UN / PAKISTAN 2007 - A weekly Newsletter, published by the UN Information
Centre (UNIC) in Islamabad on behalf of all Agencies of the United Nations
System in Pakistan
Weekly Issue No. 23/2007 (5 June 2007)
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30 May 2007 - A United Nations group has issued a series of key messages targeted at encouraging different audiences to boost access to financial services - from opening bank accounts to taking out loans to buying insurance - to the poor. These messages, aimed at governments, regulators, development partners and the private sectorwere formed by the UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors, which was created to promote financial inclusion in poorer countries.
"Access to a broad range of financial services is a significant development issue everywhere outside of developed countries," Richard Weingarten, Executive Director of the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), told reporters at UN Headquarters in New York today.
He noted that there are nearly three billion people worldwide who lack access to basic financial services. For example, only 30 million of sub-Saharan Africa's population of 744 million people have access to such services.
"Access to financial services is also very important in terms of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," he said, referring to the set of eight targets for slashing social and economic ills by 2015.
Improved access will enable poor people to increase their incomes, he said, adding that empirical evidence shows that those participating in microfinance programmes can improve their welfare more than those who do not.
"In India," Mr. Weingarten said, "half of the clients of a well-respected microfinance institution graduated out of poverty."
The Group, in its messages, reminded governments that although increasing access to financial services is crucial, it alone will not eliminate poverty. It also called on governments to lower interest rates to ensure that prices are transparent and that the market remains open and competitive.
Regulators must ensure that laws relating to money laundering do not hinder
access to financial transfers critical to the poor, the Group said, while
the private sector must remember that providing services to the poor presents
a considerable business opportunity.
In its messages to development partners, the Group said that the paucity of
strong institutions and managers obstructs efforts towards inclusive finance.
The Group was established with a two-year term following the 2005 International Year of Microcredit, and its members represent governments, central banks, regulatory agencies, microfinance institutions, private sector financial institutions, civil society, development agencies and academia from all over the world.
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4 June 2007 - Child undernutrition cost the economies of Central America and the Dominican Republic almost $7 billion - or 6.4 per cent of the region's gross domestic product (GDP) - in 2004, according to a new joint study by two United Nations agencies today. The study - carried out by the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) - calculated the effects of hunger and undernutrition on health, education and productivity. |
It estimated the costs, including increased health care and education needs as well as a dip in economic activity due to lower productivity, borne by the region as a result.
The study, the first of its kind in the region, found that 90 per cent of economic losses are caused by a higher mortality rates owing to hunger-related illnesses and lower educational levels.
"This study is a wake up call to the international community that widespread child hunger is not only a moral and humanitarian issue, but it has economic consequences as well," WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran said. "Clearly, we will not be able to eradicate poverty in the region or in the world for that matter, until we take effective steps to tackle hunger and malnutrition."
In the region as a whole, there are 880,000 children who are underweight, or approximately 14 per cent of children under the age of five.
"Undernutrition has very serious long-term costs, which are not limited to an individual's life-cycle given the impact on intrauterine growth during pregnancy of malnourished women," said Jose Luis Machinea, ECLAC Executive Secretary. "This cycle will more probably be repeated in their offspring and poverty will be perpetuated generation after generation if we don't act to remedy the situation."
The study also noted that current Governments are not to blame for the current levels of undernutrition in children, but rather decades of inaction are.
"We know that the Latin American region produces three times the amount of food needed to feed its population," said WFP Regional Director Pedro Medrano. "This means there are grounds for hope, and an opportunity for Governments and society to help children under age five to break the vicious cycle of poverty and hunger."
In 2006, WFP distributed food aid to over 5.6 million people in ten countries
in the Latin American and the Caribbean region, including almost two million
children in Food-for Education schemes and more than 850,000 mothers and children
in maternal-child heath and nutrition programmes.
The study's findings will be presented today at a parallel event during the
Organization of American States (OAS) General Assembly in Panama today, which
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to attend.
Islamabad, 30 May 2007, The UNESCO Earthquake Response Programme in collaboration with the American Refugee Committee is conducting a three-day workshop on the INEE minimum Standards for Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction from 30 May-1 June 2007. This workshop is the first in a series of 9 workshops organized by UNESCO and its implementing partners across the earthquake-affected areas.
As the earthquake response transitions from recovery to reconstruction, these workshop come at an opportune time for humanitarian and development actors: The Minimum Standards are a important tool to enhance effectiveness and quality of educational interventions. The 15 participants in the on-going workshop are drawn from Bagh, Quetta, Mansehra and Islamabad and represent the Ministry of Education, national and international organizations working in the earthquake-affected areas and beyond. The training introduces participants to standards in the areas of community participation, teaching and learning, access, policy and coordination. Lead trainer and UNESCO programme specialist Eli Rognerud highlights that the Standards have developed through a broad process of collaboration involving more that 50 countries across the world, including Pakistan. "In the context of the educational response to the earthquake, these Standards will ensure increased transparency, accountability and quality of the educational response.", she says, emphasizing that the training was in fact piloted in Pakistan just weeks before the earthquake.
Several of the workshop participants commented on the direct application of the standards in their daily work. 'As a monitoring and evaluation expert, I find that this workshop is extremely relevant to our teacher training programmes in Bagh, Muzaffarabad and Rawalakot, says Shahzad Afzal from Children Resources International. 'These Standards are not only a basis for the development of education programmes but also help ensure their effective implementation and continuity.'
The Minimum Standards are used as a guiding framework for the ERRA-UN Early Recovery Plan through which all interventions are coordinated and monitored. UNESCO advocates that in order to 'build back better'; hard and soft components need to be incorporated in the response for a holistic reactivation of the education system. The Standards have been translated in Urdu and disseminated to 500 educational actors to facilitate this process and make a significant difference to people affected by natural disasters.
30 May 2007 - The success of the United Nations depends not just on international officials but "committed world citizens everywhere," Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro said today.
Addressing the graduation ceremony of the UN International School in New York, Ms. Migiro said she hoped the students have drawn from their experiences in such a diverse classroom - this year's group of 112 graduates represents 43 nationalities - to "view afresh the most intractable social and political issues" in the world.
"Whatever profession or activity you pursue, I hope you will always
be united by the bond of global citizenship that this school has created among
you. And I hope you will always identify with the United Nations and its mission,"
the former university professor said.
Ms. Migiro said she hoped the graduates would "dare to dream big"
in their future careers.
"This is your century, and this is your United Nations. As educated and empowered young men and women with promising careers, your support is particularly crucial in the years ahead."
31 May 2007 - Joining forces with the Afghan Government, two United Nations agencies are conducting their final round of house calls to vaccinate newborns and their mothers against tetanus in the capital, Kabul.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) are also participating in campaigns to immunize children between the ages of 59 months and six years in schools, mosques and other locations. This provides an opportunity for children who rarely visit clinics to receive free vaccinations in community centres.
"We want all parents to take part in this valuable vaccination campaign," said WHO's Riyad Musa. "We are here to serve the families of our nation's capital, to ensure the future health of our children, and therefore the future of Afghanistan."
Approximately 3,500 trained vaccinators and volunteers are involved in the campaign, which will continue to furnish vaccinations free of charge at local health clinics beyond this week.
Neonatal tetanus can be fatal, and can be contracted if the birth process or the baby's cord comes into contact with dirt. However, provided the mother has received at least two tetanus vaccinations before or during her pregnancy, her child will not contract it.
While people of any age who have not been immunized can contract measles, young children are most at risk. Deaths from measles in Afghanistan have been slashed 90 per cent through two nationwide campaigns from 2001 to 2003 which were supported by WHO, UNICEF and their partners.
In a related development, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that in spite of obstacles posed by growing insecurity in the south and east of the country, it continues to operate in almost all parts of the war-torn country.
Afghanistan poses extreme challenges for WFP, with the effects of two decades of war and unrest being exacerbated by natural disasters, such as floods, harsh winters and severe droughts.
In a press release, WFP noted that is has distributed 10,000 metric tons of food for 350,000 people in Kandahar. This year, it plans to provide an additional 20,000 tons to feed 600,000 people, with assistance from the Canadian International Development, the agency's largest donor in Kandahar.
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31 May 2007 - As World No Tobacco Day is celebrated today, the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) called for stamping out smoking in the workplace to protect people from second-hand fumes. Tobacco is the second major cause of death worldwide, and it will kill half of the 650 million people who smoke regularly, the agency said. Additionally, hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die yearly from diseased caused by second-hand tobacco smoke. |
The theme of this year's Day is "Smoke-free inside: Create and enjoy 100% smoke-free environments."
According to WHO, "neither ventilation nor filtration, alone or in combination, can reduce exposure levels of tobacco smoke indoors to levels that are considered acceptable, even in terms of odour, much less health effects."
The agency debunked myths pertaining to second-hand smoke, stressing that it kills and can also cause serious illnesses.
"The right to clean air, free from tobacco smoke, is a human right," the agency declared, underscoring how the majority of the world's population - who are non-smokers - have the right to not be exposed to others' smoke.
WHO also pointed out that smoke-free environments help prevent people, including the young, from picking up the habit.
World No Tobacco Day is being celebrated across the globe through events ranging from talks to art contests to film presentations.
In Nantes, a city in western France, approximately 500 staff members of a hospital - including doctors, nurses and technicians - participated in a football tournament and will commit to not smoking during the work day and to help patients to kick the habit for good.
To commemorate the Day in Mingora, Pakistan, lecturers, teachers, journalists, lawyers, traders, doctors, 200 college and school students rallied to raise awareness of the dangers of smoking.
Meanwhile in Thailand, health professionals and volunteers held a running and jogging event to alert the public to the impact of tobacco on health.
1 June 2007 - The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today called on countries to provide a network of community health services to alleviate the hardships faced by the nearly 54 million people around the world suffering from mental disorders as well as those caring for them.
"Not only are community health services more accessible to people living with severe mental disabilities, these are also more effective in taking care of their needs compared to mental hospitals," stated Benedetto Saraceno, WHO's Director of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.
"Community mental health services are also likely to have less possibilities for neglect and violations of human rights, which are too often encountered in mental hospitals," he added.
The call for community mental health services came during WHO's Global Forum for Community Mental Health, which concluded in Geneva yesterday and which, for the first time, included the participation of people living with mental disorders. In addition to the nearly 54 million people suffering severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder, WHO estimates that 154 million suffer from depression.
"This topic should matter to everyone, because far too many people with mental disorders do not receive any care," said Catherine Le Galès-Camus, Assistant Director-General of WHO's cluster on Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health.
According to WHO, mental disorders are increasingly prevalent in developing countries, the consequence of persistent poverty-driven conditions, the demographic transition, conflicts in fragile States and natural disasters. At the same time, more than 50 per cent of developing countries do not provide any care for persons with mental disorders in the community.
"The challenge is to enhance systems of care by taking effective local models and disseminating them throughout a country. [The Forum] was about showcasing models which are proving effective in delivering mental health care in resource-challenged situations," added Dr. Le Galès-Camus.
 Ban Ki-moon addressing OAS opening session |
4 June 2007 - Projected changes in Earth's climate present more than just an environmental concern, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has told the Organization of American States (OAS) meeting in Panama City, warning of the "serious social and economic implications" as well. Addressing last night's opening session of 37th OAS General Assembly on its theme "energy for sustainable development," Mr. Ban said the adverse effects of climate change were already being felt in areas ranging from agriculture and food security to human health and energy, transport and industry. |
Global warming, he added, could seriously impair the ability to reach the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the set of eight internationally agreed
targets for reducing social and economic ills, and could even reverse achievements
in human development.
"Today all countries recognize that climate change requires a long-term
global response, in line with the latest scientific findings, and compatible
with economic and social development," he said.
Mr. Ban's participation in the annual gathering was part of a two-day visit to Panama - his first trip to Latin America as Secretary-General.
During his speech he stressed the need for partnerships to combat climate change, adding that he believed that members of the OAS were "already on the right track" in this field.
"Your region has become a world leader on biofuels, which is an area, if treated carefully, [which] has significant potential. You are successfully implementing national energy efficiency programmes to promote a better use of resources, greater environmental sustainability, and economic growth."
The OAS, which brings together the nations of the western hemisphere, is the region's principal multilateral forum for strengthening democracy, promoting human rights, and confronting shared problems such as poverty, terrorism, illegal drugs and corruption.
Yesterday, the Secretary-General also visited the Panama Canal, where more than 14,000 ships transit every year between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Today he heads to Madrid for the second leg of his three-country tour. In the Spanish capital he is scheduled to meet King Juan Carlos, Prime Minister José Luís Rodriguez Zapatero and senior officials, and he will also visit the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization.
The last leg will be in Germany, where Mr. Ban will attend the summit of the Group of Eight (G8) nations at Heiligendamm and hold a series of bilateral meetings during his two-day visit next Thursday and Friday.
4 June 2007 - Hundreds of millions of people worldwide will be affected by melting snow covers, ice and glaciers, according to a new United Nations report released ahead of tomorrow's celebrations for World Environment Day.
The availability of water supplies for both drinking and agriculture will
also be impacted, while rising sea levels will affect low-lying coastal areas
and islands, said the report, Global Outlook for Ice and Snow, compiled by
the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and a network of about 70 world experts,
and launched today in Tromso, Norway.
The report "underlines that the fate of the world's snowy and icy plates
in a climatically challenged world should be cause for concern in every ministry,
boardroom and living room across the world," said UNEP Executive Director
Achim Steiner.
"Indeed the findings are as relevant to people living in the tropics
and temperate climes - and in cities from Berlin to Brasilia and Beijing to
Boston - as they are for the people living in Arctic or in ice-capped mountain
regions."
Melting snow and glaciers on the mountains of Asia alone could affect approximately
40 per cent of the planet's population, the report noted.
Additionally, as ice and snow melt, avalanches and floods from the build-up of potentially unstable glacial lakes are possible. As ice thaws, there is also the danger of higher levels of methane, a gas which contributes to global warming, being released.
Rising temperatures, coupled with the thawing of frozen land or "permafrost," are leading to the creation of new and expansion of existing lakes in places such as Siberia which are releasing bubbles of methane, estimated to be 43,000 years old.
Meanwhile, less snow and sea ice means that more of the sun's heat will be absorbed by land and polar oceans, which in turn will speed up global warming.
This year's slogan for World Environment Day is "Melting Ice - a Hot Topic" in support of International Polar Year, which runs from 2007 to 2008.
In a separate report released today in Tromso, UNEP said that polar tourism has surged in the past decade, potentially promoting environmental degradation in the regions, especially in the Arctic.
In Antarctica, the number of tourists visiting by land has soared 757 per
cent in the past decade and those arriving by sea by 430 per cent in the past
14 years. In the Arctic, the number of tourists has increased from one million
in the early 1990s to 1.5 million today.
However, effective management practices and implementation of infrastructure
have not matched the challenge posed by these rising numbers of tourists.
Produced in conjunction with the International Ecotourism Society, the report called for relevant sustainable tourism policies to be adopted urgently.
Polar regions, "once the preserve of local indigenous communities and scientists, are now very much on the fashionable tourist map and cruise line schedules," Mr. Steiner said, adding that "tourism is an activity that if sustainably managed and with profits and revenues fairly shared can contribute to the conservation of the polar environment as well as the well-being and livelihoods of local communities in the Arctic," he said.
Stefanos Fotiou, head of UNEP's tourism unit and also coordinator of the report, called for more practical tools to be devised to help communities develop sustainable polar tourism policies and programmes."
The main celebrations for this year's Day will be held in Tromso, which hosts a centre for polar research. South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu will lead an ecumenical service in the Arctic Cathedral, and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will present the winners of a UNEP's children's painting competition on the environment.
BANGKOK : Government policymakers,business leaders and representatives of consumer groups from across the Asia-Pacific region are gathering in Bangkok from 5 to 7 June 2007 to discuss ways to create and promote "green business" in the region.
The Third Green Growth Policy Dialogue: the Greening of Business and the
Environment as a Business Opportunity is organized by the United Nations Economic
and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). The Dialogue is
being held in parallel with the Entech Pollutec/Renewable Energy Asia 2007
(6 -9 June) -- the most important environmental exhibition and trade fair
in the region. Tens of thousands participants and visitors are expected at
the exhibition and trade fair, to be held at the Bangkok International Exhibition
Center (BITEC), which will showcase marketable and profitable examples of
green business and the latest environmental and renewable energy technology.
Timed with World Environment Day (5 June), government policy-makers will join
business executives and consumer activists in exchanging views and ideas on
what policies and measures need to be in place to further support the greening
of the market and business.
"Without appropriate policy support, the business community is hobbled in its efforts to slow climate change", noted Mr. Rae Kwong Chung, Director of Environment and Sustainable Development Division, UNESCAP. "Without feedback from the business community, we are limited in our ability to develop policies which are good for both the environment and business".
Key issues the Third Green Growth Policy Dialogue seeks to address include:
How can the private sector initiate greening of the business? How can governments
support green business? How can consumers positively influence the greening
of markets? Can green business enhance the competitive edge of export-driven
economies of the region in the global market? How can appropriate micro-financing
mechanisms be created to promote less material-intensive products? How to
stimulate business strategies which
address the needs of the underserved markets?
Greening the markets and business is one of the five major tracks of UNESCAP's Green Growth approach. The other four tracks are green tax and budget reform, sustainable consumption, development of sustainable infrastructure, and the development of new eco-efficiency indicators.
The "Green Growth" approach was adopted in 2005 at the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Seoul. It states that environmental and ecological onsiderations must be integral to policy planning to ensure long-term economic and social viability, and economic growth should not be measured in GDP alone but also in a set of eco-indicators. "Green Growth" sees environmental protection and clean production not as a cost or burden, but as an investment and business opportunity. It calls for tax systems favourable to environmental-friendly projects, and for sustainable consumption patterns.
More information is available at www.unescap.org/esd and http://www.greengrowth.org/
 German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
30 May 2007 - Ahead of next week's "Group of Eight" Summit, the Foreign Minister of Germany has received a briefing on the situation of Afghan refugees in Pakistan from officials of the United Nations agency dealing with their plight. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier travelled to the region to witness the Afghan repatriation from north-western Pakistan. |
Last Wednesday, the delegation travelled to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation centre in Peshawar, Pakistan, where the agency's assistant representative, Kilian Kleinschmidt, briefed the German foreign minister about the overall situation.
"Pakistan is home to the world's largest refugee situation, the largest assisted repatriation in modern history and the largest registration of refugees ever conducted," said Mr. Kleinschmidt. "More than 1 million Afghans have been processed by UNHCR through this voluntary repatriation centre in the last six years, which makes it the largest repatriation centre in the world," he noted.
During his visit, the Foreign Minister focused on how the international community and Germany could contribute efficiently to the management of population flows between Pakistan and Afghanistan, UNHCR said.
He took back with him a sample Proof of Registration card issued after the Afghan registration exercise and a biometric border crossing card issued by Pakistan's National Database and Registration Authority "to show my colleagues what could be do-able in Pakistan and Afghanistan if we bring them together."
The repatriation of card holders started from April 19 this year and will continue till the end of the year. Some 20,000 registered Afghans have so far chosen to repatriate with UNHCR assistance averaging $100 per person.
The Pakistan Government reiterated that unregistered Afghans would be considered illegal immigrants and would be dealt with under national laws. However, undocumented Afghans were given a six-week window from March to mid-April to repatriate "in safety and dignity" with UNHCR assistance, the agency said. More than 200,000 Afghans repatriated over those six weeks.
Mr. Steinmeier conducted the visit in preparation for the June 6-8 meeting of the G8 leading industrialized nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States - and upcoming European Union foreign minister meetings in Germany.
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, 30 May 2007 - The Government of Pakistan and the UN refugee agency today reiterated that Afghans affected by planned camp closures are free to choose between voluntary repatriation and relocation to an existing camp in Pakistan.
The statements were made at a donor briefing chaired by Pakistan's Minister for States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON), Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, and the UNHCR Representative in Pakistan, Guenet Guebre-Christos, in Islamabad on Wednesday. Both parties expressed appreciation for the donor support so far, and appealed for an additional US$10 million for the operation.
"During 2007, as most of you are aware, owing to security concerns, the government is closing four refugee camps - two in NWFP [North West Frontier Province] and two in Balochistan," said Minister Rind. "We are experiencing certain expected difficulties in carrying out the closures. However, I can assure you that in coordination and consultation with UNHCR and provincial governments, we will overcome these difficulties. May I also assure you that the closure will take place in accordance with international norms, keeping in view the protection needs and in coordination with UNHCR."
Katchagari and Jungle Pir Alizai camps are scheduled to be closed by 15 June, while Jalozai and Girdi Jungle camps will be closed by the end of August. Together, the four camps host over 220,000 people.
The Minister added that a month-long awareness campaign was underway to sensitize the camp residents on the two options available - voluntary repatriation with an enhanced package averaging US$100 per person, or relocation to an existing camp identified by the government in Dir or Chitral. He said the authorities have discussed the relocation with landowners and local communities in those areas.
UNHCR Representative Guebre-Christos stressed, "Whether it's voluntary repatriation or relocation, it must be an individual decision based on adequate information and free choice." She added that UNHCR has assessed the needs in the relocation camps and will provide transport for Afghans wishing to relocate to the designated camps. Services like water, sanitation, primary education and health care will also be available in the camps.
4 June 2007 - The main United Nations agency tasked with helping Palestinian refugees launched an appeal today for nearly $13 million to help the thousands of people who have had to flee the Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon because of deadly fighting.
More than 27,000 people have fled in the past two weeks, mainly to the already
crowded Beddawi camp, where the living conditions are becoming unbearable
as a result, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
Near East (UNRWA) reported.
UNRWA's flash appeal calls for $12.7 million to deal with the immediate needs
of the displaced refugees, especially for food assistance and emergency shelter
to relieve the congestion at Beddawi, where the population has swollen from
16,000 to 37,000.
"Displaced persons have very little resources to cater for their needs, and the coping mechanisms of hosting refugee families are severely strained," UNRWA said in a press statement accompanying the launch of its appeal in Beirut.
The agency is working with officials in the city of Tripoli, not far from Nahr el-Bared and Beddawi, to provide temporary alternative accommodation for some of the displaced families.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen Koning AbuZayd appealed to international donors to help the agency as soon as possible.
"The situation in the camps was already extremely and now it has deteriorated even further," she said. "This fighting has placed refugees in the front line and I am very concerned about the precarious situation in which they find themselves."
The appeal also includes provisions for emergency health, water and sanitation services, as well as a means to allow schoolchildren displaced by the fighting to sit for public examinations.
Fighting erupted two weeks ago between Lebanese army forces and Fatah al-Islam gunmen who had based themselves in Nahr el-Bared. Since then dozens of people have been killed, including many civilians.
In a statement released today, the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said claims by Fatah al-Islam that it was involved in a military stand-off at the camp were completely unfounded.
"The UNIFIL Maritime Task Force has no part whatsoever in the developments
in and around Nahr el-Bared camp," the statement said, adding that the
task force is acting fully within its mandate, which includes assisting the
Lebanese authorities in preventing the illegal flow of arms from the sea.
4th June 2007 - Mr. Alvaro Rodriguez has joined UNDP Pakistan as the new Country Director. He brings with him extensive experience in both the programmatic and operational activities of UNDP and of the Asia and the Pacific region. During his close to 17 years in UNDP, Mr. Rodriguez has served in Kenya, China, Thailand, and UNDP Headquarters. Responsibilities over the years have included, inter alia, management of UNDP's Global Programme, oversight of UNDP's knowledge networks, establishment of the Bangkok Sub-Regional Resource Facility (SURF), supervision of UNDP's economic reform and poverty alleviation portfolio in China and Kenya, and recovery initiatives in the Horn of Africa. Mr. Rodriguez has pursued academic studies on economics and political science in Chile, Canada, India and Australia.
Mr. Rodriguez's responsibilities will include the oversight and day-to-day management of the operational and programmatic activities of the UNDP Country Office, from programme design to implementation and assessment of results, and through these activities also support UN reform and 'delivering as one.
Furthermore, Mr. Jan Vandemoortele will now be focusing on his role as the Resident Coordinator of United Nations in Pakistan under the UN Reforms agenda.
Mr. Rodriguez will be joined shortly by his wife, Ms. Fainula Kurji-Rodriguez and by their twin sons Sameer and Khalil age 12.
ISLAMABAD (UN Information Centre) 29 May, 2007 : To commemorate The International Day of UN Peacekeepers, the United Nations Information Centre, organised a briefing session jointly with the Standing Committee on Defence & Defence Production, Senate of Pakistan, today at the Parliament House, Islamabad.
The International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers (29 May) was designated by the General Assembly in its resolution 57/129 of 11 December 2002. This action stemmed to pay tribute to all the men and women who have served in United Nations peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in the cause of peace. United Nations peacekeeping, built on almost 60 years of experience in the field, is widely acknowledged to be an indispensable tool for the international community in tackling the difficult issues of inter-State and, increasingly, intra-State conflicts.
There are currently more than 100,000 peacekeepers from 115 countries serving in 18 operations on four continents, with additional deployments on the horizon. Of the more than 100 countries that provide uniformed peacekeepers to the United Nations, the largest contributors remain Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, which together provide more than 35 per cent of all Blue Berets.
The session was started with the welcome note by the Senator Nisar A. Memon, Chairman Senate, Senate Standing Committee on Defence & Defence Production. It was followed by the UN Secretary General message, read by Ms. Ishrat Rizvi, Officer in charge of the UN Information Centre, Islamabad. Major General Waheed Arshad, D.G Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in his presentation briefed the participants about the Pakistan's contributions to the peacekeeping operations. Mr. Paneerselvam Perambalam, Chief Administrative Officer of the UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) gave a briefing on the significance and role of the UN peacekeeping operations around the globe.
Senators of the Standing Committee on Defence & Defence Production, university students of Defence and strategic studies, youth parliamentarians, government officials, faculty members , media and members from civic society attended the session and took part in the discussion.
H E Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Minister for Defense was the chief guest. In his
key note address, he highly appreciated the role of the UN peacekeeping operations
and paid tribute to all the men and women who have served in United Nations
peacekeeping operations for their high level of professionalism, dedication
and courage, and to honour the memory of those who have lost their lives in
the cause of peace. He also expressed his will to extend the cooperation with
the United Nations in the peacekeeping operation for a sustainable peace around
the world.
For more information on the United Nations and its activities, please visit the main UN website at www.un.org or the UN Pakistan website at www.un.org.pk