Future progress on regional integration Peace, stability of Afghanistan key element: Sartaj

Deputy Chairman Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform, Sartaj Aziz has said that peace and stability in Afghanistan is the key element for the future progress on regional integration. He said this during his keynote address while chairing a session titled 'Improving Connectivity and Regional Integration in Central and South Asia' at the 20th Sustainable Development Conference (SDC) here on Tuesday, organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
Aziz said that any future progress on regional integration will sustain if peace and stability in Afghanistan comes about; therefore, it is the prime responsibility of all the stakeholders to put all efforts in bringing peace in Afghanistan.
This is not possible without Pakistan's support to the international community and Pakistan will do all that it can to help Afghan reconciliation process, he said, adding Pakistan is an important force behind keeping trans-boundary energy and resource sharing agreements on track. The CPEC paved the way for foreign investment in the country and enabled Pakistan to connect with all countries using this concept of One Belt, Road Initiative, he added.
Safdar Pervez from Asian Development Bank, Manila, said that Pakistan stands at the cross roads and can extend regional cooperation among South Asian countries. He said that the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) is trying to promote regional cooperation in all forms, connecting people across the region eventually to increase trade and investment opportunities.
Xiahong Nang from Asian Development Bank said that efficient infrastructure is an important element for regional cooperation. Trade patterns are changing rapidly between emerging and developing countries and ultimately Pakistan has great potential to trade with the CAREC countries. There is a dire need to diversify the basket of exportable items. The tax regimes need to be reformulated to improve trade and promote SMEs by providing them with access to credit, he added.
Imran Shaukat from Jobs Group said the CAREC and CPEC are international visions, adding that among all countries, China is the only country promoting globalization and working on regional cooperation. He stressed the need for helping agro-based countries like Pakistan to bring forward the potential for export promotion. Speaking at a concurrent plenary session on 'Harnessing Private Sector's Role for Sustainable Development,' Chairman of Nestle Pakistan, Syed Yawar Ali said that public-private partnership and collaboration between business and social community is crucial for meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Shakeel Ramay from the SDPI said that the engagement of private sector in sustainable development demands the formulation of new instruments and policies along with a platform where different networks can gather to consolidate different policies. Michael Williamson from the UNESCAP lauding the incorporation of SDGs in businesses said that the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific's special focus is on SDG 8, 9, and 13 to strengthen the role of the private sector.
Shakeel Ahmad from the UNDP gave the idea of Blended Finance to attract investment from private sector and discussed the steps for financing the SDGs in Pakistan. Zubair Tufail from the FPCCI said that large-scale unemployment is the real problem, so private sector should focus on creating employment opportunities.
Speaking at a session on 'Women Access to Justice: Ending Violence against Women' Bandana Rana, Member of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), said Pakistan and India have reservations against Article 16 that deals with the issues pertaining to marriage, divorce ad married life. The states have to translate suggestion/recommendation by the CEDAW committee and disseminate it to the large audience.
Pranav Adhikari from Nepal linked gender equality and empowerment with the achievement of the SDGs. He said that SDGs cannot be achieved unless women goal 5 is achieved. He was of the view that both the men and women are subject to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV). Nargis Asad from Aga Khan University Karachi was of the view that psychological violence is part of every type of violence. "Different societal structures play a vital role in prevalence of IPV. "Lack of education, intelligence, unemployment, poverty and use of drugs is the main causes of IPV. Both love and arranged marriages also contribute to the prevalence of IPV."
Khawar Mumtaz said that compliance of the existing laws needs to be taken into consideration. She said that the role of civil society is critical in this regard as it is mandated to monitor the progress at different levels. While speaking on 'Political Economy of South Asia: Stories from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh,' Afrasiab Khattak of the Awami National Party said, "History is just like a mirror in which we look our past but carry on our journey towards the future."
Khattak said feudalism, military quos, "Arabization" of Pakistan and building the country as a national security state has derailed the system of nation-building. He said that the literature and history have been manipulated over times by different rulers according to their will. Human right activist IA Rehman highlighted the economic stability situation of South Asian countries and said that Bangladeshi mindset is of progressive nature. The session stressed the importance of history which is necessary to be studied in all its perspectives.
The discussion moved around a book titled 'Political History of Pakistan' written by Ahmed Salim. The book covered 30 years of Pakistan history in four volumes. Speaking at a session on Innovative Climate Finance Mechanisms for Financial Institutions, Dr Saleem Zia from Pakistan Mortgage Re-Finance said commercial banks need capacity building and awareness on green financing. Commercial banks should have 3% of their own green portfolio, he added, adding that the banks need incentives for the implementation of green finance guidelines and State Bank will provide 60% funds in case there is some loss on any project done using these guidelines.
Aneta Nikolova from UNESCAP said there is a knowledge-based platform related to green financing namely SDG help desk, and UNESCAP is expecting Sustainable Development Policy Institute to promote it so that people might get awareness. Bjoern Darnsfeld from Green Werk, Germany, urged that an integrated strategy on policy level and banking sector is required to do pro-environment projects.