ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Saturday expressed Pakistan’s renewed commitment to redouble efforts to ensure a safe, secure, and responsive environment for every child to grow, and also voiced concerns over the state of children under illegal occupation.
In his message on World Children’s Day, the foreign minister said that the International Children’s Day is an apt annual reminder of the important place that children have in our world.
“They bring us joy and love and epitomize simplicity and innocence. It is, therefore, vital that children are afforded the necessary protections and the conducive conditions in which they are able to realise their dreams and full potential,” he added.
“On this day, we renew our commitment to redouble efforts to ensure a safe, secure and responsive environment for every child to grow, learn and flourish,” he said, adding that children share the same world that we, as international community, build for them.
“Sadly, today children are not free from the scourge of violent conflicts, illegal occupation of their land, climate change, inequality, racism, discrimination and poverty. They look up to us to do more for their rights as enshrined in international covenants. Provision of education and health and creation of a secure, safe and healthy environment is among their fundamental rights,” he regretted.
He added that the children must be protected from exploitation and all forms of abuse.
The Covid-19 pandemic has further complicated the socio-economic, health and education-related challenges being faced by the children around the world, he added.
He said that Pakistan is a progressive and strong global voice for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child, adding that the International Convention on the Rights of the Child was a result of our collective efforts, with Pakistan playing a major role.
“We have taken a number of steps for providing a better life to our children. The Ehsaas Nashounuma Program, the Ehsaas School Stipend Program, ZainabAlert legislation and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child are a manifestation of this commitment,” he added.
Qureshi added that in collaboration with the international community, Pakistan is also undertaking an unprecedented campaign to vaccinate more than 90 million children as part of global fight against measles and rubella, thus, upscaling our commitment to protect the child’s right to health.
“Today’s children are also our partners in building a better future. They have demonstrated their determination to stand up for challenges like climate change. Their commitment, strength and leadership gives us hope. In the same vein, the world must not expect that children growing up under oppression, occupation and facing denial of their inalienable rights will accept a lifetime under tyranny as their only fate,” he added.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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