ISLAMABAD: A Special Joint Working Group of academia and parliamentarians has been formed to develop research and advocacy agenda on SDGs, Human Rights and make recommendations to foster cooperation among academia, civil society and parliamentarians.

According to the notification, Chairman National Parliamentary Taskforce Riaz Fatyana, Member National Assembly with the joint signatures of Muhammad Shafique Chaudhry Executive Director Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights and Muhammad Murtaza Noor National Coordinator Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences , has notified 42 members working group which will include nineteen parliamentarians, twenty senior academics across Pakistan and three civil society experts.

The working group has been established as follow up of signed MoU among National Parliamentary Taskforce, Parliamentarians Commission for Human Rights and Muhammad and Inter University Consortium for Promotion of Social Sciences (IUCPSS), largest network of Pakistani universities.

The main functions of the working group would include organizing national/regional consultations, advocacy seminars, consultative workshops, conferences and other academic activities in the areas of the common interest, including sharing of the expertise and other strengths.

The working group would also opt other members from the relevant fields from time to time. It will share expertise and resources for efficient and effective use to improve the capacities of and service delivery by parliamentarians, policy makers, IUCPSS member universities and the community associated with research.

In addition, the working group would collaborate in setting the research agenda on annual basis, improving and strengthening the scientific, academic and research capacities of the IUCPSS member universities in SDGs and socio-economic-environment nexus in the context of social sciences, human rights, arts and humanities for meaningful research at the universities.