There is an urgent need to bring decision makers, corporate sector, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and all other important actors of society closer, for the enhancement of family planning and reproductive services in the country, as population was rapidly increasing here.
This was the emphasis of speakers at a corporate summit on 'Involve to Resolve' organised by the Human Resource Development Network (HRDN) in collaboration with the Ministry of Population Welfare, Green Star and KSM here on Friday.
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has supported the event. Director Population Programme, Packard Foundation, Dr Sarah Clark said education, poverty, employment and health of women were inter-linked with each other, which needed to be looked into at a broader scale.
She said Pakistan is amongst the eight priority countries, where Packard Foundation decided to launch its programmes for betterment of lives of mothers and children and spending 80 percent of funds on family planning. Pakistan is moving ahead and now international donors are returning for last few years, which is evidence of its progress. Packard Foundation will also consider increasing its assistance to Pakistan in 2006.
She said that the foundation has invested 22 million dollars in local and international organisations working in Pakistan. For development in Pakistan, she suggested all resources should be put at one table by both private as well as public sector, and all stakeholders also be persuaded to work together by assisting each of them.
Endangered species and relationship to environmental problems cannot be dealt with in any adequate way without taking into account the population measures and the economic well-being of the people who may be affected by the actions taken, she added.
Chairperson HRDN, Roomi S. Hayat, informed that the NGO was dedicated to HR and HRD related challenges and was a resource pool of a fraternity of more than 400 development professionals and 100 organisations from all sectors.
He said the summit was aimed at making the corporate leaders aware of (i) the crucial link between sustainable development and family planning, and (ii) reproductive health services, and for them to invest in FP, RH information and services, for an overall enhanced corporate involvement on a long term basis.
Dr Yasmin Qazi, Senior Programme Advisor, Packard Foundation, in her presentation said population in Pakistan had reached 153.45 million with an yearly growth rate of 1.9 percent, which could be devastating for the country's resources and development.
Poverty has risen since last decade. Implication of poverty includes child labour, unskilful employment, nutrition and productivity, law and order, gender discrimination and disparities, mortality and morbidity. Population growth also affects environment, education and healthcare resources, she said.
Kanwal Bokharey of Aga Khan Foundation also spoke on the occasion.
Comments
Comments are closed.