Statement by Pakistan under Agenda Item "Social Development" at the Third Committee (05 October 2010, NEW YORK)

Chairperson,

Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,

I would like to congratulate you and other members of the Bureau on their election. We assure you of our full support and cooperation during the deliberations of the Committee.

My delegation associates itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative of Yemen on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

We thank the Secretary General for his reports.

Chairperson,

Together with the priority areas of poverty eradication, and the promotion of full employment and decent work for all, social integration constitutes one of the three priority areas identified in the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995.

As observed by the Secretary General in his report A/65/174, the Global financial and economic meltdown, its resultant job loss and under-employment has negatively affected the social investment of past many years.

Chairperson,

The developing countries are the worst affected, job uncertainty has led to lowering of wages, which has caused the decline in demand and economic growth thereby aggravating poverty. So far economic recovery has remained fragile and continuous unemployment will be an impediment to social development.

Chairperson,

The unprecedented floods which hit Pakistan in late July have caused massive loss to crops, dwellings, livestock, services, industrial and communication infrastructure. The rehabilitation and reconstruction in affected areas would be a long-term task. It would have its impact on economic recovery as well as affecting social development targets. We have mobilized all national resources and institutions to provide assistance and relief to the affected people with the help of international community. O ne of the initiatives taken by the Government includes announcing a grant of Pak. Rs.100, 000 to each affected household. The first installment of Pak.Rs. 20,000 is already being disbursed.

Chairperson,

Pakistan is a country undergoing demographic transition; by 2030 we will have 50 million people in the economically productive age group. We are trying to invest in human resource and skills development of our youth to benefit from the youth bulge.

The institution of family provides the first level of social integration. Family is a time tested institution. Many a times, in a society like Pakistan's, extended family comes to help when the immediate family fails to provide the assistance required to a socially disadvantaged person. Therefore, we need to continue to strengthen this institution.

Chairperson,

The Government of Pakistan has been endeavoring to adopt an integrated and holistic approach to reduce the level of poverty through human resource and skills development, provide social protection to the poor, and achieve social integration of marginalized groups. This approach has resulted in some of the following initiatives which have produced positive results:

  1. Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is a social protection programme for the poor. It provides cash transfer and imparts training to one member of each family to gain productive employment. This programme covers more than 3 million households.
  2. A new Employment Commission has been established by the Government for creation of new jobs in public and private sectors.
  3. Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), a public-private partnership makes available microfinance and other financial services to the poor with the help of civil society. An estimated 1.5 million poor have benefited from PPAF services.
  4. The Ministry of Women Development has launched "Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP)" for the empowerment of women and promoting gender equality. GRAP is mandated to undertake a coherent gender reform agenda through phased implementation processes including political participation, institutional restructuring, women employment in the public sector, and gender responsive policy and budgeting.
  5. Social insurance system governed by the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and Provincial Social Security Institutions has been helping the aged, the physically challenged and widows for quite some time.
  6. Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) is also making a significant contribution towards mitigating the hardship of the poor.
  7. Pakistan has in May this year signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities. A National Plan of Action for persons with disabilities has been finalized. The Plan covers early intervention, assessment and medical treatment, education and vocational training, employment and rehabilitation and strengthening of institutional mechanisms for persons with disabilities. In addition, employment quota has also been provided in the public sector and the private sector is being encouraged to do the same.
  8. To integrate minorities in the decision making, the Government has set up a National Commission on Minorities and at grass root level District Interfaith Harmony Committees have been established with representation from prominent religious leaders of minority and majority communities.

Chairperson,

While we celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development, our commitment that “Social development is central to the needs and aspirations of people throughout the world and to the responsibilities of Governments and all sectors of civil society” has become even more important in the wake of multiple crises in particular of finance and food faced by the world.

I thank you.