ہوا ہے ۔ ہم یونیسف کے ساتھ اس شراکت کو بے حد اہمیت دیتے ہیں کیونکہ ادارہ وبا کے جوابی اقدامات کے لئے ہر طرح سے پاکستان کی بڑھ چڑھ کر مدد کرتا رہا ہے ۔
یونیسف کے حاصل کردہ 1000 آکسیجن کونسنٹریٹرز کی خریداری حکومت کینیڈا کی عالمی شراکت ایکسلریٹر کے لئے مالی معاونت دینے والی سہولت جانب سے دیے گئے کردہ فنڈز سے کی گئی تھی۔ یہ آلات وزارتِ صحت کی جانب سے چار صوبوں اور اسلام آباد کے وفاقی علاقوں میں صحت کی 289 سہولیات میں فراہم کئے جائیں گے۔
پاکستان میں یونیسف کی نمائندہ عائدہ گیرما نے کہا کہ یونیسف ملک میں کورونا وائرس کی مسلسل لہروں کے خلاف حکومت پاکستان کی مستقل کوششوں اور کارکردگی کو سراہتا ہے۔ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ وہ کووڈ - 19ویکسین یا آکسیجن کونسنٹریٹرزجیسی جان بچانے والی ادویات یا طبی آلات کی خریداری اور فراہمی سمیت دیگر قومی اقدمات کی حمایت کے لیے اپنی حمایت اور مدد جاری رکھنے کے لئے پُرعزم ہیں۔
انہوں نے زور دیا کہ کووڈ - 19کی چوتھی لہر اور ڈیلٹا کی نئی شکل منظرِ عام پر آنے سے ملک بھر میں بیماریوں کی شرح میں مزید اضافہ ہوا ہے۔ وزارت صحت کی قیادت میں ہم 18 سال سے زائد عمر کے تمام مردوں اور خواتین کے لئے تیز ترین اور فعال مہم چلا رہے ہیں۔ اس دوران لوگوں کو چاہیے کہ وہ حفاظتی تدابیر مثلا سماجی فاصلے پر سختی سے عمل کرتے ہوئے ویکسین لگوائیں۔ چہرے پر ماسک لگائیں اور کووڈ -19 کی وبا کا پھیلاؤ روکنے کے لئے بار بار صابن سے ہاتھ دھوئیں۔
تازہ ترین کھیپ سمیت یونیسف نے گذشتہ بارہ ماہ کے دوران اب تک حکومت پاکستان کو مجموعی طور پر 3065 آکسیجن کونسنٹریٹرزفراہم کیے ہیں۔ اس سے قبل یونیسف نے اپنے وسائل سے 525 ، ایشیائی ترقیاتی بینک سے حاصل ہونے والے فنڈز سے 220 اور عالمی بینک کی وبائی ایمرجنسی فنڈنگ سے 1320 آکسیجن کونسنٹریٹرز وزارتِ صحت کو فراہم کیے تھے۔
یونیسف نے پاکستان کو اب تک کویکس سہولت کی جانب سے کووڈ - 19ویکسین کی 14 ملین سے زائد خوراکیں فراہم کی ہیں اور مزید 11 ملین خوراکیں اگلے ماہ تک فراہم کردی جائیں گی۔
مزید معلومات کے لیے رابطہ کریں:
ساجد شاہ، آفیسر تعلقات عامہ، وزارت صحت۔
ای میل: sajids...@gmail.com،
فون: 0301 5103069
اے سمیع ملک. یونیسف ،
ای میل: asm...@unicef.org،
فون: 0300 8556654
UNIC Islamabad
26 August 2021
_____________
UNICEF - WHO
PRESS RELEASE
COVAX delivers first batch of 10 million doses
of US-donated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan
This first batch of 3 million doses is the first out of a total of 10 million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Government of the United States and delivered by the COVAX facility as part of its dose-sharing mechanism.
ISLAMABAD, 26 August 2021 – Today three million doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine donated by the Government of the United States were delivered by the COVAX Facility to Pakistan. This is the first tranche of 10,358,010 US-donated doses which are being supplied through the global COVID-19 equity scheme’s dose-sharing mechanism.
Over the past four months, COVAX has delivered more than 17 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Pakistan. This includes 3 million doses of Pfizer and 5.5 million doses of Moderna donated by the United States under COVAX’s dose-sharing mechanism; 6.1 million doses of Sinopharm, 2.4 million doses of AstraZeneca and 100,160 doses of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine procured by COVAX. More doses are expected to arrive in the coming weeks.
All doses support the Government of Pakistan’s national vaccination campaign. The National Command and Operation Center has just announced that children above the age of 17 would be eligible for vaccination from September 1st, as well as anyone above 12 who is immunocompromised.
“COVID -19 vaccines are effective and safe. The arrival of additional COVAX vaccine comes at a crucial time when Pakistan is facing a surge in COVID-19 infections with approximately reporting 4,000 cases per day. WHO appreciates the Government of the United States for their continued and generous support to Pakistan, said Dr Palitha Mahipala, WHO Representative in Pakistan. “WHO is committed to ensuring equitable vaccine allocation leaving no one behind and fully support the Government of Pakistan’s efforts to increase availability and safe administration of vaccines to cover 70 million people by end of this year. WHO urges people to maintain COVID protective measures while the national vaccination campaign continues to be rolled out and expanded.”
In the past seven months, 14 million people have been fully vaccinated, and 38 million have received a first dose of vaccine against the coronavirus COVID-19 in Pakistan. The Government-led campaign relies on vaccines procured via COVAX and through bilateral agreements.
More than one million cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country so far and more than 25,000 people have succumbed to the virus.
“UNICEF thanks the Government of United States for its generous donation of vaccines to Pakistan through the COVAX facility. We look forward to more vaccines becoming available in the country as other COVAX partners share their doses of vaccines and help secure full funding for the global initiative and more vaccines. Worldwide solidarity is the only way to ensure equitable vaccine access for every person on Earth, so they can have access to the same protection against COVID-19, no matter where they live,” said Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “UNICEF commends the Government of Pakistan for its efficient roll-out of the vaccination campaign, which will now include children above the age of 17 and children above 12 who are immunocompromised, as announced by the National Command and Operation Center. We must also ensure that women get vaccinated, including pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, for whom COVID-19 vaccines are safe. UNICEF will continue to offer technical, logistical and communication support to the NCOC’s plan to vaccinate at least 70 million people by the end of this year.”
Strictly complying with COVID-19 safety measures remains crucial to curb the spread of the virus. These include regularly washing hands with soap for at least 20 seconds or use a sanitizer; wear a mask; remain at least six feet away from other people; avoid crowded places; and stay home when having COVID-19 symptoms.
“The COVAX Facility and Gavi are proud to support this delivery of COVID vaccines and commend the Government of Pakistan for their continuing efforts to ensure that vulnerable populations in Pakistan are protected from COVID-19,” said Alexa Reynolds, Gavi Senior Country Manager for Pakistan.
The COVAX Facility aims to help address the acute phase of the global pandemic by the end of 2021 by providing rapid, fair, and equitable access to approved vaccines to all participating countries, regardless of income level. It enables the protection of frontline health care and social workers, as well as other high-risk and vulnerable groups.
COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) is co-led by Gavi, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and WHO, together with UNICEF. It is funded thanks to generous support from partner governments, foundations, and private sector corporations. So far it has delivered more than 90 million doses of different COVID-19 vaccines to 133 countries and territories around the world.
###
For more information, please contact
UNICEF
Catherine Weibel, UNICEF Pakistan, cwe...@unicef.org, +92 300 500 2592
Abdul Sami Malik, UNICEF Pakistan, asm...@unicef.org, +92 300 855 6654
کویکس نے امریکہ کی طرف سے عطیہ کردہ فائزر کووڈ-19 ویکسین کی 10 ملین خوراکوں کا پہلا بیچ پاکستان کو فراہم کردیا ۔
3 ملین خوراکوں کا یہ پہلا بیچ ہے جو امریکہ کی حکومت کی طرف سے عطیہ کردہ فائزر کووڈ-19 ویکسین کی کل10 ملین خوراکوں پر مشتمل ہے اور اسے کویکس سہولت نے اپنے ویکسین تقسیم کرنے کے طریقہ کار کے تحت فراہم کیاہے۔
اسلام آباد، 26 اگست 2021 – آج حکومت امریکہ کی جانب سے عطیہ کی گئی فائزر کووڈ-19 ویکسین کی تین ملین خوراکیں کویکس سہولت کے ذریعے نے پاکستان پہنچائی گئیں ۔ یہ 10,358,010 امریکی عطیہ کردہ خوراکوں کی پہلی کھیپ ہے جو کووڈ-19 کی ویکسین کی دنیا بھر میں تقسیم کے طریقہ کار کی مدد سے پاکستان کو فراہم کی گئی ہے ۔
گذشتہ چار ماہ کے دوران کویکس نے کووڈ-19 ویکسین کی 17 ملین سے زائد خوراکیں پاکستان پہنچائی ہیں۔ ان میں فائزر کی 3ملین خوراکیں اور کویکس کے دنیا بھر میں ویکسین تقسیم کرنے کے طریقہ کار کی مدد سے فراہم کردہ امریکہ کی عطیہ کردہ ماڈرنا کی 5.5 ملین خوراکیں؛سینوفارم کی6.1 ملین خوراکیں، اسٹرازینکا کی 2.4 ملین خوراکیں اور کویکس کے ذریعہ خریدی گئی فائزر کووڈ-19 ویکسین کی 100,160 خوراکیں بھی شامل ہیں۔اس بات کی توقع کی جارہی ہے کہ آئندہ ہفتوں میں مزید خوراکیں بھی پاکستان پہنچائی جائیں گی۔
یہ تمام خوراکیں حکومت پاکستان کی طرف سے جاری قومی سطح پر ویکسین لگانے کی مہم میں استعمال کی جائیں گی ۔ نیشنل کمانڈ اینڈ آپریشن سینٹر نے ابھی اعلان کیا ہے کہ 17سال سے زائد عمر کے بچے یکم ستمبر سے ویکسین لگوانے کے اہل ہوں گے اور 12 سال سے زیادہ عمر کے کسی بھی فرد کی قوتِ معدافت میں اضافے پر اب سمجھوتہ نہیں کیا جائے گا۔
پاکستان میں ڈبلیو ایچ او کی نمائندہ ڈاکٹر پلیتھا مہیپالا نے اس موقع پر گفتگو کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ کووڈ-19 ویکسین محفوظ اور موثر ہے۔ ویکسین کی اضافی مقدار ایک ایسے وقت میں فراہم کی گئی ہے جب پاکستان میں کووڈ-19 کے کیسوں میں اضافہ دیکھنے میں آرہا ہے اور روزانہ تقریباً 4000 کیس منظرِ عام پر آرہے ہیں۔ انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ عالمی ادارۂ صحت امریکی حکومت کو پاکستان کی مسلسل فیاضانہ مدد پر سراہتا ہے ۔ ادارہ یہ یقینی بنا رہا ہے کہ ہر ایک کو مساوات کے اصولوں کی روشنی میں ویکسین فراہم کی جائے تاکہ کوئی ویکسین سے محروم نہ رہ جائے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ ادارہ یہ بھی یقینی بنا رہا ہے کہ اس سال کے اختتام تک حکومتِ پاکستان کے اقدامات سے تعاون کرتے ہوئے 70 ملین افراد کو محفوظ انداز میں ویکسین دینے کا عمل مکمل ہوجائے۔ ’’جبکہ قومی ویکسینیشن مہم جاری ہے اور اس میں توسیع کی جارہی ہے، عالمی ادارہ صحت لوگوں پر زور دیتا ہے کہ وہ حفاظتی اقدامات پر سختی سے عمل کریں ‘‘۔
گذشتہ سات ماہ کے دوران ایک کروڑ 40 لاکھ افراد کو مکمل طور پر ویکسین لگائی جا چکی ہے اور 38ملین افراد نے ابھی پاکستان میں کورونا وائرس کووڈ-19 کے خلاف ویکسین کی پہلی خوراک لگوائی ہے۔ حکومت کی قیادت میں چلنے والی ملک گیر مہم کا انحصار کویکس اور دو طرفہ معاہدوں کے ذریعے حاصل ہونے والی ویکسین پرہے۔
ملک میں اب تک کووڈ-19 کے ملین سے زائدکیسز رپورٹ ہو چکے ہیں اور 25ہزار سے زائد افراد اس وائرس کی وجہ سے بیماری کا شکار ہو چکےہیں۔
یونیسف نےکویکس کی سہولت کے ذریعے پاکستان کو ویکسین کے فراخ دلانہ عطیات فراہم کرنے پر امریکی حکومت کا شکریہ ادا کیا ۔اس موقع پر بات کرتے ہوئے پاکستان میں یونیسف کی نمائندہ ایڈا گیرمانے کہا کہ ہم ملک میں مزید ویکسین دستیاب ہونے کے منتظر ہیں ۔ کویکس اور اس کے دیگر شراکت دار ویکسین کی خوراک تقسیم کرنے میں مصروف ہیں اور عالمی اقدام اور مزید و یکسین کی کے لئے مالی معاونت فراہم کرنے میں مدد کرتےہیں۔
انہوں نے مزید کہا کہ دنیا بھر میں یکجہتی کے جذبے کی مدد سے ہی زمین پر ہر شخص کے لئے مساوی ویکسین تک رسائی یقینی بنائی جاسکتی ہے تاکہ دنیا کے ہر خطے اور ہر ملک میں رہنے والے لوگ کووڈ-19 کے حملے سے یکساں طور پر محفوظ رہ سکیں ۔ نیشنل کمانڈاینڈ آپریشن سینٹر کے اعلان کے مطابق یونیسف نے حکومت پاکستان کی جانب سے جاری ویکسین لگانے کی مہم کو انتہائی موثر انداز میں چلانے پر پاکستان کی تعریف کی ہے ۔ اس مہم میں اب 17 اور 12 سال زائد عمر کے بچے بھی شامل ہوں گے جن کی قوت ِ مدافعت کی تعمیر پر اس وقت تک سمجھوتہ کیا جارہا تھا ۔ انہوں نے زور دیا کہ ہمیں یہ بھی یقینی بنانا ہوگا کہ خواتین کو بھی ویکسین فراہم کی جائے اور ان میں حاملہ اور دودھ پلانے والی ماؤں کو بھی شامل کیا جائے کیونکہ کووڈ-19 ویکسین ان خواتین کے لئے محفوظ ہے ۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ یونیسف رواں سال کےآخر تک کم از کم 70 ملین افراد کو ویکسین لگانے کے لئے این سی او سی کے منصوبے کوتکنیکی، لاجسٹک اور ابلاغِ عامہ کے شعبوں میں معاونت فراہم کرتا رہے گا۔
وائرس کے پھیلاؤ کو روکنے کے لئے کووڈ-19 حفاظتی اقدامات کی سختی سے تعمیل کرنا انتہائی ضروری ہے۔ ان اقدامات میں کم از کم 20 سیکنڈ تک باقاعدگی سے صابن سے ہاتھ دھونا یا سینیٹائزر کا استعمال کرنا؛ ماسک پہننا؛ دوسرے لوگوں سے کم از کم چھ فٹ کا فاصلہ رکھنا ؛ پر ہجوم مقامات پر جانے سے پرہیز کرنا اور کووڈ-19 علامات ظاہر ہونے کی صورت میں گھر پر رہنا شامل ہیں۔
پاکستان کے لئے گاوی کے سینئر کنٹری منیجر الیکسا رینالڈزنے کہا کہ کویکس کی سہولت اور گاوی کو کووڈ ویکسین کی فراہمی کے سلسلے میں مدد کرنے پر فخر محسوس ہورہا ہے اور وہ حکومت پاکستان کی جانب سے کمزور طبقات کو کووڈ 19 سے محفوظ رکھنے کو یقینی بنانے کی مسلسل کوششوں کو سراہتے ہیں۔
کویکس کا مقصد آمدنی کی سطح سے قطع نظر تمام شریک ممالک کی منظور شدہ ویکسین تک تیز رفتار، منصفانہ اور منصفانہ رسائی فراہم کرکے 2021 کے آخر تک عالمی وبا کی شدت کے حامل مراحل سے نمٹنے میں مدد کرنا ہے۔ ویکسین تقسیم کرنے کا یہ عمل فرنٹ لائن ہیلتھ کیئر اور سماجی کارکنوں کے ساتھ ساتھ زیادہ خطرات سے دوچار اور کمزور افراد کے گروہوں کا عالمی وبا سے تحفظ یقینی بنا رہا ہے ۔
کویکس (کووڈ-19 ویکسین گلوبل ایکسس) کی مشترکہ قیادت گاوی، اتحاد برائے وبائی تیاری و اختراعات (سی ای پی آئی) اور ڈبلیو ایچ او، یونیسف کے ساتھ مل کررہےہیں۔ اس اقدام کی مالی معاونت شراکت دار حکومتیں ، فاؤنڈیشنز اور نجی شعبے کی کارپوریشنز کی فیاضانہ مالی امداد سے کی جاتی ہے۔ اس اقدام کی مدد سے اب تک اس نے دنیا بھر کے 133 ممالک اور علاقوں کو مختلف کووڈ-19 ویکسین کی 90 ملین سے زائد خوراکیں فراہم کی جا چکی ہیں۔
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مزید معلومات کے لیے براہ کرم رابطہ کریں
یونیسف
کیتھرین ویبل، یونیسف پاکستان، cwe...@unicef.org، +92 300 500 2592
عبدالسمیع ملک،یونیسف پاکستان، asm...@unicef.org،+92 300 855 6654
عالمی ادارۂ صحت
مریم یونس، ڈبلیو ایچ او پاکستان، yun...@who.int، +92 300 8441744
UNIC Islamabad
27 August 2021
_____________
ITC
PRESS RELEASE
Ministry of Commerce endorses trade project to uplift SMEs
Islamabad: 26th August: Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress, a project funded by the European Union and implemented by the International Trade Centre held its first National Project Steering Committee meeting in Islamabad on August 25, 2021, chaired by Federal Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Mr. Sualeh Ahmed Farooqi. Representatives from the Ministry of Planning and Development, Ministry of National Food Security and Research, and Ministry of Science and Technology validated the project's inception phase, and pledged support for ongoing interventions.
Representative of the European Union and head of development cooperation Mr. Ovidiu Mic, representatives from International Trade Centre, chairs from the GRASP Sindh and Balochistan Project Steering Committees, and private sector representatives from horticulture and livestock sector also attended the meeting.
The committee members appreciated GRASP efforts focused on developing the small and medium enterprises into drivers of sustainable economic development, while keeping in mind the priorities of the government of Pakistan. The Secretary stated that ‘’GRASP is a critical intervention as it is addressing key areas of rural poverty by targeting small businesses, nurturing them, and enabling them to grow in a holistic manner’’.
Project Coordinator Mr. Azher Ali Choudhry while giving an overview of the scope of work to the committee members emphasized that Pakistan is one of the top ten countries most affected by climate change, and GRASP is working to address trade policies and business environment for SMEs in a global market while promoting climate smart interventions.
GRASP has helped communities affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by providing technical assistance, capacity building, and trainings of policy implementing agencies along with direct inputs such as the vaccination of over 60,000 livestock animals. Implemented in 23 districts of Sindh and Balochistan, the project is ensuring that women are a part of its climate conscious interventions. GRASP is also supporting the provincial and federal government in improving policies and laws regarding SMEs.
***
UNICEF ED - SRSG
JOINT STATEMENT
Joint statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore and Special Representative of the Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict Virginia Gamba on the 25th anniversary of Graça Machel’s seminal report on the impact of war on children
UN has verified and reported 266,000 cases of grave rights violations against children in conflict zones since 2005
Download fact sheet on the impact of conflict on children here
NEW YORK, 27 August 2021 – “Twenty-five years ago, Graça Machel
released her report to the United Nations, ‘The impact of war on children’,
which urged the international community to take concrete action to protect
children from the scourge of war and called on the United Nations and the
global community to act to protect children.
“The international community heeded the call and took action based on Machel’s recommendations, with the General Assembly establishing the Office of the SRSG on children and armed conflict, and the Security Council establishing a coordinated UN monitoring and reporting mechanism to continue to track the impact of war on children.
“Since then, The United Nations (UN) has verified 266,000 cases of grave
violations against children in more than 30 conflict situations across Africa,
Asia, the Middle East and Latin America over the past 16 years. This includes more than 104,100 children killed and maimed, 93,000
children recruited and used in fighting and support roles, 25,700 children
abducted, and another 14,200 child victims of sexual violence.
“In 2020, the UN verified a total of 26,425 violations against children in
conflict situations. This corresponds to 72 violations occurring every single
day or three violations every hour. It also marked the seventh year in a row
with at least 20,000 verified violations.
“These are only the cases that can be verified through the UN-led Monitoring
and Reporting Mechanism, established in 2005 to systematically document the
most egregious violations against children in conflict zones. The true figures
are undoubtedly much higher.
“But these are not mere statistics. Rather, they represent young lives that
have been lost or otherwise devastated by horrifying trauma and suffering.
Indeed, many children suffer from more than one grave violation. In 2020, the UN verified that about 10 per cent of the
nearly 20,000 affected children were victims of two or more grave violations.
“Despite these continuing impacts on children, significant progress has been made since the report was released, to protect children from conflict. This includes the implementation of global measures and strategies to help keep children safe. Notable examples are the Paris Principles which aim to prevent the recruitment and use of children in armed forces and groups and the Safe School Declaration to strengthen the protection of education from attack and restrict use of schools and universities for military purposes.
“In addition, the UN continues to work directly with families and
communities to reduce children’s vulnerabilities and provide them with the
support they need to recover from war. Over the years, the UN and its partners
have worked relentlessly to secure the release of thousands of children
associated with armed forces and armed groups, including 12,643 children in
2020, and provide them with appropriate care and reintegration services.
“Across conflict situations, the Office of the Special Representative of the
Secretary General on Children and Armed Conflict (SRSG CAAC) supports the
engagement of the UN with all parties to conflict to enter into written
timebound commitments to end and prevent violations. UNICEF, through its
programmatic presence, together with the co-chairs of the country task forces
on monitoring and reporting and UN child protection monitors and experts,
assists in identifying entry points for engagement with commanders from armed
forces and groups to negotiate concrete measures to protect children. Since
2005, 35 Action Plans and an increasing number of unilateral commitments have
been signed by parties to conflict in 17 conflict situations, and have put in
place measures to:
· Protect children from the impact of war
· Prevent grave violations from occurring
· Release children associated with armed forces and armed groups and reintegrate them in their communities,
· Protect children from sexual violence,
· Protect schools and hospitals and
· Hold perpetrators accountable.
“Nevertheless, grave rights violations continue, pointing to a
widespread and appalling disregard for the rights and wellbeing of children by
parties to conflict. At this time, just 18 of the 61 parties to conflict
listed in the annexes of the 2021 Secretary-General’s annual report on
children and armed conflict have a joint Action Plan or similar commitments
with the UN to prevent grave rights violations against children. This is
unacceptable. All parties listed should agree and adhere to an Action Plan to
protect children and to put in place measures to prevent violations against
children from occurring in the first place.
“As Graça Machel said 25 years ago, ‘The impact of conflict on children is
everyone’s responsibility, and it must be everyone’s concern’. Parties to
conflict and those with influence over them, as well as the international
community, should heed this call to action and redouble efforts to end grave
violations of children’s rights. All children have the right to be protected
from harm and to live in peace.”
###
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 further information, please contact:
Christopher Tidey, UNICEF New York, +1 917 340 3017, cti...@unicef.org
***
UN Habitat
PRESS RELEASE
UN Habitat in collaboration with the Ministry of Climate Change (MOCC), Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, Directorate of and Urban Planning and Development, Planning and Development Department Government of Sindh, held a virtual workshop, “Workshop for Slum Up-gradation, and GHG Emission Reduction Project”. This workshop presented the survey findings of Katchi Abadis for brainstorm on introduction of green technologies for low emission development in urban area, especially Kachi Abadi in Karachi. The workshop was attended by prominent stakeholders from local government, experts in the field of human settlement and green technology notably Ms. Yaseem Lari, Mr. Arif Hassan, and Mr. Aminddin Abro with various think tanks.
The workshop commenced with the opening remarks from UN-Habitat, working for mainstreaming climate change into urban planning and development with community-based approach.
The Director Urban Affaris, MOCC Pakistan in his remarks appreciated all the participants and thanked UN Habitat for gathering all under one roof. Thus, this research project could be an excellent opportunity for Kachi Abadi in Karachi to show case the potential of slum upgrading with green technology.
The Chief of Housing settlement, Planning and Development Government of Sindh in his remarks on behalf of Chairman P&D thanked UN Habitat and participates for organizing this workshop and noted that this is a manifestation of collaboration and singular mindset to work for the betterment of Karachi. He assured full support from the Planning and Development Department Government of Sindh.
Mr. Lee, Seung Hyun, the Executive Vice President of the Safety and Engineering Group, EWP in his keynote remarks appreciated UN Habitat and all stakeholders for their interest, commitment and active participation shown in this workshop. He said we must increase resilience against rapid urbanization and effects of climate change by building adaptive capacity, but the most imperative part is to introduce the green zero emission technology and raising awareness campaigns for behavioral change.
The workshop solicited opinoion from the participants and the experts on the following two major questions: 1) How to uplift the living condition in Katchi Abadis and 2) Which communities do find most suitable for project implementation.
Arch Yasmeen Lari introduced the low carbon technology based on the bamboo structure and climate friendly intervention, and provided meaningful comments on the project.
Mr. Arif Hassan pointed out low carbon technology and climate smart techniques become more important, for example climate smart paints for roof, wind turbine, solar water pump and solar power for housing.
At the end of the workshop, 6 more settlements were finally discussed and UN-Habitat Pakistan project team will have further investigation for situation analysis and needs assessment.
Programme Manager UN Habitat Pakistan thanked the participants and the experts for their active participantation and pointed out that this workshop is not only provided an excellent opportunity to for working jointly exploration of GHG emission reduction and sustainable urban development opportunities.
Secretary Sindh Climate Change and Coastal Development in his closing remarks thanke UN Habitat. With this note the workshop was declared closed “we all need to join hands and work together for the betterment of this city that have provided us so much”.
UNIC Islamabad
1 September 2021
_______________
UNODC
MEDIA ADVISORY
Sindh Police revamped its Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit (ATFU)
At Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit Center Karachi tomorrow, Thursday 2 September 2021 at 10:45 hrs.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with support from the European Union, and in collaboration the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) will hand over varied essential equipment for the revamping of an Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit (ATFU) within the Counter Terrorism Department of Sindh Police during ceremony which will be held in Karachi in presence of members from the international community.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Counter Terrorism Department Sindh Police Mr. Omer Shahid, Representative UNODC, representative from EU Delegation, Officials from Home Department, Sindh Police and representatives of various Consulate Generals based in Karachi will attend the ceremony.
We cordially invite you for the media coverage of the revamping of Sindh Police Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit (ATFU) at AFTU Center, at Shaheed Chaudary Aslam Complex, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Near Garden Police Headquarters Karachi, Thursday 2 September 2021 at 10:45 hrs.
For further information, please contact:-
Ms. Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC Pakistan, cell: 0301 8564255, email: rizwan...@un.org
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
2 September 2021
_______________
United Nations
SECRETARY-GENERAL STATEMENT ON AFGHANISTAN
On the day Afghanistan enters a new phase I want to express my grave concern at the deepening humanitarian and economic crisis in the country and the threat of basic services collapsing completely.
Today, almost half of the population of Afghanistan – 18 million people – need humanitarian assistance to survive. One in three Afghans do not know where their next meal will come from. More than half of all children under-five are expected to become acutely malnourished in the next year. People are losing access to basic goods and services every day. A humanitarian catastrophe looms.
Now more than ever, Afghan children, women and men need the support and solidarity of the international community. The humanitarian system’s commitment to stay and deliver will not waver. Already this year, we have delivered aid to eight million people. In the last fortnight we delivered food to 80,000 people and relief packages to thousands of displaced families.
Yesterday we airlifted 12.5 metric tons of medical supplies into the country.
Amid a severe drought and with harsh winter conditions on the horizon, extra food, shelter and health supplies must be urgently fast-tracked into the country. I call on all parties to facilitate safe and unimpeded humanitarian access for life-saving and life-sustaining supplies, as well as for all humanitarian workers – men and women.
Next week, we will release details of the most immediate humanitarian needs and funding requirements over the next four months in a Flash Appeal for Afghanistan. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths is coordinating the entire UN system in the preparation of the appeal.
I urge all Member States to dig deep for the people of Afghanistan in their darkest hour of need. I urge them to provide timely, flexible and comprehensive funding. I urge them to help ensure humanitarian workers have the funding, access, and legal safeguards they need to stay and deliver.
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افغانستان کی صورتحال پر سیکرٹری جنرل اقوامِ متحدہ کا بیان
افغانستان اپنی تاریخ کے ایک نئے دور میں داخل ہو رہا ہے اور اس وقت میرے نزدیک یہ بات گہری تشویش کا باعث ہے کہ ملک میں انسانی و فلاحی اور اقتصادی بحران دن بہ دن شدت پکڑ رہا ہے اور بنیادی سہولیات و خدمات کے نظام مکمل تباہی کے خطرے سے دوچار ہیں۔
آج افغانستان کی تقریباً نصف آبادی یعنی ایک کروڑ اسی لاکھ افراد کو زندہ رہنے کے لئے انسانی فلاحی امداد کی ضرورت ہے۔ ہر تیسرا افغان شہری اس بات سے بے خبر ہے کہ اگلے وقت کا کھانا کہاں سے ملے گا۔ خدشہ ہے کہ پانچ سال سے کم عمر کے نصف سے زائد بچے آئندہ سال میں شدید غذائی کمی کا شکار ہو جائیں گے۔ روزمرہ استعمال کی بنیادی اشیاء، خدمات اور سہولیات لوگوں کی پہنچ سے باہر ہو رہی ہیں۔ ایک بڑا انسانی بحران ہمارے سروں پر منڈلا رہا ہے۔
افغان بچوں، خواتین اور مردوں کو عالمی برادری کی مدد، حمایت اور اظہار یکجہتی کی ضرورت آج پہلے سے کہیں زیادہ ہے۔ فلاحی اداروں کا پورا نظام اپنی جگہ ثابت قدم ہے اور اس کے عزم میں ہرگز کمی نہیں آئے گی۔ صرف رواں سال کے دوران اسی لاکھ افراد کو امداد فراہم کی جا چکی ہے۔ گزشتہ پندرہ روز میں اسی ہزار افراد کو کھانے پینے کی اشیاء اور نقل مکانی کرنے والے ہزاروں خاندانوں کو ریلیف پیکج دئیے گئے۔ گزشتہ روز 12.5 ٹن طبی سامان اور ادویات افغانستان پہنچائی گئیں۔
شدید خشک سالی اور سخت سردی کا موسم آنے کو ہے اور ان حالات میں اضافی خوراک، رہائشی سہولیات اور حفظانِ صحت کا سامان فی الفور افغانستان پہنچانے کی سرگرمیوں میں تیزی لانا ناگزیر ہے۔ میری تمام فریقوں سے اپیل ہے کہ وہ فلاحی سرگرمیوں کے تحت زندگی بچانے والی اور زندگی کو رواں رکھنے والی اشیاء کے ساتھ ساتھ تمام فلاحی کارکنوں کو بھی محفوظ اور بلاروک ٹوک پہنچانے میں مدد دیں۔
افغانستان پر فوری اپیل کے تحت ہم آئندہ ہفتے ان ناگزیر امدادی اور مالی ضروریات کی تفصیلات جاری کریں گے جن کی ضرورت آئندہ چند ماہ کے دوران پڑے گی۔ انسانی فلاحی امور کے انڈر سیکرٹری جنرل اور ایمرجنسی ریلیف کوآرڈینیٹر مارٹن گرفتھس اس اپیل کی تیاری کے سلسلے میں اقوام متحدہ کے تمام اداروں کی سرگرمیوں باہمی رابطے کے فرائض انجام دے رہے ہیں۔
میری تمام رکن ریاستوں سے اپیل ہے کہ وہ انتہائی ضرورت کی اس تاریک گھڑی میں افغانستان کے عوام کا بھرپور ساتھ دیں۔ میری ان سب سے اپیل ہے کہ مالی تعاون بروقت، لچکدار اور جامع انداز میں فراہم کریں۔ میں ان سے اپیل کرتا ہوں کہ وہ فلاحی کارکنوں کو افغانستان میں رہنے اور اپنا کام بطریق احسن انجام دینے کے لئے درکار مالی وسائل، رسائی اور قانونی حفاظتی اقدامات یقینی بنانے میں مدد دیں۔
***
UNIDO
PRESS RELEASE
Pakistan Private Sector Energy Project
E-mobility Forum - “A Business Opportunity in Motion”
On 26th August, USAID, UNIDO and Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) hosted a webinar on e-mobility and the potential of electric vehicles to mitigate carbon emissions in Pakistan. The multi-stakeholder online event shed light on the business potential in the electric transition of the country.
The forum was held to discuss electric vehicles and e-infrastructure building as key priority areas within the PFAN Pakistan Private Sector Energy Project (PPSE) project, which aims to expand the portfolio of commercially-viable clean energy projects in Pakistan and provide support to enable them to access financing and reach financial close.
Launched officially in February 2021, PPSE is funded by USAID and implemented by UNIDO and PFAN, the project targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan working on the country’s energy transition to mitigate carbon emissions and bolster climate innovation and resilience.
The forum commenced with opening comments from Peter Storey, Acting Chief of Party for PPSE and PFAN Global Coordinator, who commented on how the PFAN methodology has been especially contextualized towards the needs and potential of the Pakistani clean energy landscape for the PPSE
“In an intensive market scoping study conducted at the beginning of PPSE project, the e-mobility sector was identified as showing significant potential for deal flow and investment,” said Storey.
Rabia Bukhari, Program Management Specialist, Energy, USAID, commented on Pakistan’s climate vulnerability and which initiatives USAID is undertaking to help the country’s climate mitigation and resilience.
Pakistan has consistently ranked among the top 10 countries most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
“Having an affordable EV charging infrastructure is equally important and in this regard USAID is partnering with the US Department of Energy to advise NEPRA, the regulatory authority for EVs. We are in discussion to review electrical standards and monitoring structure to ensure charging efficiency,” said Bukhari.
Following was a presentation from Deputy Chief of Party, PFAN PPSE, Ghazil Jabbar, on PPSE’s value proposition to entrepreneurs.
Jabbar shared that PFAN has supported nearly 1,000 projects with more than 300 projects in the current pipeline, raising USD 2 billion in total investment leveraged by PFAN-supported projects.
Nagaraja Rao, Head of Investment Facilitation, PFAN speaking to the prospective and budding EV market, Rao shared that a record $12.8B in funding was raised over 193 deals in 2020 from electric vehicles alone.
A panel discussion proceeded and brought together various key players from the private, public and academic sector. The panel comprised of Ali Khar, CEO Ona Mobility; Naveed Arshad; Founder Neubolt/ Associate Professor, LUMS; Asim Ayaz, GM Policy, Engineering Development Board and Muhammad Iftikhar Javed, Head Auto Business,Bank Alfalah
Ayaz shared that entrepreneurs in the EV sector are always welcome to connect with EDB and visit their office for more information and guidance.
Khar stressed the importance of the role reducing the electricity tariff to drive EV production and consumer adoption forward. He called the latest EV policy a “launching pad” for innovation and scaling up.
Dr. Arshad noted that Pakistan is theoretically one of the countries in the world that is ripe for the electric vehicle transition due to its vast electricity reserves, however he stressed the electricity infrastructure needs to be strengthened.
“One thing about the EV value chain that needs to be solved in the country is the battery, whoever can crack this puzzle, will see a lot of success and make the value chain stronger,” added Dr. Arshad.
Speaking to the finance opportunities and challenges, Javed shared that there are some risks with secondary re-sale of EVs but banks such as Alfalah are working to de-risk buying and selling of EVs.
During the online event, several polls were launched and were answered by almost 100 participants. 57% attendees felt lack of access to financing was seen as the biggest challenge to mainstream e-mobility in Pakistan. Whereas, 41% thought that access to investment by private institutions will drive Pakistan’s EV sector forward.
Learn more: http://pfan.net/pakistan-private-sector-energy-project/
Follow us: https://twitter.com/PFAN_PPSE
https://www.linkedin.com/company/pakistan-private-sector-energy
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UNODC
MEDIA ADVISORY
Launch of Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) for the Prosecution Department of Sindh
At Avari Towers Karachi tomorrow Friday 3 September 2021 at 10:45 hrs.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Prosecution Department of Sindh will launch a software-based Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) in Karachi
The CMMS which has been developed under the framework of Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) and is designed to automate the Prosecution Department’s administrative processes such as case assignment and tracking, streamlining the departments workflows, and create administrative efficiency in case management and adjudication. In particular the CMMS will help the assignment of complex cases to multiple experienced counsels, tracking of court proceedings as well as monitoring of the quality of prosecutions across Sindh province
We cordially invite you for the media coverage of Launch of Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) for the Prosecution Department of Sindh at Avari Towers Karachi Friday 3 September 2021 at 10:45 hrs.
For further information, please contact:-
Ms. Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC Pakistan, cell: 0301 8564255, email: rizwan...@un.org
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UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
Sindh Police Revamped an Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit (ATFU)
2 September 2021: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) with support from the European Union, and in collaboration the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) handed over varied essential equipment to revamp an Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit (ATFU) within the Counter Terrorism Department of Sindh Police during a ceremony held in Karachi in presence of members from the international community.
In addition to the equipment, which was delivered under the framework of Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) project. Since last year UNODC and NACTA together have organised 10 specialized workshops on countering the financing of terrorism to enhance the knowledge and skills of investigators and prosecutors in Sindh and approximately 300 officials have been trained so far under the PACT project.
While inaugurating the newly established Unit, UNODC Country Representative Dr. Jeremy Milsom emphasised on UNODC’s commitment to provide specialised training followed by making operational equipment available to investigators to support their day-to-day work.
“The Government of Sindh is a frontrunner in establishing a provincial Anti-Terrorism Financing Unit in Pakistan which includes dedicated prosecutors to readily provide legal advice to investigators. The UNODC is pleased to be part of this ground-breaking initiative under PACT project and in addition to delivery equipment we are promoting conducive work environment and specialised training to the ATFU personnel to holistically enhance its counter-terrorism financing efforts.” stated Dr. Milsom.
On behalf of the European Union Mr. François Zablot, participated and acknowledged the “efforts made by Sindh Police for addressing the challenges related to terrorism financing in the province, a greater integrated approach amongst all stakeholder on information sharing was required and with the establishment of ATFU it’s a step forward in the right direction.”
The Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Counter Terrorism Department Sindh Police Mr. Omer Shahid appreciated UNODC and the European Union’s effort and extended his gratitude on behalf of the Inspector General for their generous contribution in supporting in making the ATFU functional. He stated that “the PACT initiative has and continues to bridge critical gaps to strengthen capacity of front-line investigators by enhancing their counter-terrorism capabilities. We are pleased to see that the initiative has adapted to our provincial needs and strategies and complements our efforts towards reaching our common goals.”
The inauguration was attended by officials of Home Department, Sindh Police along with representative of various Consulate Generals based in Karachi.
For further information or media enquiries please contact:
Ms Rizwana Rahool, Communication Officer; Mobile: +923018564255; Fax: + 92-51-2601469; Email: rizwan...@un.org
سندھ پولیس کے انٹی ٹیررازم فنانسنگ یونٹ (اے ٹی ایف یو) کو مضبوط بنانے کے اقدامات
2 ستمبر 2021: اقوام متحدہ کے دفتر برائے انسدادِ منشیات و جرائم (یو این او ڈی سی) نے یورپی یونین کے تعاون اور نیشنل کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم اتھارٹی (نیکٹا) کے اشتراک سے سندھ پولیس کے انٹی ٹیررازم فنانسنگ یونٹ (اے ٹی ایف یو) کو نئے سرے سے مضبوط بنانے کے لئے مختلف ضروری آلات اور سامان فراہم کر دیا ہے۔ اس سلسلے میں ایک تقریب کراچی میں منعقد ہوئی جس میں بین الاقوامی برادری کے معزز ارکان نے شرکت کی۔
"پاکستان ایکشن ٹو کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم" (پیکٹ) پرجیکٹ کے فریم ورک کے تحت فراہم کئے گئے ان آلات اور سامان کے علاوہ یو این او ڈی سی اور نیکٹا کی جانب سے گزشتہ ایک سال کے عرصے میں دہشت گردی کی مالی معاونت کے خاتمہ پر 10 سپیشلائزڈ ورکشاپس کا اہتمام بھی کیا جا چکا ہے جن کے ذریعے سندھ میں تفتیشی افسران اورپراسیکیوٹرز کے علم اور مہارتوں کو بہتر بنایا گیا۔ پیکٹ پراجیکٹ کے تحت تقریباً 300 افسران کو دہشت گردی کی مالی معاونت سے متعلق خطرات اور تفتیش کے طریقوں پر تربیت دی جا چکی ہے۔
نئے یونٹ کا افتتاح کرتے ہوئے یو این او ڈی سی کے کنٹری ریپریزنٹیٹو ڈاکٹر جیریمی ملسم نے اس بات پر زور دیا کہ یو این او ڈی سی نے تفتیشی افسران کو روزمرہ سرگرمیوں میں مدد دینے کے لئے سپیشلائزڈ تربیت اور عملی سرگرمیوں میں کام آنے والے آلات اور سامان فراہم کرنے کا تہیہ کر رکھا ہے۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ حکومت سندھ نے پاکستان میں صوبائی سطح پر انٹی ٹیررازم یونٹ کے قیام میں پہل کی ہے جس میں تفتیشی افسران کو قانونی مشاورت فراہم کرنے والے پراسیکیوٹرز بھی شامل ہیں۔ ڈاکٹر جیریمی ملسم نے اس بات پر خوشی کا اظہار کیا کہ یو این او ڈی سی، پیکٹ پراجیکٹ کے تحت عمل میں لائی جانے والی اس کاوش میں شریک ہے اور ضروری آلات و سامان کی فراہمی کے ذریعے نہ صرف سازگار ماحول پیدا کرنے پر کام کر رہا ہے بلکہ اے ٹی ایف یو، کے عملے کو سپیشلائزڈ تربیت بھی فراہم کر رہا ہے جس سے دہشت گردی کی مالی معاونت کے خاتمہ کی کوششوں کو بہتر بنانے میں مدد ملی ہے۔
تقریب میں یورپی یونین کی نمائندگی جناب فرانسوا زابلوٹ نے کی۔ اس موقع پر اظہار خیال کرتے ہوئے انہوں نے صوبہ سندھ میں دہشت گردی کی مالی معاونت سے متعلق چیلنجوں پر قابو پانے کے لئے سندھ پولیس کی کوششوں کو سراہا اور کہا کہ معلومات کے باہمی تبادلے کے لئے تمام متعلقہ فریقوں کے درمیان زیادہ باہم مربوط لائحہ عمل کی ضرورت ہے اور اے ٹی ایف یو کا قیام اس سلسلے میں درست سمت میں ایک قدم ہے۔
محکمہ انسداد دہشت گردی سندھ پولیس کے ڈپٹی انسپکٹر جنرل (ڈی آئی جی) جناب عمر شاہد نے یو این او ڈی سی اور یورپی یونین کی کوششوں کو سراہا اور اے ٹی ایف یو کو فعال بنانے میں ان کے فراخدلانہ کردار پر انسپکٹر جنرل پولیس کی جانب سے دونوں اداروں کا شکریہ ادا کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ پیکٹ پراجیکٹ صف اول میں کام کرنے والے تفتیشی افسران کی استعداد میں پائی جانے والی کمی کو دور کر رہا ہے اور انسداد دہشت گردی کے شعبے میں ان کی صلاحیتوں کو بہتر بنانے کے لئے سرگرم عمل ہے۔ انہوں نے اس بات پر خوشی کا اظہار کیا کہ پراجیکٹ کو صوبے کی ضروریات کے مطابق ڈھال دیا گیا ہے اور اب یہ مشترکہ مقاصد کے حصول کے لئے ہماری کوششوں کے لئے تقویت کا باعث بن رہا ہے۔
افتتاحی تقریب میں محکمہ داخلہ اور سندھ پولیس کے افسران کے علاوہ کراچی میں واقع مختلف قونصلیٹ جنرلز کے نمائندوں نے بھی شرکت کی۔
مزید معلومات یا استفسارات کے لئے رابطہ:
محترمہ رضوانہ راہول، کمیونیکیشن آفیسر، موبائل:+92301856425؛ فیکس: +92-51-2601469، ای میل: rizwan...@un.org
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
3 September 2021
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ILO
PRESS RELEASE
World Social Protection Report
2020-22
More than 4 billion people still lack any social protection, ILO report finds
The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed and exacerbated the social protection gap between countries with high and low income levels.
GENEVA (ILO News) – Despite the unprecedented worldwide expansion of social protection during the COVID-19 crisis, more than 4 billion people around the world remain entirely unprotected, a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report says.
It finds that the pandemic response was uneven and insufficient, deepening the gap between countries with high and low income levels and failing to afford the much-needed social protection that all human beings deserve.
Social protection includes access to health care and income security, particularly in relation to old age, unemployment, sickness, disability, work injury, maternity or loss of a main income earner, as well as for families with children.
“Countries are at a crossroads,” said ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder. “This is a pivotal moment to harness the pandemic response to build a new generation of rights-based social protection systems. These can cushion people from future crises and give workers and businesses the security to tackle the multiple transitions ahead with confidence and with hope. We must recognize that effective and comprehensive social protection is not just essential for social justice and decent work but for creating a sustainable and resilient future too.”
The World Social Protection Report 2020-22: Social protection at the crossroads – in pursuit of a better future gives a global overview of recent developments in social protection systems, including social protection floors, and covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report identifies protection gaps and sets out key policy recommendations, including in relation to the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Currently, only 47 per cent of the global population are effectively covered by at least one social protection benefit, while 4.1 billion people (53 per cent) obtain no income security at all from their national social protection system.
There are significant regional inequalities in social protection. Europe and Central Asia have the highest rates of coverage, with 84 per cent of people being covered by at least one benefit. The Americas are also above the global average, with 64.3 per cent. Asia and the Pacific (44 per cent), the Arab States (40 per cent) and Africa (17.4 per cent) have marked coverage gaps.
Worldwide, the vast majority of children still have no effective social protection coverage – only one in four children (26.4 per cent) receives a social protection benefit. Only 45 per cent of women with newborns worldwide receive a cash maternity benefit. Only one in three persons with severe disabilities (33.5 per cent) worldwide receive a disability benefit. Coverage of unemployment benefits is even lower; only 18.6 per cent of unemployed workers worldwide are effectively covered. And while 77.5 per cent of people above retirement age receive some form of old-age pension, major disparities remain across regions, between rural and urban areas, and between women and men.
Government spending on social protection also varies significantly. On average, countries spend 12.8 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on social protection (excluding health), however high-income countries spend 16.4 per cent and low-income countries only 1.1 per cent of their GDP on social protection.
The report says that the financing gap (the additional spending required to ensure at least minimum social protection for all) has increased by approximately 30 per cent since the start of the COVID-19 crisis.
To guarantee at least basic social protection coverage, low-income countries would need to invest an additional US$77.9 billion per year, lower-middle-income countries an additional US$362.9 billion per year and upper-middle-income countries a further US$750.8 billion per year. That’s equivalent to 15.9, 5.1 and 3.1 per cent of their GDP, respectively.
“There is an enormous push for countries to move to fiscal consolidation, after the massive public expenditure of their crisis response measures, but it would be seriously damaging to cut back on social protection; investment is required here and now,” said Shahra Razavi, Director, ILO Social Protection Department.
“Social protection is an important tool that can create wide-ranging social and economic benefits for countries at all levels of development. It can underpin better health and education, greater equality, more sustainable economic systems, better managed migration and the observance of core rights. Building the systems that can deliver these positive outcomes will require a mix of financing sources and greater international solidarity, particularly with support for poorer countries. But the benefits of success will reach beyond national borders to benefit us all,” she said.
Specific measures to promote universal social protection were highlighted in the Global Call to Action for a human-centred recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic . The Call to Action, which outlines a comprehensive agenda for recovery, was endorsed unanimously in June 2021 by the ILO’s Member States, representing governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations.
UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
UNODC launches Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) for the Prosecution Department of Sindh
September 03, 2021 – Karachi: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Prosecution Department of Sindh launched a software-based Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) at an inauguration ceremony in Karachi on Friday.
The CMMS which has been developed under the framework of Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) and is designed to automate the Prosecution Department’s administrative processes such as case assignment and tracking, streamlining the departments workflows, and create administrative efficiency in case management and adjudication. In particular the CMMS will help the assignment of complex cases to multiple experienced counsels, tracking of court proceedings as well as monitoring of the quality of prosecutions across Sindh province.
In order to maximize the operational efficiency of the CMMS, UNODC through the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) has also provided Prosecution Department with essential equipment including laptops and computers.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Honorable Chief Justice of Sindh Justice Ahmed Ali M. Shaikh and attended by EU’s Ambassador to Pakistan H.E. Androulla Kaminara, Country Representative of UNODC Mr. Jeremy Milsom, and key officials belonging to Sindh Police, Prosecution Department, and Judiciary.
The Honorable Chief Justice of Sindh lauded the initiative, as well as its promising impact on operational efficiency across Sindh’s criminal justice system, “This is a valuable innovation that will generate a compounding positive impact with use over time that will not be limited to prosecution department alone.”
The European Union’s Counter-Terrorism Counsellor in Pakistan Mr. François Zablot iterated EU’s resolute support in preventing and countering terrorism and added that “CMMS was a crucial need of the hour to ensure transparency, accountability and oversight when dealing with anti-terrorism cases. I hope that with effective use of this tool, we are able to enhance the capacity of the prosecution department, leading to successful adjudications.”
While making his remarks, the UNODC Country Representative Dr. Jeremy Milsom stated “I am pleased to see this initiative come to fruition, the CMMS is a prime example of use of technology to improve and enhance existing processes. CMMS enjoyed tremendous success in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and was a perfect use-case for Sindh. We hope to see it be even more successful in Sindh”
Participants of the inauguration ceremony were led through a presentation on the features of CMMS followed by a practical demonstration of case registration.
For further information, please contact:-
Ms. Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC Pakistan, cell: 0301 8564255, email: rizwan...@un.org
***
یو این او ڈی سی کی جانب سے محکمہ پراسیکیوشن سندھ کے لئے "کیس مینجمنٹ اینڈ مانیٹرنگ سسٹم" (سی ایم ایم ایس) کا اجراء
کراچی –3 ستمبر 2021 : اقوام متحدہ ادارہ برائے منشیات و جرائم (یو این او ڈی سی) نے محکمہ پراسیکیوشن سندھ کے اشتراک سے جمعہ کے روز کراچی میں منعقد کی گئی ایک تقریب میں "کیس مینجمنٹ اینڈ مانیٹرنگ سسٹم" (سی ایم ایم ایس) کے سافٹ ویئر کا اجراء کیا۔
یہ سافٹ ویئر 'پاکستان ایکشن ٹو کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم' (پیکٹ) کے فریم ورک کے تحت تیار کیا گیا ہے جس کا مقصد محکمہ پراسیکیوشن کی مختلف انتظامی سرگرمیوں مثلاً کیس اسائنمنٹ اور ٹریکنگ کی آٹومیشن کرنا، محکمے کی سرگرمیوں کو ایک باقاعدہ ترتیب میں لانا اور کیس مینجمنٹ اور قانونی چارہ جوئی کی سرگرمیوں میں انتظامی کارکردگی کو بہتر بنانا ہے۔ سی ایم ایم ایس کی بدولت پیچیدہ مقدمات ایک سے زائد تجربہ کار وکلاء کے سپرد کرنے، عدالتی کارروائی کی ٹریکنگ کرنے اور صوبہ سندھ میں استغاثہ کی کارروائی کے معیار کی نگرانی کرنے میں مدد ملے گی۔
سی ایم ایم ایس کی آپریشنل کارکردگی کو حتی الوسع حد تک بڑھانے کے لئے یو این او ڈی سی نے نیشنل کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم اتھارٹی (نیکٹا) کے ذریعے محکمہ پراسیکیوشن کو ضروری آلات اور سامان مثلاً لیپ ٹاپ اور کمپیوٹر بھی فراہم کئے ہیں۔
افتتاحی تقریب کی صدارت سندھ ہائی کورٹ کے فاضل چیف جسٹس، جسٹس احمد علی ایم شیخ نے کی جس میں انسداد دہشت گردی پر یورپی یونین کے قونصلر جناب فرانسوا زابلوٹ اور یو این او ڈی سی کے کنٹری ریپریزنٹیٹو ڈاکٹر جیریمی ملسم کے علاوہ سندھ پولیس، محکمہ پراسیکیوشن اور عدلیہ سے تعلق رکھنے والے اہم افسران نے بھی شرکت کی۔
فاضل چیف جسٹس سندھ نے اس سافٹ ویئر اور اس کی بدولت سندھ کے فوجداری نظام انصاف کی آپریشنل کارکردگی پر مرتب ہونے والے شاندار ممکنہ اثرات کا خیرمقدم کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ یہ ایک انتہائی مفید جدت ہے جس کے استعمال سے وقت کے ساتھ بے پناہ مثبت اثرات مرتب ہوں گے جو محض محکمہ پراسیکیوشن تک ہی محدود نہیں رہیں گے۔
انسداد دہشت گردی پر پاکستان میں یورپی یونین کے قونصلر جناب فرانسوا زابلوٹ نے دہشت گردی کی روک تھام اور اس کے خاتمے کے لئے یورپی یونین کی بھرپور حمایت کا اعادہ کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سی ایم ایم ایس انسداد دہشت گردی کے مقدمات پر کام کرتے ہوئے شفافیت، احتساب اور نگرانی یقینی بنانے کے لئے آج کے دور کی ناگزیر ضرورت ہے۔ انہوں نے امید ظاہر کی کہ اس سافٹ ویئر کے استعمال سے محکمہ پراسیکیوشن کی استعداد میں بہتری آئے گی اور قانونی چارہ جوئی کی سرگرمیوں کو کامیابی کے ساتھ پایہ تکمیل تک پہنچانے کی راہ ہموار ہو گی۔
اس موقع پر اپنے خیالات کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے یو این او ڈی سی کے کنٹری ریپریزنٹیٹو ڈاکٹر جیریمی ملسم نے اس کاوش کی بطریق احسن تکمیل پر خوشی کا اظہار کیا۔ انہوں نے کہا کہ سی ایم ایم ایس، ضابطے کی موجودہ کارروائیوں کو بہتر بنانے کے لئے ٹیکنالوجی کے استعمال کی عمدہ ترین مثال ہے۔ سی ایم ایم ایس کو خیبرپختونخوا میں شاندار کامیابی مل چکی ہے اور یہ سندھ کے لئے بھی انتہائی موزوں ثابت ہو گا۔ انہوں نے امید ظاہر کی کہ سندھ میں یہ پروگرام اس سے بھی زیادہ کامیابی حاصل کرےگا۔
افتتاحی تقریب کےشرکاء کو سی ایم ایم ایس کی مختلف خصوصیات اور سہولیات پر پریزنٹیشن دی گئی جس کے بعد مقدمے کے اندراج کا ایک عملی مظاہرہ بھی کر کے دکھایا گیا۔
سافٹ ویئر کی تیاری یورپی یونین کے مالی تعاون سے 'پاکستان ایکشن ٹو کاؤنٹر ٹیررازم' (پیکٹ) کے فریم ورک کے تحت ممکن ہوئی ہے۔ یہ پراجیکٹ یو این او ڈی سی اور وفاقی و صوبائی سطح کے مختلف متعلقہ فریقوں کے ذریعےحکومت پاکستان کے درمیان اشتراک عمل کا نتیجہ ہے جس کا مقصد سندھ پولیس کی تحقیقاتی سرگرمیوں اور اس سلسلے میں فورانزک شواہد کے استعمال کو بہتر بناتے ہوئے دہشت گردی کے مقدمات میں قانونی چارہ جوئی کے عمل کو موثر بنانا اور صوبائی و بین الصوبائی رابطے کے ساتھ ساتھ دہشت گردی کی روک تھام اور خاتمے کی صلاحیتوں کو بہتر بنانا ہے۔
مزید معلومات کے لئے رابطہ:
محترمہ رضوانہ راہول، کمیونیکیشنز آفیسر، یو این او ڈی سی پاکستان، موبائل: 0301 8564255، ای میل: rizwan...@un.org
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update-2
3 September 2021
_______________
UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
Corrigendum
UNODC launches Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) for the Prosecution Department of Sindh
September 03, 2021 – Karachi: The United Nations Office on Drugs
and Crime (UNODC) in partnership with the Prosecution Department of Sindh
launched a software-based Case Management and Monitoring System (CMMS) at an
inauguration ceremony in Karachi on Friday.
The CMMS which has been developed under the framework of Pakistan’s Action to Counter Terrorism (PACT) and is designed to automate the Prosecution Department’s administrative processes such as case assignment and tracking, streamlining the departments workflows, and create administrative efficiency in case management and adjudication. In particular the CMMS will help the assignment of complex cases to multiple experienced counsels, tracking of court proceedings as well as monitoring of the quality of prosecutions across Sindh province.
In order to maximize the operational efficiency of the CMMS, UNODC
through the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) has also provided
Prosecution Department with essential equipment including laptops and
computers.
The inauguration ceremony was presided over by the Honorable Mr. Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, Senior Puisne Judge, Sindh High Court and attended by Mr. François Zablot, EU’s Counter-Terrorism Counsellor in Pakistan on behalf of EU’s Ambassador to Pakistan H.E. Androulla Kaminara, Country Representative of UNODC Mr. Jeremy Milsom, and key officials belonging to Sindh Police, Prosecution Department, and Judiciary.
The Honorable Chief Guest lauded the initiative, as well as its promising impact on operational efficiency across Sindh’s criminal justice system, “This is a valuable innovation that will generate a compounding positive impact with use over time that will not be limited to prosecution department alone.”
UNIC Islamabad
10 September 2021
_______________
UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL STATEMENT
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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Statement to the General Assembly presenting “Our Common Agenda”
10 September 2021
[, as delivered]
Mr. President of the General Assembly,
Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,
On almost every front, our world is under enormous stress.
We are not at ease with each other, or our planet.
Covid-19 is a wake-up call – and we are oversleeping.
The pandemic has demonstrated our collective failure to come together and make joint decisions for the common good, even in the face of an immediate, life-threatening global emergency.
This paralysis extends far beyond COVID-19. From the climate crisis to our suicidal war on nature and the collapse of biodiversity, our global response has been too little, too late.
Unchecked inequality is undermining social cohesion, creating fragilities that affect us all. Technology is moving ahead without guard rails to protect us from its unforeseen consequences.
Global decision-making is fixed on immediate gain, ignoring the long-term consequences of decisions — or indecision.
Multilateral institutions have proven too weak and fragmented for today’s global challenges and risks.
As a result, we risk a future of serious instability and climate chaos.
Last year, in the Leaders’ Declaration marking the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations, you charged me with providing recommendations to advance Our Common Agenda, to address these challenges for global governance.
Today, after an in-depth process of consultation and reflection, I am presenting my response.
Excellencies,
In preparing this report, we built on a year-long global listening exercise. We engaged Member States, thought leaders, young people, civil society, the United Nations system and its many partners.
One message rang throughout our consultations: our world needs more, and better, multilateralism, based on deeper solidarity, to deal with the crises we face, and to reverse today’s dangerous trends.
There was broad recognition that we are at a pivotal moment.
Business as usual could result in breakdown of the global order, into a world of perpetual crisis and winner-takes-all.
Or we could decide to change course, heralding a breakthrough to a greener, better, safer future for all.
This report represents my vision, informed by your contributions, for a path towards the breakthrough scenario.
Our Common Agenda is above all an agenda of action, designed to strengthen and accelerate multilateral cooperation – particularly around the 2030 Agenda – and make a tangible difference to people’s lives.
And it is an agenda driven by solidarity – the principle of working together, recognizing that we are bound to each other and that no community or country, however powerful, can solve its challenges alone.
Excellencies,
I will set out my vision for Our Common Agenda under four broad headings: strengthening global governance; focusing on the future; renewing the social contract; and ensuring a United Nations fit for a new era.
First, the international community is manifestly failing to protect our most precious global commons: the oceans, the atmosphere, outer space, and the pristine wilderness of Antarctica. Nor is it delivering policies to support peace, global health, the viability of our planet and other pressing needs.
In other words, multilateralism is failing its most basic test.
The lack of a global response and vaccination programme to end the COVID-19 pandemic is a clear and tragic example.
The longer the virus circulates among billions of unvaccinated people, the higher the risk that it will develop into more dangerous variants that could rip through vaccinated and unvaccinated populations alike, with a far higher fatality rate.
IMF recall that investing $50 billion in vaccination now could add an estimated $9 trillion to the global economy in the next four years.
We need an immediate global vaccination plan, implemented by an emergency Task Force made up of present and potential vaccine producers, the World Health Organization, ACT-Accelerator partners, and international financial institutions, to work with pharmaceutical companies to at least double vaccine production, and ensure that vaccines reach seventy percent of the world’s population in the first half of 2022.
Likewise, the recommendations of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response must be a starting point for urgent reforms to strengthen the global health architecture.
The World Health Organization must be empowered and funded adequately, so that it can play a leading role in coordinating emergency response. Global health security and preparedness must be strengthened through sustained political commitment and leadership at the highest level. Low- and middle-income countries must be able to develop and access health technologies.
Excellencies,
More broadly, we cannot afford to ignore the alarm sounded by the pandemic and by galloping climate change. We must launch a new era of bold, transformative policies across the board.
We must take our heads out of the sand and face up to future health crises, financial shocks, and the triple planetary emergency of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
We need a quantum leap to strengthen multilateralism and make it fit for purpose.
One of the central recommendations of my report on Our Common Agenda is that the world should come together to consider all these issues and more at a high-level Summit of the Future.
This summit will aim to forge a new global consensus on what our future should look like, and how we can secure it.
The summit should include a New Agenda for Peace, that takes a more comprehensive, holistic view of global security.
The New Agenda for Peace could include measures to reduce strategic risks from nuclear arms, cyberwarfare and lethal autonomous weapons; strengthen foresight of future risk and reshape responses to all forms of violence, including by criminal groups, and in the home; investing in prevention and peacebuilding by addressing the root causes of conflict; increase support for regional initiatives that can fill critical gaps in the global peace and security architecture; and put women and girls at the centre of security policy.
The Summit could also include tracks on sustainable development and climate action beyond 2030; a Global Digital Compact to guarantee that new technologies are a force for good; the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space, the management of future shocks and crises, and more.
It should take account of today’s more complex context for global governance, in which a range of State and non-State actors are participating in open, transparent systems that draw on the capacities of all relevant stakeholders.
Our goal should be a more inclusive and networked multilateralism, to navigate this complex landscape and deliver effective solutions.
To support our collective efforts,
I will ask an Advisory Board led by eminent former heads of state and government to identify global public goods and potentially other areas of common interest where governance improvements are most needed, and to propose options for how this could be achieved.
The work starts now, and I hope for your future engagement.
Excellencies,
The uneven recovery from the pandemic has exposed the deficiencies in our global financial system.
In the next five years, according to the International Monetary Fund, cumulative economic growth per capita in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to be around one quarter of the rate in the rest of the world.
This is intolerable.
Meanwhile, both public and private finance for climate action have been insufficient for years, if not decades.
To tackle historic weaknesses and gaps, and integrate the global financial system with other global priorities, I propose biennial Summits at the level of Heads of States and Government, between G20 members, ECOSOC members, the heads of International Financial Institutions, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The overriding aim of these summits would be to create a more sustainable, inclusive and resilient global economy, including fairer multilateral systems to manage global trade and technological development.
Issues for immediate consideration could include innovative financing to address inequality and support sustainable development; an investment boost to finance a green and just transition from fossil fuels; and a “last mile alliance’ to reach those farthest behind, as part of efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.
These biennial Summits would coordinate efforts to incentivize inclusive and sustainable policies, across all systems, that enable countries to offer basic services and social protection to their citizens.
They would tackle unfair and exploitative financial practices, and resolve longstanding weaknesses in the international debt architecture.
Governments should never again face a choice between serving their people or servicing their debt.
These biennial Summits would also harness global financial frameworks to move forward quickly and unequivocally on climate action and biodiversity loss.
The Paris target is still within reach, but we need faster, nimbler, more effective climate and environmental governance to limit global heating and support countries most affected.
COP26 will be a vital forum to accelerate climate action.
I intend to convene all stakeholders ahead of the first Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement in 2023 to consider further urgent steps.
Member States are already preparing a strong post-2020 biodiversity framework, the 2021 Food Systems Summit, and the Stockholm + 50 summit on the environment next year.
I will do everything in my power to ensure that these platforms will be a fundamental reset in our relationship with [nature].
Excellencies,
All these efforts and initiatives require economic analysis based on today’s realities, rather than outdated ideas of economic success.
We must correct a major blind spot in how we measure progress and prosperity.
Gross Domestic Product, GDP, fails to account for the incalculable social and environmental damage that may be caused by the pursuit of profit.
My report calls for new metrics that value the life and wellbeing of the many over short-term profit for the few.
Likewise, access to concessional finance should be based on vulnerability to risks and shocks, not the outdated metric of GDP.
Excellencies,
The second element of my report is a new focus on the world’s young people, and future generations.
These two groups will inherit the consequences of our decisions – but are barely represented at the global table of decisions.
I therefore intend to appoint a Special Envoy for Future Generations, to give weight to the interests of those who will be born over the coming century.
And a new United Nations Youth Office will upgrade engagement with young people across all our work, so that today’s young women and men can be designers of their own future.
My report proposes measures on education, skills training and lifelong learning, including a Transforming Education Summit next year, to address the learning crisis and expand opportunities and hope for the world’s 1.8 billion young people.
But we must go further, to make full use of our unprecedented capacity to predict and model the impact of policy decisions over time.
I therefore intend to create a Futures Lab that will work with governments, academia, civil society, the private sector and others, bringing together all our work around forecasting, megatrends and risks.
The Futures Lab will collect and analyse data, building on existing mechanisms including the annual IMF early warning exercise, to issue regular reports on megatrends and catastrophic risks.
To improve our preparedness for future shocks, my report recommends an Emergency Platform that would be triggered automatically in large-scale crises, bringing together leaders from Member States, the United Nations system, key country groupings, international financial institutions, regional parties, and civil society and the private sector that is required to cooperate together with research bodies and others.
I also believe we need an intergovernmental body that thinks beyond immediate geopolitical dynamics to consider the interests of our entire human family, present and future.
My report therefore proposes that Member States consider repurposing the Trusteeship Council, to make it into a deliberative platform on behalf of succeeding generations.
I hope Member States will also consider a Declaration on Future Generations to support this work.
Unless we change course, we could bequeath to our children and their children a barely habitable world.
You may have heard of the seven-generation principle, under which some indigenous communities make decisions based on the generations from their great-grandparents to their great-grandchildren. We have a lot to learn from them.
Excellencies,
Fourth and finally, the United Nations itself must adapt to support the vision of Our Common Agenda.
The United Nations is the only institution with universal convening power. Our Common Agenda must therefore include upgrading the United Nations.
We need a UN 2.0 that can offer more relevant, systemwide, multilateral and multi-stakeholder solutions to the challenges of the 21st century.
This transformation will be based on a quintet of cross-cutting issues: data; digital innovation; strategic foresight; behavioral science; and performance and results orientation.
I will seek to reestablish the Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board, to strengthen the role of the United Nations as a source of reliable data and evidence.
And I will broaden participation through an annual meeting with regional organizations, and a new Advisory Group on Local and Regional Governments, as well as systematic engagement with cities, civil society, parliaments and the private sector.
All United Nations entities will be asked to establish a dedicated focal point for civil society, to create greater space for civil society to contribute at the country and global levels, and within all United Nations networks and processes.
The Futures Lab, a repurposed Trusteeship Council, and my new envoy for Future Generations will together ensure that the United Nations takes far better account of the intergenerational impact of our work.
Our finances should be put on a firmer footing, and I invite Member States to consider my proposals in this regard.
As regards any decisions by Member States to adapt the intergovernmental organs to the needs and realities of today, including reforming the Security Council, revitalizing the work of the General Assembly and strengthening ECOSOC, I stand ready to provide the necessary support.
Excellencies,
Global governance may sound lofty or abstract. It is not.
These decisions have life-or-death consequences for you and your citizens, from the quality of the air we breathe to the chance to earn a living wage and the risk of catching a deadly disease.
Multilateral action led by the United Nations has achieved an enormous amount over the past 76 years, from preventing a third world war to eradicating smallpox and mending the hole in the ozone layer.
My report must be a starting point for ideas and initiatives that build on these achievements and take them further.
Some of my proposals can be taken forward by the United Nations system. Others will require broader discussion, and decisions by Member States.
I urge you all to act on your joint responsibility to ensure we achieve the breakthrough we need.
The United Nations is an intergovernmental organization. Member States will always be central to our collective ability to meet global challenges, with unique responsibilities in the multilateral system.
But solutions to today’s challenges also depend on action from civil society, the private sector and others, particularly young people, who must be accountable for their commitments and have a meaningful role in deliberations.
I look forward to hearing from you and your national leaders on these proposals, during the General Debate and thereafter.
Excellencies,
I am an engineer. I believe in the infinite capacity of the human mind to solve problems.
When we work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve.
My report on Our Common Agenda is a starting point. A starting point for our joint efforts to improve global governance together, on foundations of trust, solidarity and human rights, to fulfil the hopes and expectations of the people we serve.
Thank you.
Link to report: https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda-report
Link to website: https://www.un.org/en/un75/common-agenda
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
14 September 2021
_______________
UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF DEMOCRACY
15 September 2021
As the world struggles to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating consequences, we must learn from the lessons of the past 18 months to strengthen democratic resilience in the face of future crises. This means identifying and developing good governance practices in situations of emergency – whether public health, environmental or financial.
It means addressing the egregious global injustices laid bare by the crisis, from pervasive gender inequalities and inadequate health systems to unequal access to vaccines, education, the internet and online services. Along with the profound human toll borne by those most deprived, these persistent historical inequalities are themselves threats to democracy.
Strengthening
democracy also means embracing genuine participation in
decision-making -- including peaceful protests -- giving a real voice to people
and communities that have traditionally been excluded. The silencing of women, religious and ethnic
minorities, indigenous communities, people with disabilities, human rights
defenders and journalists is an impediment to creating healthy societies. Democracy simply cannot survive, let alone flourish,
in the absence of civic space.
Finally, safeguarding democracy means phasing out emergency powers and laws as the worst of the pandemic subsides. Some States and security sector institutions rely on emergency powers because they offer shortcuts. With time, such powers can seep into legal frameworks and become permanent, undermining the rule of law and consuming the fundamental freedoms and human rights that serve as a bedrock for democracy.
As I stressed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, every crisis poses a threat to democracy, because the rights of the people, in particular those most vulnerable, are all too quickly ignored. For this reason, protection of rights in times of crisis is a key element of my Call to Action for Human Rights.
On this International Day of Democracy, as we look beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, let us commit to a future in which we recognize human rights and the rule of law as fundamental to democracy. Let us commit to safeguarding the principles of equality, participation and solidarity, so that we can better weather the storm of future crises.
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
15 September 2021
________________
UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
--
MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE OZONE LAYER
16 September 2021
The Montreal Protocol began life as a mechanism to protect and heal the ozone layer. It has done its job well over the past three decades. The ozone layer is on the road to recovery. The cooperation we have seen under the Montreal Protocol is exactly what is needed now to take on climate change, an equally existential threat to our societies.
The Montreal Protocol is more than just an example of how multilateralism can and should work, it is an active tool to help meet our global vision for sustainable development. Under the Kigali Amendment to the Protocol, nations have committed to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful greenhouse gases used as coolants. When fully implemented, the Kigali Amendment could prevent 0.4 degrees Celsius of global warming this century.
Furthermore, as we prepare for the Food Systems Summit this month, we are reminded that the Kigali Amendment can also help us to increase food security. By reducing HFCs, increasing energy efficiency and creating more ozone- and climate-friendly technologies, the Kigali Amendment can bring sustainable access to vital cooling services to millions of people.
Such services would reduce food loss in developing countries, where food often spoils before it can reach markets. Getting produce from farmers to where it is needed would help reduce hunger, poverty and the environmental impact of the agricultural sector. Another important benefit of expanding cooling is storage of medicines and vaccines, such as are needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Montreal Protocol and the Kigali Amendment
show us that by acting together, anything is possible. So let us act now to slow climate change,
feed the world’s hungry and protect the planet that we all depend on.
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
16 September 2021
________________
ILO
MEDIA ADVISORY
WHO/ILO joint estimates of the work-related burden of disease and injury reveal numbers of deaths related to work
Launch of the first joint estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) on work-related disease and injury burden.
Speakers
- WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
- ILO Director-General, Guy Ryder
- Director, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO, Dr Maria Neira
- Director, Governance and Tripartism Department, ILO, Vera Paquete-Perdigao
- Technical Officer, Department of Environment, Climate Change and Health, WHO, Dr Frank Pega
- Statistician, Labour Administration/Occupational Safety and Health, ILO, Balint Nafradi
When
Friday 17 September 2021, 14:00 CEST
Where
Virtual press conference via zoom.
Accredited journalists should email press contacts below for login details.
The event will also be live streamed on WHO’s
social media channels Facebook ; Twitter ; YouTube ; Instagram .
To receive the embargoed material please contact Ceridwen Johnson or mediain...@who.int .
Please note that the embargo lifts at 14:00 CEST on Friday 17
September 2021.
For more information please contact:
• Ceridwen Johnson , WHO Geneva, World Health Organization, Tel:
+4179/5789678
• Andre Muchnik , WHO Geneva, World Health Organization, mediain...@who.int
• Rosalind Yarde , ILO Geneva, International Labour Organization,
Tel: +4122/7997697, news...@ilo.org
***
UNICEF
PRESS RELEASE
Schools still closed for nearly 77 million students 18 months into pandemic – UNICEF
UNICEF and partners’ digital channels to close down for 18 hours to mark 18 months of school closures and send one message to the world: Reopen schools as soon as possible
NEW YORK, 16 September 2021 – Eighteen months into the COVID-19 pandemic, schools for nearly 77 million students in six countries continue to be almost completely closed, according to an updated data analysis released today by UNICEF.
According to the analysis, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Panama are among the countries that kept schools closed the longest. In total, an estimated 131 million students in 11 countries have missed more than three-quarters of their in-person learning. Around 27 per cent of countries worldwide continue to have schools fully or partially closed.
“As classes resume in many countries around the world, millions of students are heading into a third academic year without stepping foot in a classroom,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “The losses that students are incurring from not being in school may never be recovered.”
To call attention to the 18 months of lost learning, deferred potential and uncertain future, and to urge governments to reopen schools as soon as possible, UNICEF and partners will close down their digital channels today at 13.00 GMT for 18 hours.
School closures have created a shadow crisis for children. Beyond falling behind on their education, many children are missing out on school-based meals and routine vaccinations, experiencing social isolation and increased anxiety, and being exposed to abuse and violence. For some, school closures have led to drop out, child labour and child marriage. Many parents have been unable to continue with their employment while balancing their children’s care and learning needs. Some have lost their jobs entirely, pushing their families into poverty and creating a deeper economic crisis.
While remote learning has been a lifeline for millions of schoolchildren, access to the technology and the quality of the curriculum have been uneven even within communities and school districts.
Experience shows that schools are not the main drivers of
transmission and that it is possible to keep them open for in-person learning.
UNICEF urges governments, local authorities and school administrations to
reopen schools as soon as possible and take all possible steps to mitigate
against transmission of the virus in schools, such as:
1. Implementing mask policies for students and staff in accordance with national and local guidelines;
2. Providing handwashing facilities and/or hand sanitiser;
3. Frequently cleaning of surfaces and shared objects;
4. Ensuring adequate and appropriate ventilation;
5. Cohorting (keeping students and teachers in small groups that do not mix); staggering start, break, bathroom, meals and end time; and alternating physical presence;
6. Establishing information sharing mechanisms with parents, students and teachers;
7. While not a prerequisite to reopen schools, teachers should be prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, after frontline health workers and those most at risk, to help protect them from community transmission.
To support these efforts, UNICEF contributed to a multi-agency Framework for School Reopening to provide practical and flexible advice for national and local governments and aid their efforts to return students to in-person learning.
“The education crisis is still here, and with each passing day that classrooms remain dark, the devastation worsens,” said Fore. “This is a crisis we will not allow the world to ignore. Our channels are silent, but our message is loud: Every community, everywhere must reopen schools as soon as possible. Schools must be the last to close and the first to reopen. We have to start putting the best interest of every child first. In all but the most extreme cases, this means getting students back into the classroom.”
#####
Notes to editors:
The Government of Bangladesh commenced the reopening of primary, secondary, and higher secondary educational institutions in the country as of 12 September 2021.
The Government of Panama commenced the reopening of primary, secondary, and higher secondary educational institutions in hybrid mode in the country in June 2021.
Access the report here.
Download multimedia content here.
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 please contact:
Sara Alhattab, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 957 6536, salh...@unicef.org
UNIC Islamabad
17 September 2021
________________
UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
--
MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY
18 September 2021
COVID-19 pulled back the curtain on a gross injustice: the lack of compensation for the work of raising children and caring for people who cannot look after themselves, which is largely done by women.
By pushing care work out of the formal economy and into the home, the pandemic has exacerbated the gender pay gap. Many women are struggling to hold down paid jobs while raising children, dealing with online school, and caring for sick or vulnerable family members without material compensation. Investing in the care economy helps bridge the pay gap by creating new, sustainable jobs while freeing women up to participate in the paid workforce.
At the same time, most frontline health workers battling the virus are women. They often earn less than men, lack decision-making power, and suffer greater exposure to violence and harassment.
I was vividly reminded of women’s dual roles when I spoke with a health worker in Ghana, Scholastica Dery. “As frontline workers, we are the majority,” she said. “Combining this with our household duties is not easy, but we are determined to do it.”
Despite equal pay laws, women earn an average of just 80 cents for every dollar men earn for work of equal value. That figure is even less for women of colour and those with children.
Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic offers a generational opportunity to write a new social contract that upholds women’s human rights, including the right to equal pay. This is a matter of justice and a responsibility for us all.
On International Equal Pay Day, let’s resolve to dismantle the discrimination and harmful gender stereotypes that contribute to the gender pay gap.
***
ITC
PRESS RELEASE
ITC supporting Government of Sindh to attain SPS compliance
(Karachi) International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of the United Nations and World Trade Organization through its 5-year European Union Supported Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project completed a series of seven Training of Trainers (ToTs) on “Slaughterhouse Management and SPS Compliance on 17 September 2021 in Karachi.
At the closing ceremony of the training program Secretary Livestock and Fisheries, Government of Sindh, Mr. Aijaz Mahesar said the trainings marked the beginning of a new era of enhancing and strengthening public sector capacity in professional performance and execution of duties. He stated that “he believed that unless there is good collaboration between public and private sectors, no coherent, integrated and sustainable progress can be made.
During his speech, Mr, Mahesar appreciated GRASP initiatives for enhancing professional capacity of government officials in SPS compliance in Sindh and termed the collaboration between the Government of Sindh and GRASP project vital for improving professional capacity of especially field staff in ensuring food safety standards and compliances.
While addressing the participants Director General Sindh Institute of Animal Health, Mr. Nazir Kalhoro said that ITC in collaboration with the Livestock and Fisheries Department has undertaken several initiatives in Sindh which will ultimately benefit SMEs in Sindh. He emphasised on the need to have active and close coordination between public and private sector to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services at grass roots level. Complying with the SPS regulations and quality standards of slaughtering and processing of meet will enable local entrepreneurs to tap the full business potential of the sector.
Ms. Shabnam Baloch, GRASP Provincial Lead informed that over 150 master trainers from 14 districts of Sindh have been prepared through seven training sessions across the province. “This capacity building program has been designed to build the professional capacity of the staff of departments of Livestock and Fisheries, Local Government and Sindh Food Authority’’’
GRASP is supporting the Government of Sindh in not only building professional capacities of the staff of line departments, but also providing technical assistance in regulatory reforms through development and review of various policies, acts and laws etc. The initiatives taken by the project will result in improved quality and delivery of the services and pave the path for further collaboration between public and private sector in Sindh.
***
UNICEF
PRESS RELEASE
Schoolchildren worldwide have lost 1.8 trillion hours and counting of in-person learning due to COVID-19 lockdowns, says UNICEF
Urging governments to reopen schools as soon as possible, UNICEF unveils No Time to Lose – a clock counting hours of lost learning – as the UN General Assembly gets underway in NY
NEW YORK, 17 September 2021 – Schoolchildren around the world have lost an estimated 1.8 trillion hours – and counting – of in-person learning since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. As a result, young learners have been cut off from their education and the other vital benefits schools provide.
To call attention to this education crisis, UNICEF today unveiled ‘No Time to Lose' at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The centerpiece of the installation is a clock, modelled to look like the blackboard of an empty classroom, situated at the UN Visitors’ Plaza in front of the General Assembly Building. The clock is a real-time counter, displaying the growing cumulative number of in-person learning hours every schoolchild in the world has lost and continues to lose since the pandemic's onset. The empty classroom consists of 18 desks, one for every month of the pandemic-caused education disruptions.
The installation is being created ahead of the opening of the General Debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a period when some leaders will take the opportunity to return to United Nations headquarters in person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic.
“Next week, the United Nations will open its doors to delegations from around the world. But in many countries, the doors of schools will remain closed to children and young people,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “We are short-changing an entire generation whose minds and futures hang in the balance. We must prioritize the reopening of schools and support those who have lost out during the pandemic. There is no time to lose.”
This year, the General Debate and associated annual meetings will take place in a hybrid format, with many events taking place virtually. The installation, open to delegations which will have elected to attend General Assembly meetings in-person, is a stark reminder that millions of schoolchildren remain locked out of their schools and a call for leaders to act urgently on this education crisis.
The installation will be up from 17 September to 27 September with the conclusion of UNGA.*
Globally, around 131 million schoolchildren in 11 countries have missed three-quarters of their in-person learning from March 2020 to September 2021. Among them, 59 per cent – or nearly 77 million – have missed almost all in-person instruction time. Around 27 per cent of countries continue to have schools fully or partially closed. Additionally, according to UNESCO’s latest data, more than 870 million students at all levels are currently facing disruptions to their education.
· Implementing mask policies for students and staff that are in accordance with national and local guidelines;
· Providing handwashing facilities and/or hand sanitiser;
· Frequently cleaning surfaces and shared objects;
· Ensuring adequate and appropriate ventilation;
· Cohorting (keeping students and teachers in small groups that do not mix); staggering start, break, bathroom, meals and end time; and alternating physical presence;
· Establishing information sharing mechanisms with parents, students and teachers;
· While not a prerequisite to reopen schools, teachers should be prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, after frontline health workers and those most at risk, to protect them from community transmission.
Additionally, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP and the World Bank previously issued the Framework for School Reopening to provide practical and flexible advice for national and local governments and aid their efforts to return students to in-person learning.
"Every hour a child spends in the classroom is precious – an opportunity to expand their horizons and maximize their potential. And with each passing moment, countless amounts of opportunity are lost,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “1.8 trillion hours – and counting – is an unfathomable amount of time. Equally unfathomable is setting priorities around mitigating the impacts of COVID that do not put our children’s future first. We can and must reopen schools as soon as possible. The clock is ticking.”
#####
Notes to editors:
Download multimedia content here.
*NOTE: Due to the prevailing conditions under COVID-19, media accreditation will not be issued for the high-level period of the 76th session of the General Assembly. Access during high level week will be limited to accredited media representatives who have an office at UN Headquarters (resident correspondents) and the official media of visiting delegations. Other interested media are encouraged to join the photo call on 17 September to obtain access prior to high-level week.
UNIC Islamabad
17 September 2021
________________
IFAD
PRESS RELEASE
NRSP and IFAD Pakistan hosts webinar on “A better livelihood for Smallholders under China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation” in collaboration with Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R. China
[17th September 2021, Online]: A virtual validation workshop was organised jointly by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Pakistan in collaboration with Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R. China. The webinar was part of a series of policy talks inviting discussion and debate under the project titled “Effective South-South Cooperation in Agriculture to Unleash Transformative Power of Agriculture Sector for Inclusive Development in Pakistan".
During the talks, Hubert Boirard, IFAD Country Director for Pakistan, welcomed the participants and panelists. He gave a brief overview of the project and informed participants that the project was funded by the IFAD-China South South and Triangular Cooperation Facility, a grant dedicated to mobilizing knowledge, technologies and resources from the Global South to accelerate rural poverty alleviation, enhance rural productivity, and advance rural transformation. “Over the last three decades IFAD has supported farming communities in Pakistan, especially smallholders, to improve their socioeconomic conditions through a variety of interventions. IFAD will extend its technical support through this recent initiative as it continues to support improved livelihoods in rural areas in Pakistan and China.”
Mr. Sher Ali Arbab, Chairman Parliamentary Committee on CPEC appreciated this initiative which was need of the hour in the context of unleashing the potential of CPEC and its tributary initiatives. He further emphasized that the project should establish and operate an effective knowledge generation and sharing platform to provide customized assistances in helping Pakistan to unleash the transformative power of agriculture sector for the country's inclusive development. He said, “Government of Pakistan is committed to make all efforts so that the benefits of CPEC actually trickle down to poor Pakistani communities. The initiative of China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation will go a long way in improving livelihood opportunities of small farmers in Pakistan. He assured unwavering support of Government of Pakistan for this initiative”
Dr. Wang Geng, Director, FECC, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, P.R.C and Prof. Yangzhijiang, Dean of International Education, Xinjiang Agricultural University gave a presentation on Effective South-South Cooperation in Agriculture to Unleash Transformative Power of Agriculture Sector for Inclusive Development in Pakistan. He said, “Knowledge sharing through South-South and Triangular Cooperation is a very powerful tool to facilitate the exchange of lessons learnt and best practices among countries of the global south and help them end poverty and hunger. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs China and Xinjiang Agriculture University will continue supporting this noble cause through knowledge exchange to benefit poor farming communities in Pakistan and China”
Dr. Rashid Bajwa, CEO NRSP and Dr. Yusuf Zafar, former Chairman PARC presented Status of Agriculture Development in Pakistan and highlighted the challenges that smallholders as well as progressive farmers have to endure. They hoped that the project target audience, which include smallholder farmers and farmer organizations, agribusiness and agriculture-related firms and Governmental agencies such as Irrigation Department, Agriculture Department, Commerce Department etc. will benefit from this unprecedented opportunity of knowledge sharing to add to the agriculture development in Pakistan. He stated, “NRSP is mandated to eliminate poverty in Pakistan and smallholders and poor farming communities are, therefore, the target audience of NRSP. By following a participatory and community-driven development approach, NRSP has touched and transformed the lives of about four million poor households across Pakistan. NRSP will benefit from such an unmatched opportunity of working with China-Pakistan Agriculture Cooperation to pass on the information, lessons learned and best practices to poor communities in Pakistan through a network of Community Organizations”
A panel discussion was also held on ‘Fostering a better livelihood for Smallholders in Pakistan under China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation’. The panelists were distinguished agriculture and development experts from public and private sector of Pakistan and China, including Mr. Gu Wenliang, Agricultural Counsellor, China Embassy in Pakistan. They highlighted the best practice and good lessons from previous China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation, the roles that private sectors can play in promoting smallholder agricultural development under CPEC and ways to ensure that the benefits of China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation trickle down to smallholders in Pakistan. Mr. Gu Wenliang noted that transfer of agriculture skills/technology/experience from China will be more applicable for smallholders in Pakistan and the cross-sharing knowledge and experiences will benefit agriculture sector of both China and Pakistan to meet the emerging challenges, especially in the context of Climate Change and Global Warming.
For more information, please contact
Mr Mazhar Iqbal
Designation: Media and Communication Officer
Email ID: mazhar...@nrsp.org.pk
Cell number: 0300-5552994
Note to the Editor:
ABOUT NRSP
Established in 1991, NRSP is the largest Rural Support Programme in the country in terms of outreach, staff and development activities. It is a not for profit organization registered under Section 42 of Companies Act 2017 (repealed Companies Ordinance 1984).
NRSP's mandate is to alleviate poverty by harnessing people's potential and undertake development activities in Pakistan. It has a presence in 72 Districts in all the four Provinces including Azad Jammu and Kashmir through Regional Offices and Field Offices. NRSP is currently working with more than 3.71 million poor households organized into a network of 238,252 Community Organizations. With sustained incremental growth, it is emerging as Pakistan's leading engine for poverty reduction and rural development.
Additional information about NRSP can be accessed from its website: www.nrsp.org.pk
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update-2
17 September 2021
_______________
CORRIGENDUM: Please use this revised version.
IFAD
PRESS RELEASE
NRSP and IFAD Pakistan hosts webinar on “A better livelihood for Smallholders under China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation” in collaboration with Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R. China
[17th September 2021, Online]: A virtual validation workshop was organised jointly by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Pakistan in collaboration with Foreign Economic Cooperation Center (FECC), Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, P.R. China. The webinar was part of a series of policy talks inviting discussion and debate under the project titled “Effective South-South Cooperation in Agriculture to Unleash Transformative Power of Agriculture Sector for Inclusive Development in Pakistan".
During the talks, Hubert Boirard, IFAD Country Director for Pakistan, welcomed the participants and panelists. He appreciated that despite COVID 19 crises, the project has so far progressed well. He gave a brief overview of the project and informed participants that the project was funded by the IFAD-China South South and Triangular Cooperation Facility, a grant dedicated to mobilizing knowledge, technologies and resources from the Global South to accelerate rural poverty alleviation, enhance rural productivity, and advance rural transformation. He further said “Over the last three decades IFAD has supported farming communities in Pakistan, especially smallholders, to improve their socioeconomic conditions through a variety of interventions. IFAD will extend its technical support through this recent initiative as it continues to support improved livelihoods in rural areas in Pakistan and China. IFAD is also initiating new projects in Gilgit Baltistan as well as in Gawadar for the smallholders.”
Dr. Wang Geng, Director, FECC, Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Affairs, P.R.C and Prof. Yangzhijiang, Dean of International Education, Xinjiang Agricultural University gave a presentation on Effective South-South Cooperation in Agriculture to Unleash Transformative Power of Agriculture Sector for Inclusive Development in Pakistan. They highlighted the contributions of Xinjiang Agriculture University in promoting research projects in Pakistan. Dr. Wang elaborated the nature of the Technical Assistance being provided in this initiative to unleash the potential of agriculture, both in Pakistan and China. He said, “Knowledge sharing through South-South and Triangular Cooperation is a very powerful tool to facilitate the exchange of lessons learnt and best practices among countries of the global south and help them end poverty and hunger. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs China and Xinjiang Agriculture University will continue supporting this noble cause through knowledge exchange to benefit poor farming communities in Pakistan and China”
Dr. Rashid Bajwa, CEO NRSP presented Status of Agriculture Development in Pakistan and highlighted the challenges that smallholders have to endure. He appreciated this initiative which was need of the hour to fully exploit the potential of agriculture sector in Pakistan. He further emphasized that the project should establish and operate an effective knowledge generation and sharing platform to provide customized assistances in helping Pakistan to unleash the transformative power of agriculture sector for the country's inclusive development. He hoped that the project target audience, which include smallholders and farmer organizations, agribusiness and agriculture-related firms and Governmental agencies such as Irrigation Department, Agriculture Department, Commerce Department etc. will benefit from this unprecedented opportunity of knowledge sharing to add to the agriculture development in Pakistan.
Dr. Bajwa highlighted the dilapidated conditions of the smallholders due to lack of knowledge, resources and access to modern cropping practices. He emphasized on five key areas where China-Pakistan Agriculture Cooperation can support small farmers in Pakistan. These areas are land preparation, access to farming machinery, lack of information about modern cropping techniques, crop management & harvesting, and post-harvest crop losses & transportation. He stated, “the exchange of knowledge and expertise will be instrumental for Pakistani small farmers to boost crop production and profitability in major crops including wheat, sugarcane, rice, lentils and legumes. NRSP will continue benefitting smallholders, who are the target beneficiaries of NRSP’s poverty alleviation program, by working with China-Pakistan Agriculture Cooperation to pass on the information, lessons learned and best practices to poor communities in Pakistan through a network of NRSP-fostered Community Organizations”
A panel discussion was also held on ‘Fostering a better livelihood for Smallholders in Pakistan under China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation’. The panelists were distinguished agriculture and development experts from public and private sector of Pakistan and China, including Mr. Gu Wenliang, Agricultural Counsellor, China Embassy in Pakistan. They highlighted the best practice and good lessons from previous China-Pakistan agricultural cooperation, the roles that private sectors can play in promoting smallholder agricultural development under CPEC and ways to ensure that the benefits of China-Pakistan Agricultural Cooperation trickle down to smallholders in Pakistan. Mr. Gu Wenliang noted that transfer of agriculture skills/technology/experience from China will be more applicable for smallholders in Pakistan and the cross-sharing knowledge and experiences will benefit agriculture sector of both China and Pakistan to meet the emerging challenges, especially in the context of Climate Change.
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
20 September 2021
________________
UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
Video Message for the Secretary-General:
International Day of Peace
September 21, 2021
This year’s International Day of Peace comes at a crisis point for humanity.
COVID-19 has turned our world upside-down.
Conflicts are spinning out of control.
The climate emergency is worsening.
Inequality and poverty are deepening.
And mistrust and division are driving people apart at a time when solidarity and collaboration are needed more than ever.
As a human family, we face a stark choice —
Peace or perpetual peril.
We must choose peace.
That is why I call for a 24-hour ceasefire today.
And by working in solidarity for a lasting, sustainable peace every day, we can tackle the issues facing us.
We need peace to urgently deliver lifesaving vaccines and treatment for COVID-19.
We need peace to recover from the pandemic and re-build shattered systems and shattered lives.
We need peace to level the playing field and reduce inequalities.
We need peace to renew trust in one another — and faith in facts and science.
And we need to make peace with nature — to heal our planet, build a green economy, and achieve our net-zero targets.
Peace is not a naïve dream.
It’s a light in the darkness.
Guiding us to the only pathway to a better future for humanity.
Let’s walk the pathway of peace as if our lives depended on it.
Because they do.
Thank you.
***
As recorded clean, no b-roll,
Int’l clean with B-roll,
Audio file mp3,
***
UNITED NATIONS
MEDIA ADVISORY
World leaders to gather at UN to mark SDG Moment and inspire ambition
critical to ending the pandemic and ensuring a sustainable and
inclusive future for all
K-pop band BTS and Global Stakeholders to join Heads of State and Government in
keeping the promise of the SDGs for people and planet
Follow on UN Web TV
What: The SDG Moment serves to place an annual spotlight on the Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) and will be held at the beginning of the United Nation’s General Assembly’s High-
Level Week. It takes place as the world experiences a deeply uneven response to the COVID-19
pandemic, which risks creating a two-tier recovery with significant implications for the
advancement of the SDGs, especially in developing countries.
Convened by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Moment will provide world
leaders with a platform to showcase the bold plans, actions and solutions that are needed to
end the COVID-19 pandemic and set the world on course towards achieving the SDGs. Held in
advance of major meetings on food systems, climate, energy, jobs and social protection, the
SDG Moment event is expected to build the momentum needed to deliver on the Decade of
Action and Keep the Promise of the SDGs.
The event will include more than 30 heads of state, a key debate with UN leaders on the
COVID-19 Response and Recovery and a musical performance by K-pop band BTS, Special
Presidential Envoy for Future Generation and Culture of the President of the Republic of Korea.
Leaders from business, civil society, local authorities, the SDG Advocates and the UN will
highlight how to take solutions to scale.
Why: To get the SDGs back on track and prevent the worst impacts of climate change, a
profound shift in economies and societies is now needed that benefits both people and planet.
2
In the last 18 months, COVID-19 has disrupted economies and livelihoods, deepened
inequalities and risks sending over 70 million people into extreme poverty.
In the same period, progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been too slow and
biodiversity loss has continued at an extraordinary pace. This is compounded by a deeply
uneven global response to the pandemic with the world’s poorest countries and people
suffering the most. The SDGs are the north star for the transformation required to overcome
the pandemic and usher in a sustainable and inclusive future for everyone.
Recognising this urgency, the UN will launch a new campaign, Keeping the Promise ahead of
the SDG Moment. The digital campaign will call on people around the world to make a promise
to take action for a better future for all. Users will be asked to choose from 11 promises
inspired by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the world’s to-do list to protect our planet
and all its people.
More information is available:
www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdg-moment
When: 8am-5pm, Monday 20 September 2021
Where: Follow on UN Web TV
Social Media
#GlobalGoals
@UN @antonioguterres @aminajmohammed
Media Contacts
Francyne Harrigan, UN Department of Global Communications T: +1 917-209-6320 / E:
Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications T: +1 212-963-0564 / E:
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
21 September 2021
________________
UN Women
PRESS RELEASE
UN Women puts spotlight on the role of CSR for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Pakistan
Islamabad, September 22, 2021: UN Women
hosted a convention on CSR4Women – The Untapped Potential in Islamabad
on September 21, 2021. The event was supported by the Government of Norway and
chaired by Sima Kamil, the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. The
convention brought together business leaders, CEOs of private companies, heads
of Chambers of Commerce, development partners and Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) experts to deliberate on the potential role of the CSR
towards fostering inclusive economic opportunities for women.
"The nexus of corporate social responsibility and women's economic empowerment presents four wins - for the private sector, the state, women and for us as UN Women Pakistan. Through our collaborative efforts, we will achieve the vision of making Pakistan the 10th largest economy by 2047”, said Sharmeela Rassool, Country Representative of UN Women in her opening address.
The convention provided an opportunity to recognize the role of women Home-Based Workers (HBWs), while identifying possibilities for their economic advancement in the CSR space. Evidence shows that HBWs contribute 1.5% of Pakistan’s GDP, the available data does not include those who are self-employed or contributing family workers. According to the Labour Force Survey for 2017-2018, out of 5.26 million HBWs in Pakistan, 81% are women. HBWs are playing an increasingly important role in the economic growth of the country. However, their contribution is undervalued with limited recognition and legal protection.
Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor, SBP, sharing a perspective in the keynote address said, ‘the financial sector also needs to realize its role as a key player in advancing regulatory policy and strategies towards promoting women’s access to finance and digital financial inclusion.’ She highlighted the need for introducing digital channels for lending by the financial institutions and capacity building of women for effectively accessing these tools.
UN Women Pakistan has worked with the private sector companies in Pakistan since 2015 through the application of Women’s Economic Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The WEPs are a set of gender responsive principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the workplaces and marketplaces. UN Women has mobilized a fast-growing community of WEP signatories in Pakistan, who are doing valuable and impactful work in this regard.
Fareeha Ummar, Portfolio Manager, UN Women, in her call for action, underscored that private business activity, investment and innovation through social responsibility are major drivers of inclusive economic growth and job creation. She called on the private sector to apply creativity and innovation through a partnership approach ‘towards ensuring income equality, gender equality, equity in access to health, education and social security.’
The expert panel discussion featured best practices and experiences from the CSR initiatives to identify opportunities for channeling CSR funds towards an economically secured future for women in Pakistan.
The convention concluded with some very pertinent commitments and agreed action points from the participants for nurturing a new generation of business and public leaders that will take CSR and sustainability to the next level.
For more information, contact: Anam Abbas, UN Women Pakistan anam....@unwomen.org; (03455075163)
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update-2
21 September 2021
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UNHCR
PRESS RELEASE
Country-wide DRIVE updates details of 500,000 registered Afghan refugees
PESHAWAR, 21 September 2021 – Pakistan has updated details of more than 500,000 registered Afghan refugees as part of a country-wide campaign to issue renewed Proof of Registration (PoR) cards.
Some 1.4 million already registered Afghan refugees are being verified and issued with new biometric cards through 35 sites and four mobile units.
The last large-scale verification of refugees in the country was undertaken 10 years ago.
Known as the Documentation Renewal and Information Verification Exercise – DRIVE – the government-led campaign is run by Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR), with the support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and is expected to be completed within the year.
DRIVE will boost Pakistan’s efforts to enhance protection and assistance for refugees. The cards will better enable refugees to access critical services, such as health and education.
Refugees who completed their DRIVE verification interviews receive SMS notifications advising them of when and where their new PoR smartcards can be collected.
“I applaud the progress Pakistan has made with this exercise. It is a global leader in terms of developing a high-tech refugee registration platform which enables refugee protection and solutions. I hope more countries will follow in Pakistan’s footsteps in providing documentation to refugees,” said the UNHCR Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Indrika Ratwatte while visiting a DRIVE Centre in Peshawar today.
Pakistan’s NADRA has printed and distributed some 100,000 new smartcards to existing registered Afghan refugees.
“A lot has changed since the last large-scale exercise in Pakistan 10 years ago. The refugee smartcards are an important tool of protection, and it enables the Government and UNHCR to have current information on the refugee population, including vulnerabilities, skills and education levels to better inform the provision of services and assistance,” Ratwatte added.
The smart PoR cards, which will be valid until June 2023, are legally recognized proof of identity and include enhanced security features. These cards will also be technologically compatible with systems used in Pakistan to authenticate the identities of nationals to access services.
DRIVE is also part of a wider effort to seek solutions for Afghan refugees, particularly through the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR). The exercise will help collect data on the educational and professional backgrounds of refugees.
This information will also assist in the development of skills training and enhance education opportunities for refugees, as well as match the needs for specific skill sets with opportunities in Afghanistan, which may enable voluntary return and sustainable reintegration in the future.
Measures are in place at all DRIVE sites to mitigate COVID-19 risks through enhanced hygiene, physical distancing, and the scheduling of set numbers of appointments each day.
ENDS
Photo caption: UNHCR Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific interacting with a refugee while visiting a DRIVE Centre in Peshawar, Pakistan. © UNHCR/Zikrea Saleah
Photo caption: UNHCR Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific being briefed about the interview process that registered Afghan refugees take part of in order to receive new smart identity cards. © UNHCR/Zikrea Saleah
UNIC Islamabad
22 September 2021
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UNICEF
PRESS RELEASE
Young children’s diets show no improvement in last decade, ‘could get much worse’ under COVID-19 - UNICEF
During crucial period when children begin to transition to solid foods, just 1 in 3 are fed a diet diverse enough to grow well
NEW YORK, 22 September 2021 – Children under the age of 2 are not getting the food or nutrients they need to thrive and grow well, leading to irreversible developmental harm, according to a new report released by UNICEF today.
Fed to Fail? The crisis of children’s diets in early life – released ahead of the UN Food Systems Summit this week – warns that rising poverty, inequality, conflict, climate-related disasters, and health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are contributing to an ongoing nutrition crisis among the world’s youngest that has shown little sign of improvement in the last ten years.
“The report’s findings are clear: When the stakes are highest, millions of young children are being fed to fail,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Poor nutritional intake in the first two years of life can irreversibly harm children’s rapidly growing bodies and brains, impacting their schooling, job prospects and futures. While we have known this for years, there has been little progress on providing the right kind of nutritious and safe foods for the young. In fact, the ongoing COVID-19 disruptions could make the situation much worse.”
In an analysis of 91 countries, the report finds that only half of children aged 6-23 months are being fed the minimum recommended number of meals a day, while just a third consume the minimum number of food groups they need to thrive. Further analysis of 50 countries with available trend data reveals these poor feeding patterns have persisted throughout the last decade.
As COVID-19 continues to disrupt essential services and drives more families into poverty, the report finds that the pandemic is affecting how families feed their children. For example, a survey conducted among urban households in Jakarta found that half of families have been forced to reduce nutritious food purchases. As a result, the percentage of children consuming the minimum recommended number of food groups fell by a third in 2020, compared to 2018.
Children carry the scars of poor diets and feeding practices for life. An insufficient intake of nutrients found in vegetables, fruits, eggs, fish and meat needed to support growth at an early age puts children at risk of poor brain development, weak learning, low immunity, increased infections and, potentially, death.
Children under the age of two are most vulnerable to all forms of malnutrition – stunting, wasting, micronutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity – as a result of poor diets, due to their greater need for essential nutrients per kilogram of body weight than at any other time in life.
Globally, UNICEF estimates that more than half of children under the age of 5 with wasting – around 23 million children – are younger than 2 years of age, while the prevalence of stunting increases rapidly between 6 months and two years, as children’s diets fail to keep pace with their growing nutritional needs.
According to the report, children aged 6-23 months living in rural areas or from poorer households are significantly more likely to be fed poor diets compared to their urban or wealthier peers. In 2020, for example, the proportion of children fed the minimum number of recommended food groups was twice as high in urban areas (39 per cent) than in rural areas (23 per cent).
To deliver nutritious, safe, and affordable diets to every child, the report calls for governments, donors, civil society organizations and development actors to work hand-in-hand to transform food, health and social protection systems by leading key actions, including:
· Increasing the availability and affordability of nutritious foods – including fruits, vegetables, eggs, fish meat and fortified foods – by incentivizing their production, distribution and retailing.
· Implementing national standards and legislation to protect young children from unhealthy processed and ultra-processed foods and beverages, and to end harmful marketing practices targeting children and families.
· Increasing the desirability of nutritious and safe foods through multiple communication channels including digital media to reach parents and children with easy to understand, coherent information.
The report notes that progress is possible with investment. In Latin America and the Caribbean, for example, almost two thirds (62 per cent) of children aged 6–23 months are fed a minimally diverse diet, while in Eastern and Southern Africa (24 per cent), West and Central Africa (21 per cent) and South Asia (19 per cent), less than one in four young children are being fed a minimally diverse diet. In all regions, investments are needed to ensure that all children benefit from the diverse diets they need to prevent all forms of malnutrition, and grow, develop and learn to their full potential.
“Children cannot survive or thrive on calories alone,” said Fore. “Only by joining forces with governments, the private sector, civil society, development and humanitarian partners, and families can we transform food systems and unlock nutritious, safe and affordable diets for every child. The upcoming UN Food Systems Summit is an important opportunity to set the stage for global food systems that meet the needs of all children.”
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Notes to Editors
Quantitative data on current status, trends and inequities of young children’s diets presented in this report are derived from UNICEF’s global databases, which include only data that are internationally comparable and statistically sound. UNICEF global databases comprise data from 607 nationally representative surveys conducted in 135 countries and territories, representing more than 90 per cent of all children under the age of 2 globally.
For further information, please contact:
Helen Wylie, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 244 2215, hwy...@unicef.org
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 UNICEF and its work for children visit www.unicef.org
Follow UNICEF on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
About the 2021 UN Food Systems Summit
The UN Food Systems Summit was announced by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio
Guterres, on World Food Day in October 2020 as a part of the Decade of Action
for delivery on the SDGs by 2030. The aim of the Summit is to deliver progress
on all 17 of the SDGs through a food systems approach, leveraging the
interconnectedness of food systems to global challenges such as hunger, climate
change, poverty and inequality. More information about the 2021 UN Food Systems
Summit can be found at https://www.un.org/food-systems-summit
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
23 September 2021
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UNIDO
PRESS RELEASE
UNIDO is Enhancing the Collaboration of Stakeholders for Apple Value Chain (AVC) in Balochistan with the First Public Private Partnership (PPP) Platform
Quetta (23 September 2021), The Minister for Agriculture and Cooperative Department, Government of Balochistan, Engineer Zamarak Khan Achakzai, chaired the first Public Private Partnership (PPP) platform meeting of The Project for Agri-Food and Agro-Industry Development Assistance (PAFAID) organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Department of Agriculture Government of Balochistan.
Established under PAFAID project, the objective of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Platform for the Apple Value Chain (AVC) in Balochistan is to enhance the collaboration of public and private sectors stakeholders in piloting applications of the compliance capacities and value addition practices in the apple value chain in Balochistan. The forum also supported the development and validation of required policies, procedures and strategies related to the AVC in Balochistan.
The chief guest, Engineer Zamarak Khan Achakzai, The Minister for Agriculture and Cooperative Department, Government of Balochistan, appreciated JICA and UNIDO’s for supporting the agriculture department for developing the Good Agricultural Practices and Apple Value Chain Development and investment strategy. He said, “Synergies among projects, programs and organizations, including government department is vital for improvement of apple value chain”.
During the PPP meeting, UNIDO presented the Apple Value Chain Development & Investment (AVCD&I) Strategy for Balochistan to the members of the platform for their feedback and inputs. The Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) guideline for apple value chain was also reviewed. The meeting was attended by representatives from P&D, Women Development Department, Finance Department, local government and Rural Development Department, official from agriculture extension directorate, representatives from Chamber of Commerce and Industry Quetta, industry association, farmer association, transporters, cold storage owners, Balochistan Agriculture College, SMEDA and UN agencies.
PAFAID, is a four-year Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded project and being implemented by UNIDO in close coordination with Government of Pakistan, aims at improved pilot applications of the compliance capacities and value addition practices in the cattle meat value chain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and apple value chain in Balochistan province. For more information, please visit website www.pafaid.org.
UNIC Islamabad
24 September 2021
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ITC
PRESS RELEASE
Actions required for trade growth in Pakistan agreed upon
Islamabad: The second round of hybrid consultations focusing on Plan of Action review for the development of the priority sector export strategies was concluded in Karachi.
Hundreds of public and private sector representatives participated in the review and approval process of the priorities for the next five years in each of their sector.
For Pakistan to achieve its trade growth ambition, the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) and TDAP are developing a coherent and comprehensive Strategic Trade Development Framework (STPF) focusing on 17 priority sectors. As part of the National Priority Sectors Export Strategy (NPSES), the International Trade Centre (ITC) is supporting MoC to develop 10 strategies directly stemming from the STPF priorities.
The STPF priority sectors’ strategies design process will focus on developing actionable plans to increase their export competitiveness in the global market. The STPF priority sectors covered by the NPSES include engineering goods, leather, processed food and beverages, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, pharmaceuticals, software development and services, business process outsourcing, logistics, and institutional coordination.
The development of the priority sector export strategies will aim to reduce barriers to international trade growth which can become a key driver for Pakistan’s economic recovery in a post-pandemic world. The sector strategies will enable potential for companies in Pakistan to diversify and improve their competitiveness and exports, better participate in global and regional value chains, and move up the quality ladder, by innovating, producing and exporting higher value products, and marketing through branding and promotion.
Each sector session invited industry stakeholders to review and validate the Action Plans, while agreeing on the responsibilities for each implementing agency. In addition to key national institutions and private sector representatives, development partners were also invited to support implementation of the sector strategies.
These consultations are conducted by MOC and TDAP and are directly aligned with the ambitions from the Government of Pakistan to develop exports. The newly formed National Export Development Board (NEDB) will further steer the implementation of the STPF and the sector strategies through Sector Advisory Councils (SAC).
“The NPSES comes at a crucial time for Pakistan. As the hon. Prime Minister of Pakistan emphasised the need to boost Pakistani exports, the NPSES will provide a tangible and concrete roadmap for the Government and private sector to work together towards this goal, while creating jobs and new opportunities for Pakistan. The NPSES will reflect the needs of Pakistani exporters and the Ministry is committed to implement the Plans of Action that will emanate from it” said Sualeh Ahmad Faruqi, the Federal Secretary of Commerce of Pakistan.
The development of the NPSES is supported by the Revenue Mobilisation, Investment and Trade (ReMIT) Programme, implemented by the International Trade Centre (ITC), and funded by the United Kingdom Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).
For more information, contact:
Waqas Rafique, International Trade Centre, Geneva
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UNDP
PRESS RELEASE
UNDP establishes a Command and Control Centre to support Gilgit Baltistan Police to connect digitally
Gilgit, September 24, 2021—UNDP Pakistan’ has established a Command and Control Centre for Gilgit Baltistan Police to connect digitally in Gilgit. Inspector General of Police Gilgit Baltistan, Mr. Saeed Khan Wazir, and UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative Mr. Knut Ostby inaugurated the newly established Command and Control Centre today.
The pandemic has increased the need to connect virtually to work efficiently. Operational now with relevant equipment including cameras, sound systems, screens and licensed Zoom accounts, the Command and Control Centre will enable the Gilgit Baltistan Police to conduct conferences and meetings virtually—within Gilgit Baltistan and with officials in other provinces as well. The centre, established through UNDP’s Amn-o-Insaf programme, will also help the capacity building of police officials to use digital platforms and thus save time and reduce costs significantly.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Inspector General of Police Gilgit Baltistan, Mr. Saeed Khan Wazir thanked UNDP for extending its support, and expressed hope that the collaboration between UNDP and Gilgit Baltistan Police will continue to thrive and grow.
UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative Mr. Knut Ostby highlighted that strengthening justice sector institutions is essential to strengthening Rule of Law in Pakistan. “The Command and Control Centre is a step towards further interventions that will strengthen the justice and Rule of Law sector in Gilgit Baltistan. With support from our partner, Global Fund, UNDP is also working with the Government of Gilgit Baltistan to develop a Rule of Law roadmap that will provide strategic guidance for rule of law reforms in the region”, he added.
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UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
1ST NATIONAL TABLE-TALK EXERCISE TO PROMOTE INTERAGENCY COOPERATION IN PAKISTAN’S MARITIME DOMAIN
KARACHI (24 September 2021): United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office in Pakistan concluded the 1st National Table-Talk Exercise. This four-day exercise was organized in the Movenpick Hotel Karachi. It aimed at addressing the challenges of drugs trafficking and smuggling of contraband items through Pakistan’s coastal areas and maritime domain more effectively. The participating law enforcement agencies included the Anti Narcotics Force, Pakistan Customs and the Pakistan Coast Guards. The exercise was designed to identify challenges, gaps, best practices and lessons-learnt, for enhancing interagency coordination and interoperability in Pakistan’s maritime domain.
While warmly welcoming the participants at the inaugural session on 21 September 2021, Dr. Jeremy Milsom, Representative UNODC Country Office in Pakistan highlighted the existing and emerging trends of drug trafficking, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling, and smuggling of other contraband items emanating from Afghanistan, and creating governance and security challenges in Pakistan and the wider region. He emphasized the need to improve interagency and regional cooperation, to respond to these challenges more amicably, particularly in the aftermath of recent political changes in Afghanistan.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Akbar Hussain Durrani (Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), Secretary Ministry of Narcotics Control highlighted Pakistan’s crucial role as the first-line of defence against the massive flow of opiates and its derivatives, synthetic drugs and new psychotropic substances through Pakistan – both for domestic consumption and transnational trafficking to rest of the world. He stressed the importance of fully implementing countermeasures, as envisaged in Pakistan’s Anti Narcotics Policy 2019, especially to combat the threats of narcotics abuse in educational settings.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Mark Stroh, the U.S. Consul General Karachi thanked Pakistan for making concerted efforts in counter-narcotics, being the main transit country neighboring Afghanistan. He recognized the major role being played by the Anti Narcotics Force and other counter-narcotics law enforcement agencies in this regard, and the need for enhancing technical capacity – to detect, deter and disrupt drug trafficking proactively. He also appreciated a close and strong relationship between Pakistan and the United States of America in the fight against drug proliferation.
In his opening remarks, Major General Ghulam Shabeer Narejo, Director General Anti Narcotics Force highly appreciated the efforts by UNODC, to bring together important stakeholder for a wholesome view of illicit trafficking and smuggling of various kinds, and to find more practical solutions. He highlighted Pakistan’s major role, to safeguard the international community against the existing and emerging threats of drug trafficking and other transnational organized crime emanating from Afghanistan. He also stressed the need for improving interagency coordination and thanked UNODC for this idea of bringing together all concerned counterparts for open discussion through this exercise.
The exercise was facilitated by International experts from UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP). It was also attended by the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom as an observer. Extensive technical discussions were held among Pakistani maritime law enforcement agencies, around the challenges of illicit trafficking and smuggling and how to address those through an integrated response in the maritime domain. The Director General Anti Narcotics Force chaired the closing session as the Chief Guest. He also distributed completion certificates among all participants.
The event was organized by UNODC Country Office Pakistan under its project entitled ‘Improved National Response against Drugs and Contraband Trafficking in the Maritime Domain’ – funded by the U.S. Department of State’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Pakistan.
For further information, please contact:-
Ms. Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC Pakistan, cell: 0301 8564255, email: rizwan...@un.org
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ریلیز
پاکستان میں میری ٹائم کے شعبے میں متعلقہ اداروں کے درمیان تعاون کے فروغ کے لئے پہلی نیشنل ٹیبل ٹاک کا انعقاد
کراچی (24 ستمبر 2021): اقوام متحدہ دفتر برائے انسدادِ منشیات و جرائم پاکستان کی جانب سے پاکستان کے ساحلی علاقوں کے راستے منشیات اور دیگر ممنوعہ اشیاء کی سمگلنگ اور میری ٹائم کے شعبے میں درپیش دیگر مشکلات کے ازالہ کے سلسلے میں منعقد کی گئی پہلی نیشنل ٹیبل ٹاک اپنے اختتام کو پہنچ گئی۔ چار روزہ ٹیبل ٹاک کا اہتمام موون پک ہوٹل کراچی میں کیا گیا جس میں انٹی نارکوٹکس فورس، پاکستان کسٹمز اور پاکستان کوسٹ گارڈز سمیت قانون نافذ کرنے والے متعلقہ اداروں نے حصہ لیا۔ اس موقع پر پاکستان کے میری ٹائم کے شعبے کو درپیش مشکلات اور مختلف حوالوں سے اس میں پائی جانے والی کمی کی نشاندہی کے علاوہ مختلف اداروں کے درمیان باہمی تعاون بہتر بنانے اور مل کر کام کرنے کے لئے بہترین مروجہ طریقوں اور سبق آموز تجربات پر تبادلہ خیالات کیا گیا۔
21 ستمبر 2021 کو منعقد ہونے والے افتتاحی سیشن میں شرکاء کا پرتپاک خیرمقدم کرتے ہوئے پاکستان میں یو این او ڈی سی کنٹری آفس کے نمائندے ڈاکٹر جیریمی مِلسم نے منشیات کی سمگلنگ، انسانی سمگلنگ، مہاجرین کی سمگلنگ، اور افغانستان سے ہونے والی دیگر ممنوعہ اشیاء کی سمگلنگ کے موجودہ اور ابھرتے ہوئے رجحانات اور ان کی وجہ سے پاکستان اور وسیع تر خطے کے لئے پیدا ہونے والی گورننس اور سلامتی کی مشکلات پر روشنی ڈالی۔ انہوں نے بالخصوص افغانستان کی حالیہ سیاسی تبدیلیوں کے پیش نظر ان مشکلات پرموثر جوابی اقدامات کے لئےمتعلقہ اداروں کے درمیان اور علاقائی سطح پر تعاون بہتر بنانے کی ضرورت پر زور دیا۔
سیکرٹری وزارتِ انسدادِ منشیات جناب اکبر حسین درانی (تمغہ امتیاز) نے اپنے ابتدائی کلمات میں پاکستان کے اس انتہائی اہم کردار کو اجاگر کیا جو وہ خود اپنے ملک میں اور دنیا بھر کو سمگل کی جانے والی افیون اور اس سے بنائی جانے والی نشہ آور اشیاء، سنتھیٹک منشیات اور نفسیاتی بیماریاں پیدا کرنے والی نشہ آور اشیاء کی نئی اقسام کی بڑے پیمانے پر سمگلنگ کے خلاف پیش پیش رہتے ہوئے ادا کر رہا ہے۔ انہوں نے اس سلسلے میں پاکستان کی انسدادِ منشیات پالیسی، 2019، میں وضع کئے گئے انسدادی اقدامات پر بھرپور عملدرآمد کی اہمیت پر زور دیا جن میں تعلیمی اداروں میں منشیات کے استعمال سے متعلق خطرات کا خاتمہ خاص طور پر قابل ذکر ہے۔
کراچی میں امریکہ کے قونصل جنرل جناب مارک سٹروہ نے اپنے ابتدائی کلمات میں انسدادِ منشیات کی بھرپور کوششوں پر پاکستان کا شکریہ ادا کیا جو ہمسایہ ملک افغانستان کے لئے ایک بڑی راہداری ہے۔ انہوں نے اس سلسلے میں انٹی نارکوٹکس فورس اور انسداد منشیات سے متعلق قانون نافذ کرنے والے دیگر اداروں کی طرف سے ادا کئے جانے والے مرکزی کردار کو سراہا اور اس بات کو تسلیم کیا کہ منشیات کی سمگلنگ کا سراغ لگانے اور اسے روکنے کے لئے تکنیکی استعداد میں بہتری ضروری ہے۔ انہوں نے منشیات کے پھیلاؤ کے خلاف جدوجہد میں پاکستان اور امریکہ کے درمیان موجود مضبوط اور قریبی تعلق کو سراہا۔
انٹی نارکوٹکس فورس کے ڈائریکٹر جنرل میجر جنرل غلام شبیر نریجو نے اپنے ابتدائی کلمات میں یو این او ڈی سی کی جانب سے کی جانے والی کوششوں کو بھرپور انداز میں سراہا جن کی بدولت مختلف اشیاء کی غیرقانونی سمگلنگ پر ایک کلی نقطہ نظر پیدا کرنے اور مسائل کے عملی حل تلاش کرنے کے لئے اہم متعلقہ فریقوں کو یکجا کرنے کا موقع ملا۔ انہوں نے منشیات کی سمگلنگ اور دیگر منظم بین الاقوامی جرائم کے سلسلے میں افغانستان سے پیدا ہونے والے موجودہ اور ابھرتے ہوئے خطرات سے بین الاقوامی برادری کو تحفظ فراہم کرنے کے لئے پاکستان کے مرکزی کردار پر روشنی ڈالی۔ انہوں نے مختلف متعلقہ اداروں کے درمیان باہمی تعاون بہتر بنانے کی ضرورت پر زور دیا اور تمام متعلقہ فریقوں کو اس گفتگو کے سلسلے میں یکجا کرنے پر یو این او ڈی سی کا شکریہ ادا کیا۔
ٹیبل ٹاک کے سلسلے میں یو این او ڈی سی کے گلوبل میری ٹائم کرائم پروگرام (جی ایم سی پی) سے تعلق رکھنے والے بین الاقوامی ماہرین نے معاونت فراہم کی۔ برطانیہ کی نیشنل کرائم ایجنسی نے بطور مبصر اس میں حصہ لیا۔ اس دوران میری ٹائم کے شعبے سے متعلق پاکستان کے قانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں کے درمیان میری ٹائم کے میدان میں غیرقانونی سمگلنگ کی مشکلات اور باہم مربوط اقدامات کے ذریعے انہیں دور کرنے کے طریقوں پر تفصیلی تبادلہ خیالات کیا گیا۔ ڈائریکٹر جنرل اینٹی نارکوٹکس فورس نے اختتامی سیشن میں بطور چیف گیسٹ شرکت کی اورتمام شرکاء میں سرٹیفکیٹس بھی تقسیم کیے۔
ٹیبل ٹاک کا اہتمام یو این او ڈی سی کنٹری آفس پاکستان نے میری ٹائم کے شعبے میں منشیات اور ممنوعہ اشیاء کی سمگلنگ کے جواب میں قومی سطح پر بہتر جوابی اقدامات سے متعلق اپنے پراجیکٹ کے تحت کیا تھا۔ اس پراجیکٹ کے لئے مالی تعاون امریکی محکمہ خارجہ کے انٹرنیشنل نارکوٹکس اینڈ لاء انفورسمنٹ افیئرز (آئی این ایل) پاکستان نے فراہم کیا ہے۔
مزید معلومات کے لئے رابطہ:-
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
25 September 2021
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United Nations
READOUT
Readout of the Secretary-General’s meeting with H.E. Mr. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan
The Secretary-General met with H.E. Mr. Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi, Foreign Minister of Pakistan.
The Secretary-General expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s support for the work of the United Nations, particularly in its successful presidency of ECOSOC and in UN peace operations.
The Secretary-General and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on developments in the region and on other issues of common concern, in particular Afghanistan.
New York, 24 September 2021
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UN Women
PRESS RELEASE
Strengthening institutions key to women rights says President Alvi at National Seminar on Protection of Women Against Harassment
Lahore (September 24, 2021): President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi lauded the government’s efforts of activating institutions to protect women against harassment and to empower them by rights of ownership and possession of properties.
Addressing a national seminar on protection of women against harassment, the president said it is our religious duty to protect women against harassment and to give them property rights, but unfortunately this protection is not fully accorded in some parts of the country. He, nevertheless, expressed his satisfaction over the establishment and working of the offices of ombudspersons for protection of women and emphasized that society has a role to play for protection of women against harassment.
The mega seminar attended by parliamentarians, members of civil society, academia, youth and private sector entities was organized by UN Women Pakistan in collaboration with Office of the Ombudsperson, Punjab and Bargad Organization for Youth Development.
Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar said that the government is committed to safeguard rights of women and giving them socio-economic status that they deserve. In this connection, he said that the ombudsperson offices are essential in providing speedy justice and we will continue working to further strengthen effective implementation of the passed laws.
The panelists of the seminar included Ms. Kashmala Tariq, Federal Ombudsperson; Ms. Sabira Islam, Ombudsperson Balochistan; Muhammad Kamran Khan Chief Operating Officer Punjab Safe Cities Authority; Senator Mr. Waleed Iqbal and Member Provincial Assembly Uzma Kardar, Bushra Butt, Shawana Bashir and Aysha Iqbal amongst others.
Punjab Ombudsperson Nabila Hakim Ali Khan briefed the participants about working of her office in creating an enabling environment and protecting women in Punjab. She added that Office of the Ombudsperson is striving and making strenuous efforts for establishment of Inquiry Committees at all levels and in all types of offices/ workplaces in Punjab. She urged the citizens and stakeholders to access this progressive and legally strong office for grievances of women over harassment and property rights.
Speaking at the seminar, UN Women Country Representative, Ms. Sharmeela Rassooel said that "The Gender Equality and Women Empowerment policy developed with technical support of UN Women is one of the prominent achievements, yet we need to work together along with all our partners for its effective implementation". Ms. Rassool further added that Gender equality cannot be achieved until women are given equal opportunities to develop and advance professionally, for which harassment-free workplaces are critical.
There were two Interactive sessions were held, first with government stakeholders and CSO, and the second with parliamentarians, to recommend ways to increase ownership of federal and provincial governments and create synergy across stakeholders for effective implementation of the existing law ombudsperson law for women empowerment. The government officials and the Ombudspersons shared their learning on practical issues around the implementation of the law. The panelists also agreed on a roadmap for effective coordination and oversight of the law for anti-harassment measures and the protection of women rights of ownership and possession of properties.
For Media Queries:
Hassan Ali Abbasi
Communications Assistant
UN Women Pakistan
03335496914|0346-8502117
UNIC Islamabad
27 September 2021
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UNDP
PRESS RELEASE
Government of Pakistan and UNDP launches Digital Media Development Programme for youth skills development
Islamabad, 25 September 2021—Digital Media Development Programme (DMDP), a flagship initiative of the Government of Pakistan was inaugurated by Digital Media Wing (DMW), Ministry of Information & Broadcasting in partnership with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), yesterday. Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Imran Khan was the chief guest for the ceremony and formally launched this initiative.
Pakistan’s digital media community has been growing rapidly, with over 100 million internet users, 185 million mobile subscriptions and over 50 million people active on social media. Against this backdrop, DMDP is strategically designed to leverage the digital landscape. This will empower the youth of Pakistan in enhancing their digital skills and gain employment opportunities.
The Digital Media Development Programme will bridge the gap between the students, Government of Pakistan and the digital media industry by training the youth. In the first batch, 100 capable interns will be selected placed at federal ministries and departments for three months to enhance their skills.
The Programme has partnered with the world’s leading social media organizations and digital media industry experts, including YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to give workshops to young Pakistani interns. With UNDP’s support, the students will also get monthly stipends upon successful completion of tasks.
During the internship period, the interns will also be guided to conduct digital media seminars in their respective universities to engage the youth of Pakistan. The interns will also work on a project to address issues such as fake news that Pakistan faces in this particular industry.
Speaking at the event, the Prime Minister Mr. Imran Khan said, “The Pakistani Youth should never underestimate their abilities and set a very high goal for themselves to achieve. You should never give up in the face of failures, and the hurdles are there only to make you stronger. Choose objectives that are bigger than yourself and serve a higher purpose. Further, he said that he is delighted to see this initiative that will involve the youth of Pakistan in furthering Pakistan’s narrative. He stressed the importance of truth and said that those who remain truthful in their life are respected.”
Regarding UNDP’s support to the internship programme, the UNDP Resident Representative Knut Ostby quoted, “UNDP is pleased to support the Government of Pakistan in this effort to empower youth by providing very relevant digital skills and on-the-job training to young men and women in government offices. This kind of professional exposure will be an important step to enhance youth’s future career prospects.”
UNDP, through its Youth Empowerment Programme, has already been providing digital skills trainings, entrepreneurship trainings, internships and employment opportunities to the youth in Pakistan through its various interventions since 2018.
With DMDP, a more collaborative and agile digital ecosystem will be created, where all stakeholders will be working towards a common goal of transforming Pakistan’s digital landscape for the betterment of the country.
UNIC Islamabad
27 September 2021
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UNODC
PRESS RELEASE
UNODC begins a Roundtable Workshop for Developing Interagency Guidance on ‘Handling of Stateless and Unflagged Vessels’
KARACHI (27 September 2021): United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Country Office in Pakistan began a four-day roundtable workshop among maritime law enforcement agencies at the Movenpick Hotel Karachi. The workshop aims to strengthen national action against perpetrators of drugs trafficking and smuggling of contraband items through Pakistan’s coastal areas and maritime domain. The participating law enforcement agencies included the Anti Narcotics Force (ANF), Pakistan Customs, Pakistan Coast Guards (PCG) and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA).
While warmly welcoming the participants at the inaugural session Mr. Saqib Khan, Programme Officer (Border Management) of UNODC Country Office in Pakistan highlighted the existing and emerging trends of drug trafficking, human trafficking and migrant smuggling, and smuggling of various contraband items through Pakistan’s maritime domain. He emphasized the need to improve interagency and regional cooperation, to respond to these challenges more effectively, particularly in the aftermath of recent political changes in Afghanistan. “The roundtable workshop is designed to identify challenges, gaps, best practices and lessons-learnt, for enhancing interagency coordination and interoperability in Pakistan’s maritime domain. I would like to convey best wishes from Dr. Jeremy Milsom – Representative UNODC Country Office Pakistan to all of you, for fruitful discussions and positive outcome at this roundtable workshop”, he said.
In his opening address, Mr. Feroze Alam Junejo, Collector of Customs (Model Customs Collectorate - Enforcement and Compliance) Karachi thanked UNODC for its capacity development support in Pakistan. He referred to close partnership between UNODC and Pakistan Customs, to address the most-needed capacity-building requirements in Pakistan. He said, “The Model Customs Collectorate (Enforcement and Compliance) has been actively participating in various capacity building projects of UNODC. We have made available Customs’ training facilities for conducting interagency specialist training in Karachi. The Pakistan Customs stands ready to closely coordinate various operational responses along with our counterpart law enforcement agencies. I hope that this 4-day exercise would lead to useful discussions – to deal with unflagged and stateless vessels in the maritime domain, more effectively” he said.
The roundtable workshop is being facilitated by an international expert from UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP). Extensive legal and technical discussions will be held among the four Pakistani maritime law enforcement agencies, around the existing and emerging challenges of illicit trafficking and smuggling and how to address those through an integrated response in the maritime domain.
The event is being organized by UNODC Country Office Pakistan under its project entitled ‘Strengthening Pakistan’s Maritime Law Enforcement Capacity against Illicit Trafficking and Transnational Organized Crime’ – funded by the Government of Australia.
For further information, please contact:-
Ms. Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC Pakistan, cell: 0301 8564255
email: rizwan...@un.org
UNIC Islamabad
Media Update
29 September 2021
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UNITED NATIONS
PRESS RELEASE
UN Secretary-General calls for accelerated action on jobs and social protection to avoid an uneven global recovery and prevent future crises
Deeply diverging recoveries will undermine trust and solidarity and make the world more vulnerable to future crises, including climate change
· Secretary-General to convene leaders on 28 September to mobilize action
· New Global Accelerator on Jobs and Social Protection platform launched to create 400 million jobs and extend social protection coverage to 4 billion people currently left unprotected.
New York, 27 September—Investing in job-rich growth, social protection and a just transition to a net-zero emissions future, particularly in low -and middle-income countries, could prevent a further deepening of the inequalities between developed and developing economies that have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, said UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, in a policy brief issued today.
At least US$982 billion in fiscal stimulus measures is needed to respond to the immediate labour market shocks of the crisis and to support a just transition, as well as US$ 1.2 trillion annually for social protection floors in low- and middle-income countries. No advanced economy has achieved economic and social progress without investing in social protection systems and quality public services that provide people with the necessary support to navigate the vicissitudes of their lives.
While the wealth of billionaires increased by over US$ 3.9 trillion between March and December 2020, the impact of the pandemic on the world of work, among other factors, increased the number of extremely poor by between 119 and 224 million people—the first increase in poverty in over 21 years.
· An estimated 8.8 percent of total working hours - equivalent to the hours worked in one year by 255 million full-time workers - were lost in 2020.
· This corresponds to a loss of US$3.3 trillion in labour income before government support.
· Because of the pandemic, there are an estimated 75 million fewer jobs in 2021 than there were before the crisis, and 23 million fewer projected in 2022.
The Secretary-General’s brief calls for urgent investments in a job-rich, sustainable and socially inclusive recovery. The public and private sectors should leverage finance to significantly ramp up such investments to get the world back on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and to address ever increasing risks from climate change and environmental degradation that could jeopardize 1.2 billion jobs—equivalent to 40 percent of the global labour force.
A human-centred recovery from the pandemic needs employment and social protection policies to work in tandem, not only to improve people’s living standards, but also to help them navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing world of work and the transition towards the goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Accelerating job creation
To achieve a job-rich recovery and a just transition to a sustainable and inclusive economy, the Secretary-General is calling for a Global Accelerator for Jobs and Social Protection that would create at least 400 million jobs and extend social protection to 4 billion women, men and children currently without coverage.
To achieve this Goal, the Policy Brief entitled “Investing in Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Eradication and a Sustainable Recovery” recommends several actions:
· Develop integrated national and inclusive recovery strategies for decent job creation, especially in the care and green sectors, universal social protection, and a just transition, and ensure they are aligned with macro-economic and fiscal policies and underpinned by sound data.
· Expand investment in Social Protection Floors as a percentage of GDP in national budgets.
· Design policy measures to extend social protection to workers in the informal economy, and to foster the progressive formalization of enterprises and employment, including in the care economy.
· Create active labour market policies to help workers upskill and re-skill to keep or change their job, adapt to the green and digital transitions.
· Develop a sound financial architecture to mobilize investments for decent jobs, social protection, and a just transition, including by channelling SDRs to support national recovery strategies to countries in need.
· Strengthen collaboration with the private sector to scale-up investments in strategic sectors to promote entrepreneurship, effectively reaching women and women-owned enterprises in particular, to close the skills gap
· Align strategies with the Paris Climate Accords, so that they support enterprises and workers, while also ensuring that vulnerable populations are not left behind in the transition to net-zero carbon emissions economies.
High-level Event on Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Eradication
The UN Secretary-General will present the brief at a virtual high-level meeting at the UN on 28 September 2021, 09.00 -12.00 ET (15.00-18.00 CEST). The meeting is convened jointly with the ILO.
Leaders from countries, along with the heads of major international organizations, multilateral banks and finance institutions, civil society, private sector and academia will discuss pathways
The High-Level Meeting on Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Eradication will feature the UN Secretary-General delivering opening remarks, followed by Jamaican Prime Minister Mr. Andrew Holness as co-convener of the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative (FfDI), and Mr. Guy Ryder, Director-General, International Labour Organization. After, a moderated discussion will take place with Heads of the International Financial Institutions, Heads of States and Government and international organizations.
The Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed will provide closing remarks.
The meeting is being organized under the aegis of the Financing for Development in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond Initiative (FfDI) with the support of ILO.
For further information, please contact:
United Nations: Dan Shepard, email: she...@un.org, tel: +1 646 675 3286
International Labour Organization: Amber Barth, email: ba...@ilo.org, tel: +1 212 697 0150
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UNESCO
PRESS RELEASE
International Day for Universal Access to Information 2021 Marked by UNESCO and Partners
International Day for Universal Access to Information, “The right to Know – Building Back Better” was celebrated on September 28, 2021 by UNESCO with partners including the EU delegation to Pakistan, the Embassy of Sweden, the Embassy of the Netherlands and the global civil society organizations Free Press Unlimited (FPU). Some 50 participants from civil society, youth, media professionals, academia, international organizations, and diplomatic missions attended the event.
2021 is the sixth consecutive year of UNESCO marking the “International Day for Universal Access to Information” (IDUAI). In 2015, UNESCO adopted a resolution (38 C/70) to commemorate IDUAI every year. Access to Information is considered as the touchstone for all human rights including freedom of expression and media freedom. Its special relevance to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is also significant, in which it calls upon member states to adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information.
The Ambassador of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Henrik Persson gave the welcome marks by recognizing the importance of access to information for building strong institutions. During the keynote address the honourable provincial minister of Balochistan, Mr. Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, stressed upon the need for more proactive disclosure of information by governments to strengthen citizen’s voices, accountability, and transparency.
During the event a panel of expert speakers including Ms. Amber Rahim Shamsi (veteran journalist), Mr. Mukhtar Ahmed (former information commissioner), Ms. Imaan Hazir Mazari (lawyer and human rights activist) and Mr. Zafarullah Khan (former executive director Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Studies) expressed their opinions on the need to enhance access to information in the country.
UNESCO Officer, Mr. Hamza Khan presented UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay’s message reiterating organization’s commitment to promote access to information and freedom of expression across the globe.
The right of universal access to information empowers citizens to make informed opinions thus strengthening democratic processes and ensuring the protection of fundamental human rights.
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UNIC Islamabad
Media Update-2
29 September 2021
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UNHCR
PRESS RELEASE
Afghan doctor in Pakistan wins the regional Nansen Refugee Award
Islamabad, 29 September 2021 – UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency is pleased to announce Dr. Saleema Rehman as this year’s regional winner of the Nansen Refugee Award in the Asia region. Dr. Rehman is a 29-year-old Afghan refugee doctor, serving local communities and refugees in Pakistan.
UNHCR’s Nansen Refugee Award is given to Dr. Rehman in recognition of her outstanding service and commitment to Pakistanis and refugees in the country. It also acknowledges her contributions as a refugee to Pakistan, particularly the unwavering dedication towards her patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Award further highlights the powerful example that Dr. Rehman has set for other Afghan refugee women and girls.
“Access to education is very important in our lives. Investing in the education of a woman is an investment in a whole next generation,” Rehman said at a ceremony held in her honour at the Swiss Embassy in Islamabad.
The Ambassador of Switzerland, Bénédict de Cerjat, and the Chargée d’affaires of Norway, Elin Kylvåg, in Pakistan presented the Award.
The Swiss Ambassador Bénédict de Cerjat termed her as an inspirational young Afghan woman. “She is a bright example on how valuable it is for the international community to support countries hosting refugees with inclusive policies like Pakistan. Investing in refugees also helps Afghanistan, which is in need of professionals. Women and men, like Dr. Saleema, could contribute to their own country – if it becomes safe to return home. We are committed to help ensure that the next generation of Afghan girls can also fulfil their dreams,” he said.
The Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Saleem Khan, welcomed Dr. Rehman’s win. “We feel proud of Dr. Rehman. She’s a wonderful example of her community. Pakistan can take pride in producing such a fine doctor – countless young Afghans have benefited from Pakistan’s progressive policies.’’
The UNHCR Representative in Pakistan and other dignitaries representing a range of countries and organizations participated in the ceremony.
Established in 1954, the award named for the late Fridtjof Nansen, a Norwegian diplomat, scientist, polar explorer and humanitarian who went on to serve as the first High Commissioner for Refugees for the League of Nations and won the 1922 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nansen Refugee Award is given annually to one or more individuals or an organization for outstanding work on behalf of the forcibly displaced and/or stateless people.
This year, the global winner is the Jeel Albena Association for Humanitarian Development, a relief organization in Yemen. There are also five regional winners, including Dr. Rehman in Asia, as well as regional winners in the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
ENDS
Photo captions:
The Ambassador of Switzerland, Bénédict de Cerjat, the UNHCR Representative, Noriko Yoshida, the Chargée d’affaires of Norway, Elin Kylvåg, and the Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees, Saleem Khan, presenting an award certificate to the regional winner for Asia of the Nansen Refugee Award, Dr. Saleema Rehman, at the event in Islamabad. © UNHCR/Asif Shahzad
Dr. Saleema Rehman, the regional winner for Asia of the Nansen Refugee Award, posing with an award certificate in Islamabad. © UNHCR/Asif Shahzad
UNIC Islamabad
30 September 2021
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UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE
THE SECRETARY-GENERAL
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MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS
1 October 2021
Staying connected with loved ones. Attending a religious service. Taking a stance. All of these actions and many more are increasingly carried out online, especially as individuals and communities grapple with restrictions imposed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As we face the challenge of navigating our world’s growing reliance on technology, perhaps no population could benefit more from support than older persons.
“Digital Equity for all Ages,” the theme of this year’s International Day of Older Persons, offers an important chance to expand opportunities across generations for the benefit of society as a whole.
Older persons have often been left more isolated during the pandemic. They are also at greater risk of suffering from the rising threat of cybercrime. While taking all possible measures to hold to account those unscrupulous criminals preying on older persons, we must also work to strengthen the digital skills of the older persons as an important defence and means to improve their well-being.
Older persons are far more than a vulnerable group; they are a source of knowledge, experience and rich contributions to our collective progress. When older persons can access, learn and use new technology, they will be better equipped to contribute to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy health, peace and prosperity.
On this year’s International Day of Older Persons, I call for more inclusive policies, strategies and actions to achieve digital equity for people of all ages.
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UNITED NATIONS
SECRETARY-GENERAL VIDEO MESSAGE
Secretary-General’s Video Message
to the Youth4Climate: Driving Ambition (Pre-COP Youth Event)
30 September 2021
The climate crisis is a code red for humanity.
It is already devastating lives and livelihoods.
As usual, the poorest and most vulnerable are the hardest hit.
The window of opportunity to prevent the worst impacts of the climate crisis is closing quickly. We know what needs to be done and we have the tools to do it.
Young people have been in the forefront of putting forward positive solutions, advocating for climate justice and holding leaders to account.
We need young people everywhere to keep raising your voices.
For a breakthrough in building resilience and ensuring that at least 50 per cent of climate support is for adaptation to protect lives and livelihoods.
For developed countries to finally deliver on their promise of $100 billion dollars a year in climate finance to the developing world.
For more governments, businesses and investors to reduce their emissions in line with the 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement. This means that they must commit to net-zero by mid-century, with ambitious 2030 targets, and clear plans to achieve them.
For ramping up climate education, green jobs, and fair and inclusive economic growth, leaving no-one behind.
I thank the Government of Italy for providing this global stage for young people to engage directly with policy-makers.
And I thank the more than 400 young people for contributing your ideas and solutions in advance of COP26.
Your solidarity and demands for action set a powerful example.
We need national leaders to follow your example and ensure the ambition and results we need at COP26 and beyond.
Thank you.
Watch the video: https://bit.ly/3AZtuUU