United Nations Celebrates UN Day in Pakistan
On the eve of the United Nations Day (Oct 24) and 79th anniversary of the United Nations Pakistan’s contribution towards world’s peace keeping, UN’s Resident Coordinator In Pakistan Mohamed Yahya hosted a media interaction giving an overview of various UN programmes and initiatives in Pakistan and shared the future plans, success stories, hiccups and challenges, etc.
Flanked by ILO Country Director, GeirTonstol, UNIDO Representative, Nadia Aftab; UNHCR Representative, Philippa Candler; UN Women Deputy Representative, Jacqui VipunjitKetunuti; UNDP Deputy Resident Representative, Van Nguyen, Senior Programme Officer (KP), FAO FarrukhToirov and staff of the ILO where the media briefing took place, the UN Resident Coordinator appreciated Pakistan’s contributions to the UN in the areas of peacekeeping, refugee protection, humanitarian action, climate change, and international cooperation for sustainable development. He also acknowledged the constant support and assistance of the Government of Pakistan and highlighted accomplishments of the UN agencies working in Pakistan in diverse sectors.
The UN Resident Coordinator shared five priorities where the UN agencies were working to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) and assisting the governments not only at the federal level but also provincial and district levels. They are Basic Social Service (BSS), Gender Equality, Climate Change, Economic Growth & Decent Work and last but not the least Governance.
We are pursuing goals such as enabling environment for women to utilize their fullest potential, efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change, keep work/labour sector free of child labour or bonded labour, ratification and implementation of international standards and work ethics, relief work for the communities affected displacement, migration, flash floods and other natural calamities, he said.
Despite challenges, we are optimistic and believe in steady efforts, Yahya said. To a question, he said the situation in Gaza has been a source of great concern and the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is issuing statements almost on a daily basis calling for immediate end to the conflict. He also informed the audience that more than 300 UN staff members (320 to be exact) have so far lost their lives in Gaza in past one year. ILO Country Director, GeirTonstol on the occasion said there were labour areas which needed to be regulated particularly the situation in mine sector, transport, construction and maritime called for urgent action. To another question, one of the UN agencies’ heads said constant change of officers in EAD Ministry and others was a big challenge to keep the pace of the work. Similarly, getting an NOC from the government was also another big challenge. Subjects of food security, renewable energy, Afghan refugees’ repatriation, religious tolerance and human rights also came up during the interaction, however the UN Coordinator deftly avoided giving a straight reply whether the HR situation in Pakistan was improved or not in recent years. This is a complex question and cannot be answered in yes or no. He however, promised to share date with the media so that they could reach a certain answer.
The UN Day is celebrated every year and offers the opportunity to reaffirm the purposes and principles of the UN Charter that have guided the world for nearly eight decades, said the Coordinator. In this regard, the UN in Pakistan is set to celebrate “UN Day” on Saturday, October 26 afternoon at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) where families will attend various fun-filled games, music and cultural show. It will also feature free live performances by Pakistani artists, including Shae Gill and the Leif Larson Music Center in Hunza.
