The United Nations turns 75 this year and to spur global discussions on the issues facing humanity, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called out to stakeholders worldwide to participate in UN75 dialogues.
During his visit to Pakistan and NUST in February 2020, he specifically requested NUST to participate in UN75 debates. These dialogues are intended to crowd-source solutions to the current and impending problems. High-impact solutions will be curated and presented at a special event at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA, this Fall.
In response to the call by the UNSG, the National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) hosted online the first-ever UN75 dialogue on "Inequalities: Bridging the Divide." It was live streamed from the university's main campus here on Thursday.
Prominent dialogue participants included Kanwal Shauzab, Parliamentary Secretary Planning & Development, Romina Khurshid Alam, MNA and Member Parliamentary Committee on SDGs, Saleem Ranjha, Additional Secretary Ministry of Education; and Nighat Dad, Founder Digital Rights Pakistan.
Each of the participants shed light on various forms of inequalities, their effects on society, and how to take measures to create a more equitable society within their individual realms.
Earlier in his welcome remarks, Lt-Gen Naweed Zaman (retd), Rector NUST, touched upon the measures NUST has been taking to bridge the various divides and address inequalities. He particularly highlighted that NUST faculty, students, and staff hail from all provinces of Pakistan, and special steps are taken to bring in students from tribal and other far-flung areas of the country, including erstwhile refugees.-PR