The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Pakistan representatives held dialogue with the Punjab Assembly Members on Monday to highlight the role of the lawmakers in reducing inequalities in society and providing equal opportunities to masses in all districts of the province.
The dialogue was conducted by the Punjab Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Support Unit, which was attended by the Punjab SDGs Task Force comprising parliamentarians at the committee room of the Punjab Assembly.
The dialogue was aimed to initiate provincial-level discussion on the UNDP Pakistan’s National Human Development Report 2020. The report, launched by Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier this year, explored the three Ps of Inequality: Power, People, and Policy – as key drivers of inequality prevalent in the country.
It brought together parliamentarians from the Punjab Assembly, members of the Punjab SDGs Task Force, speakers from Development Policy Unit, UNDP Pakistan, Planning and Development (P&D) Board, Punjab SDGs Unit and the media representatives.
Convener Punjab SDGs Task Force Mian Shafi Muhammad chaired the debate, while MPAs Syed Usman Mehmood, Uzma Kardar, Khadija Umer, Sadia Sohail, Asia Amjad, Uzma Qadri, Saima Nawaz Chaudhry, and Sohaib Malik participated as members of various task forces. Policy analyst, Development Policy Unit, UNDP Pakistan Umer Akhlaq Malik, Joint Chief Economist, P&D Board Punjab Dr Muhammad Aman-Ullah, and Project Manager Punjab SDGs Unit Shahzad Khalil briefed the parliamentarians on the inequalities and incongruities in various fields.
The speakers also stressed effective implementation of SDGs in the areas of health, education, clean water and sanitation, environment, economic growth, peace and justice, sustainable cities and climate action.
The participants discussed the UNDP’s NHDR 2020 and underscored the need for various steps to overcome inequalities through measures like reducing the privileges of the elite, spending more on human development and investing more in the youth of the province. The participants also deliberated at length on the suggested measures to overcome structural barriers and discussed policy recommendations to address disparities and accelerate action towards achieving sustainable development in the province.
Convener Punjab SDGs Task Force Mian Shafi Muhammad said it is high time to capitalize on the research and findings outlined by the UNDP’s NHDR 2020 and synergize province’s policy efforts to achieve development targets.
