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Mr. President,
At the outset, let me convey our gratitude to the UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner for his statement and for his leadership.
I would also like to commend ASG Hao Liang Xu for presenting the CPD for Pakistan. I would also like to convey our deepest appreciation to Neil Bohne, Resident Coordinator and Ignacio Artaza, UNDP Country Director and their team in Islamabad for successfully concluding negotiations on UNDP Country Program Document for Pakistan for 2018-22 after a consultative process with my Government.
Our long-standing partnership with UNDP dates back to over five decades. We have since, been working closely with the Program to achieve our common ideal of eliminating poverty in Pakistan.
Mr. President,
This CPD earmarks a total of US$ 243 million, to be disbursed for the welfare of people of Pakistan over the next five years. Programmatic activities of UNDP will help the Government accelerate its development agenda, anchored in Pakistan’s Vision 2025 and its associated 25 goals.
We also believe, activities of UNDP would be guided by Pakistan’s national priorities which will be contained in the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework (UNSDF) for Pakistan 2018-2022. This strategic document is under consideration in Islamabad.
Mr. President,
Let me highlight some of our economic achievements:
These indicators, among others, are clear proof that Pakistan’s economy is flourishing. And this, despite the economic losses to the tune of US$ 120 billion dollars that we have suffered in the war on terror over the past 15 years.
Mr. President,
Despite the multifarious challenges that we face, Pakistan is firmly committed to meeting the ambitious 2030 Agenda, that seeks to end extreme poverty and promote equitable prosperity and well-being for all.
The Parliament in Pakistan has become the first entity to adopt SDGs as a principal policy of the Government and has established exclusive SDG centres in the National Assembly to oversee the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
The robust Commission on the Status of Women is in place for empowering women. We have also 22% reserved seats for women in our National Parliament and 10% reserved quota in our Civil Services.
Our Government has also promulgated numerous legislations in the past few years to mainstream women into different walks of life.
Mr. President,
Centered on poverty eradication, our development programme recognizes the crucial link between productive employment and social cohesion.
Pakistan is pursuing a comprehensive policy of reforms to bring the poor and vulnerable into the mainstream, with focus on development for all. These policies aim at improving access to education, health care facilities, achieving good governance, and economic opportunities for different segments of the society.
However, my delegation wishes to highlight that the deteriorating core resources for UN development activities in Pakistan and reliance on non-core resources is a matter of concern for us. Non-core resources, which are earmarked, give the impression of only advancing the priorities of donors.
We consider core funding a critical instrument to strengthen the ability of the UN Development System’s core mandate and to leverage partnerships.
Mr. President,
We look forward to working closely with UNDP to achieve ambitious goals and targets as set out in 2030 Agenda, and hope that the programmatic activities of UNDP will be implemented by the guiding principle of ensuring their alignment with our national priorities at the country level, which remains an essential condition for its success.
I thank you, Mr. President.