At UN, Pakistan says PM Imran Khan's govt resolved to combat poverty, hunger, stunting

UNITED NATIONS - Reaffirming its commitment to achieving the globally agreed and nationally adopted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Pakistan has told the United Nations that Prime Minister Imran Khan's government was determined to deal with poverty and hunger as well as stunting in impoverished communities.

"We are committed to working for the achievement of SDGs through innovative, targeted and focused implementation strategies in the social, economic and environmental fields," Pakistani delegate Maleeka Ali Bokhari said in the ministerial segment of the Economic and Social Council's High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

In her speech delivered on Wednesday, Ms Bokhari, who is Parliamentary Secretary for Law and Justice, outlined Pakistan's various sustainable development plans as well as the institutions driving them forward. Those include a national development agenda, a national Sustainable Development Goals framework, and establishment of SDG task forces and monitoring units at national and provincial assemblies to oversee progress on the seventeen goals.

"Keeping in view our financial and economic challenges," she said, "We seek to strengthen our existing and forging new partnerships to access new technologies and finances.

"Partnership and close collaboration in line with our development priorities with all stakeholders, supplemented by regional and international support, will continue to be a major feature of our strategy."

The recently-elected Government of PM Khan has fully embraced the responsibility of lifting millions of people out of poverty through the largest national poverty alleviation programme – Ehsaas, the parliamentary secretary said, noting that for the first time it established a dedicated Ministry for Poverty Reduction.

That programme, Ms Bokhari said, focused on reducing inequality; introducing safety nets for disadvantaged segments of the population; jobs and livelihoods; human capital development and economic empowerment of women. It also aimed to improve nutritional status and reduce stunting in poverty-stricken communities.

"Achieving ‘zero hunger’ and addressing malnutrition are among the Government’s top priorities," she told high-level delegates from around the world.

Going forward, it plans to enact a multi-pronged strategy to reduce hunger, stunting and the other impacts of poverty, she said, adding that broad health-sector reforms are also underway. A new universal health coverage initiative – the Sehat Sahulat Programme – which was launched this year to provide health insurance coverage for those in need.

Steps were also being taken to enhance gender participation while having a cross-cutting impact on the full range of SDGs, the Pakistani delegate said. They include financial and digital inclusion of 6 million women through the one woman one bank account policy; interest-free microloans under Ehsaas graduation programme; their joint ownership in PM housing programme; health and nutrition initiatives focusing on women’s well-being; and 50% education scholarships for girls.

As climate change is disrupting daily life and costing countries large sums of money, she said Pakistan is working to restore its depleted forests and put in place other nature-based solutions.