F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed Pakistan’s firm commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.
The prime minister, in a meeting with the UN Resident Coordinator Julien Harneis, highlighted that Pakistan had been contributing actively to the work of the UN, especially in the areas of peacekeeping, humanitarian action, climate change, and international cooperation for sustainable development.
Various areas of UN’s work and cooperation with Pakistan were discussed during the meeting including the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework, flood relief, food security, and ecosystem restoration. The prime minister appreciated the significant role played by the UN in supporting Pakistan’s progress towards the attainment of UN Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He expressed serious concern about the devastation caused by the recent floods across Pakistan, adding that the provision of humanitarian relief to the people in the affected areas was a high priority of his government. The UN Resident Coordinator briefed the prime minister on the ongoing activities of the United Nations in Pakistan including in the areas of sustainable development, humanitarian assistance, environmental protection, food security, and climate change.
He also reiterated United Nations’ continued support to Pakistan in its ongoing endeavor for a resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and sustainable development.
Julien Harneis is working as the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan since January 2020. He chairs the UN Country Team comprising all UN Agencies, Funds, and Programmes that are operational in Pakistan, and coordinates their activities to ensure alignment of UN assistance with national development priorities and plans.
Shehbaz directs commencement of joint survey over flood losses from Balochistan: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed that a joint survey to ascertain losses caused by the recent floods should commence from Balochistan province as the provision of immediate relief and rehabilitation of the flood affectees were the top priorities of the government.
The prime minister was chairing an important follow-up meeting about the relief and rehabilitation operations in the flood-affected areas. The meeting was apprised in detail that the objective of the joint survey was to collect data about the loss of lives, damaged homes, shops, crops and animals which would help ensure transparency, improvement and the pace in the rehabilitation efforts. The meeting was chaired by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Maulana Asad Mahmood, Miftah Ismail, Special Assistant to PM Ahad Cheema, Chairman NDMA Lt. Gen. Akhtar Nawaz and the relevant authorities. Special Assistant to PM on Kashmir Qamar Zaman Kaira attended the meeting via video link.
Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said the government would ensure transparency in the support and rehabilitation mechanism of the affectees and resolved that he would not rest till the last deserving person got his due right. He also directed that affected people should be immediately provided with financial support through a digital system and under the supervision of NDMA. It was informed that the survey would first commence in the flood-affected areas of Balochistan province. The survey would commence from August 20 and it would be ensured to complete it by September 22 this year. Moreover, the financial support under Benazir Income Support Programme would be distributed through the biometric system which would be supervised by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). The prime minister directed the implementation of these measures immediately.
