ISLAMABAD: Australia is looking forward to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan in the action against human trafficking and smuggling, said Ms. Adamson, the Australian High Commissioner.
Talking to the Daily Times, Ms. Adamson expressed her concerns on human trafficking and smuggling. She said: “Australia wants to inform that the people of Pakistan are not vulnerable to these smugglers”. To this she added “human smuggling can ruin your family finances; push them into modern slavery”.
Through this project, awareness among the vulnerable people will increase and they will be able to protect individuals especially women and children, said Ms. Adamson.
She said Australia and Pakistan were working in power generation. Agriculture, livestock, sports goods, information technology, health and education were the other key sectors wherein Pakistani businessmen could take advantage of Australian technological advancements to play their role in the economic turnaround of the country.
The Australian government will work with the Pakistani government through the UNODC to strengthen border control and combat transnational crime, including human trafficking. Ms. Adamson said the Australian government was pleased to work with Pakistan.
The High Commissioner stressed that these were issues of global concern, requiring a strong and coordinated response. She said that this project demonstrated the commitment of all three partners to address the scourge of transnational crime.
Ending gender based violence in Pakistan:Australia has zero tolerance towards violence against women as gender equality is the core priority policy of Australia, her Excellency told theDaily Times.
“We have a variety of projects to combat violence against women with huge investment in urban and rural areas”, said the High Commissioner. For a just, equitable and peaceful society, “we must reinforce our commitment to reducing violence against women through not only developing responsive legislative mechanisms, but also ensuring implementation,” she remarked.
Ms. Adamson further stated that Australia’s programme “The EVAW” will provide more than 17,200 Pakistani women and children with direct assistance and benefit about 238,000 Pakistani women and children indirectly. The EVAW programme aims to strengthen the capacity of Pakistan’s police, medical institutions and the judiciary to respond to violence against women and to build the capacity of parliamentarians to enable them to strengthen legislation to eliminate violence against women.
Australia’s vital role in Pakistan’s economy:Ms. Adamson underlined the need for boosting trade relations between Australia and Pakistan as the meagre volume of bilateral commerce did not reflect the cordial ties between them.
She said power generation, agriculture, livestock, sports goods, information technology, health and education were the key sectors wherein Pakistani businessmen could take advantage of Australian technological advancements to play their role in the economic turnaround of the country.
The high commissioner said, “Pakistan could avail Australian expertise in vocational training as Australian vocational training modules are the best in the world.” She stressed the need for frequent exchange of business delegations so that both the sides could have first-hand knowledge of the available opportunities. Ms. Adamson called Pakistani goods among the best in the world adding that they had a huge potential in the Australian market.
“Australia is committed to support the Government of Pakistan in its efforts to battle the crisis of malnutrition”, said the Australian High Commissioner.
“Food fortification is globally recognised as one of the most cost effective interventions for improving the nutritional status of the population at a large scale. Fortification of routinely consumed foods, like wheat and edible oil with micronutrients is particularly effective as these are used in everyday meals throughout the country”, she added.
Australia’s aid programme aims to contribute to sustainability, inclusive of economic growth and poverty reduction in Pakistan, through two strategic objectives:
1 Generating sustainable growth and employment through increased trade and investment, and improvements to agricultural productivity, water resources management and industry.
2. Investing in Pakistan’s people through health and education.
“Australia’s partnership with Pakistan in the agricultural sector has been for decades. We are helping people to improve their skills in the agriculture sector to help farmers become more successful”, said the High Commissioner. Australia boosts Pakistan’s mango industry:“We have an iconic example in the mango industry as Australia has supported Pakistan’s mango industry for many years”, said Ms. Adamson. The High Commissioner said with Australia’s assistance, Pakistan’s mango export has become a much more successful product. She believed that Pakistan was exporting mangos in the major markets of the world.
15000 students are studying in Australia on their own account. The High Commissioner told theDaily Times that Australia has been inviting Pakistani students to Australia on government scholarships since 1950.
Ms. Adamson further said that technical and vocational colleges in the private sector between Pakistan and Australia were very important. “Australia offers world class education that helps students to make their future anywhere in the world”, said Ms. Adamson at the end of the interview. “Pakistan’s large youth population is Pakistan’s future and Australia is helping Pakistan develop its potential through education and training opportunities and strengthened links between our people pf both countries,” she concluded.