Tahir Maqsood Chheena
The United Nations (UN) is an international organization that works to maintain peace and security, promote cooperation and dialogue, and advance human rights and development worldwide. The UN has been present in Pakistan since 1947. It comprises 19 specialized agencies, funds and programmes that provide technical assistance, humanitarian relief, and policy advice to the Government of Pakistan and its people.
The UN interventions in Pakistan cover various fields, such as education, health, food security, agriculture, environment, gender equality, human rights, refugees, disaster management, governance, and peacebuilding. The UN interventions are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 for Pakistan, which is aligned with the national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNSDCF identifies five strategic outcomes that the UN aims to achieve in Pakistan:
- Increased equal access to sustainable quality services for all.
- Empowered women, girls and transgender persons with their human, social, economic and cultural rights fully protected and upheld.
- Restored and protected the health of the Indus River Basin and equitable and efficient use of resources.
- Equitable employment opportunities, enhanced productivity, a sustainable business environment and the realization of workers’ rights.
- Inclusive, accountable and efficient governance systems that provide equitable service delivery, affordable and accessible justice systems, and enable people to be aware of and obtain their rights.
Following are the interventions of the United Nations in Pakistan.
- Education: The UN supports the Government of Pakistan to improve access to quality education for all children, especially girls and those in marginalized areas. The UN also promotes lifelong learning opportunities for youth and adults, including skills development, literacy and numeracy. Some of the initiatives include the Girls’ Education Initiative (GEI), which aims to enrol 3.8 million out-of-school girls in primary education by 2025; the Education Above All (EAA) Foundation’s Educate a Child (EAC) programme, which provides scholarships; teacher training, school infrastructure and community mobilization to increase enrollment and retention of children in primary education; the Accelerated Learning Programme (ALP), which offers condensed curricula for over-age children who have missed schooling; and the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Reform Support Programme, which enhances the quality and relevance of TVET for employability and entrepreneurship.
- Health: The UN supports the Government of Pakistan to strengthen the health system and improve the health outcomes of the population, especially women, children and vulnerable groups. The UN also assists the Government in responding to public health emergencies, such as COVID-19, polio, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Some of the initiatives include the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), which provides vaccines against ten preventable diseases to children under five years of age; the Lady Health Workers (LHW) Programme, which delivers essential health services to rural communities through a network of over 100,000 female community health workers; the Family Planning 2020 (FP2020) initiative, which aims to increase the use of modern contraceptive methods by 9.4 million additional users by 2020; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), which supports the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of these three diseases; and the COVID-19 Response Plan, which provides medical supplies, equipment and technical guidance to contain the pandemic.
- Food Security: The UN supports the Government of Pakistan to ensure food security and nutrition for all people, especially those affected by poverty, conflict, displacement and natural disasters. The UN also helps the Government to enhance agricultural productivity, resilience and sustainability. A few of the initiatives include the Zero Hunger Programme (ZHP), which aims to eradicate hunger and malnutrition by 2030 through integrated interventions in food availability, access, utilization and stability; the National Food Fortification Programme (NFFP), which fortifies wheat flour and edible oil with micronutrients to prevent deficiencies among children and women; the Crop Reporting Service (CRS), which provides reliable data on crop area, yield and production for evidence-based planning and decision making; the One Million Farmer Initiative (OMFI), which improves the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through climate-smart agriculture practices; and the Emergency Food Security Assessments (EFSAs), which monitor the food security situation of vulnerable populations affected by shocks.
19 UN organs are working in Pakistan, providing technical assistance, humanitarian relief, and policy advice to the Government of Pakistan and its people. These are:
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which supports food security and sustainable agriculture.
- The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which promotes the peaceful use of nuclear energy and technology.
- International Labour Organization (ILO), which promotes decent work and social justice.
- International Organization for Migration (IOM), which facilitates safe and orderly migration and assists migrants in need.
- International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which fosters innovation and connectivity in information and communication technologies.
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which coordinates humanitarian response and advocacy in emergencies.
- Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which protects and promotes human rights and provides technical assistance to the Government and civil society.
- Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which protects and assists refugees, asylum-seekers, internally displaced persons, and stateless persons.
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which supports child survival, development, protection, and participation.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which supports inclusive and sustainable development, democratic governance, crisis prevention and recovery, and environmental sustainability.
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which fosters education, science, culture, and communication for peace and development.
- United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), which supports women’s rights, empowerment, and participation in all spheres of life.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which promotes environmental conservation, management, and governance.
- United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), which supports urban planning, housing, infrastructure, and basic services.
- United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), which promotes industrial development, innovation, and competitiveness.
- United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which assists the Government in combating illicit drugs, crime, corruption, terrorism, and human trafficking.
- United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which supports sexual and reproductive health, family planning, maternal health, youth empowerment, and population dynamics.
- World Food Programme (WFP), which provides food assistance to vulnerable populations affected by poverty, conflict, displacement, and natural disasters.
- World Health Organization (WHO), which supports public health systems, disease prevention and control, emergency preparedness and response, and health policy development.
These UN organs work together under the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027 for Pakistan, which identifies five strategic outcomes that the UN aims to achieve in Pakistan in alignment with the national priorities and the Sustainable Development Goals. The UNSDCF also outlines the UN’s comparative advantages, principles, approaches, partnerships, coordination mechanisms, resource mobilization strategies, monitoring and evaluation systems, and risk management plans for effective cooperation with the Government of Pakistan.
Please, subscribe to the YouTube channel of republicpolicy.com
