Zubair Qureshi
The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) has called upon political parties to fulfill their commitments as outlined in their manifestoes regarding sustainable population growth once in power.
Unwavering political commitment is critical for creating a balance between population and available resources to ensure Pakistan’s socio-economic development and while most countries of the region, with the exception of Afghanistan, have succeeded in controlling this upward trend experiencing sharp declines in fertility and a slowing of population growth rates, Pakistan lags behind with double the rates of the region.
This was discussed during the CSOs Coalition Meeting organized by the Population Council with the support from UNFPA here in Islamabad.
The participants noted that behind the success of Bangladesh, Iran and Indonesia with regard to population control, existed a strong commitment by the political leadership, based on the conviction that a sustainable population growth rate is in consonance with human rights and voluntary family planning services.
In his welcome remarks, Dr Ali Mir, Senior Director Programs, Population Council said, “Rapid population growth in Pakistan is tied to all aspects of the country’s development and has contributed directly to our economic and political challenges. strong political resolve is imperative to achieve balance between population and resources which has been reflected in manifestos of all major political parties of the country”. He highlighted the role of CSOs in holding political parties accountable besides integrating family planning in their respective work plans.
Presenting the qualitative analysis of Manifestoes commitments of leading political parties regarding population management, Samia Ali Shah, Project Director, Population Council said “all political parties should convert their respective population management commitments into policies and ensure their implementation”. She also urged Civil Society Organizations to play their role in monitoring the implementation of the commitment and making them accountable for their own commitments. “Political commitment can only be materialized if the head of the government includes population management as the top priority during the first address to the nation as and the taskforce on population is convened at the earliest and chaired by the Prime Minister”, she added.
In his closing statement, Dr. Jamil Ahmed, Program Specialist at UNFPA, urged the CSOs coalition to exert pressure on provincial governments to ensure accountability for fulfilling both national and international commitments within their respective provinces, particularly regarding the implementation of their manifesto pledges. Additionally, he emphasized the importance of integrating family planning initiatives into grassroot work of CSOs.
Reiterating their commitments in holding political parties for their commitments, CSOs Coalition emphasized the need for political parties to emulate the examples set by neighboring Muslim countries, where political determination played a pivotal role in achieving sustainable population growth. The coalition also called for targeted initiatives to address the unmet needs of marginalized women, along with increased involvement of the private sector in family planning services, underlining the importance of provincial governments ensuring the consistent supply of contraceptives.
