Zuabir Qureshi
The government is fully committed to ensuring universal access to family planning services and is working towards achieving a sustainable population growth rate in light of the Council of Common Interests (CCI) decisions that call for stronger legislation and increased investment on family planning programs in the country.
This was stated by Federal Minister of Science & Technology Senator Shibli Faraz in his keynote address at the third meeting of the Parliamentary Forum on Population. Senator Shibli Faraz is also the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum on Population.
The meeting was organized online by the Population Council with support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and attended by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Forum on Population, members of the senate, legislators from the national and provincial assemblies representing major political parties.
Parliamentary Forum on Population was established in March 2020 with an aim to raise parliamentary awareness on population and development, sustain cross-party political commitment and advocate for population stabilization in the country.
In 2021, the Forum became member of Global Parliamentary Alliance for Health, Rights and Development, under the broader umbrella of the European Parliamentary Forum.
Addressing the participants, Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed highlighted legislators’ role in prioritizing the population agenda and influencing the political leadership to achieve the targets set by CCI decisions.
He said PFP is now the country’s preeminent, inclusive platform on the key issue of Population planning and Population Management, which has achieved global recognition having joined the Global Parliamentarians Alliance.
Senator Mushahid Hussain stated that in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic, Pakistan needs a new Human Security paradigm that incorporates health and population, climate change, education, water security and food security, and in this regard, PFP will prepare a document.
He also announced the Parliamentary Champions of Population Award that will be given annually to parliamentarians in recognition of their proactive contributions to this cause.
“The forum is set to establish provincial chapters and will work with the ministry of Science and technology to develop a mobile application to improve family planning services”, Senator Mushahid said.
Sharing the future plans of the Forum, Senator Mushahid said the Forum will produce evidence for parliamentarians to help them in the process of legislation.
In his remarks, MNA Riaz Fatyana, Convener of the National Parliamentary Taskforce on SDGs said 12 out of 17 SDGs are directly linked with population growth.
