SDGs 2030: Crossing the Halfway Mark (Part II) on July 29, 2023The pandemic has had devastating impacts on learning. Learning losses due to COVID-related school closures were documented in four in every five of the 104 countries studied. A recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study assessment revealed declines in 21 out of 32 countries with comparable data from 2016–2021, and parents reported that two-thirds of […]
SDGs 2030: Crossing the Halfway Mark (Part I) on July 28, 2023In August 2015, the UN Inter-Governmental negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process came to fruition with consensus on the outcome document, titled ‘Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Global Action’. Framed as 17 SDG goals with 169 outcome-based targets, the framework is embraced by 190+ countries including […]
International Day of Education & Climate Change on January 24, 2023Education is a basic human right, a public good, and a public responsibility. The UN General Assembly proclaimed January 24 as the day of education. In this regard, the fifth international day of education is being observed on January 24, 2023, under the theme “To invest in people, prioritize education.” Building on the global momentum […]
Human Resource Development (Part II) on December 9, 2022In the previous part of this OpEd series, the German educational structure has been explored as a vanguard of a successfully developed economy. In this piece, the educational paradigm of China, which represents a successful human resource development model among the newly industrialised developing economies, is dissected. Chinese decision-makers have also put technical education and […]
Human Resource Development (Part I) on December 8, 2022Human Resource Development (HRD) lays the foundation of a developed and progressive society. It is an important factor in economic growth and manpower development is the cornerstone of the development process. Human Resource Development, especially through Education and Technical and Vocational Training, can determine the future of the country. A significant form of human capital […]
Achievement of SDGs: Sindh, Balochistan and KP (Part II) on November 5, 2022In 2020, the Government of Sindh launched its own SDGs framework to serve as a roadmap for the achievement of SDGs. Initially, the province took stock of available resources and prioritized SDGs based on existing development issues and challenges, value for money and magnitude of impact and consultations with stakeholders. SDGs 2, 3, 4, 6, […]
Achievement of SDGs: Sindh, Balochistan and KP (Part-1) on November 4, 2022United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Planning Commission of Pakistan launched a “National Initiative for SDGs,” followed by a more focused project in Provinces titled “Mainstreaming, Acceleration and Policy Support for SDGs.” This project was aimed at providing coordination, advisory and management support for the SDGs in the country. In this regard, SDGs Unit […]
SDGs Status Report 2021: Punjab, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (Part II) on October 21, 2022In the case of SDG-2, the country has seen a decrease in the prevalence of undernourishment by 4.2 per cent in four years during 2015-19. According to the latest figures for 2019-20, 83.56 per cent of people are food secure in Pakistan. Regarding the prevalence of stunting, SDGs indicator 2.2.1, and the prevalence of stunting […]
SDGs Status Report 2021: Punjab, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan (Part I) on October 20, 2022UN General Assembly, through resolution 47/196 declared 17 October as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and started observing from 1993 onwards to devote the Day to presenting and promoting, as appropriate in the national context, concrete activities with regard to the eradication of poverty and destitution. In order to make a universal […]
National Gender Policy Framework 2022: Policy Critique (Part III) on September 13, 2022A focused approach, with coordination at the federal and provincial levels, towards gender equality and promoting the rights of women is the need of the hour. Any policy framework aiming to work towards the betterment of women must be interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral. The success of any policy framework depends on the strength of its proposed […]