Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 30 September 2024

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

MESSAGE FOR INTERNATIONAL DAY OF OLDER PERSONS

“Ageing with Dignity: The Importance of Strengthening Care and Support Systems for Older Persons Worldwide.”

1 October 2024

As populations age, care and support systems are vital for older persons to continue actively engaging and enriching their communities.

Yet too often older persons do not have access to this crucial assistance, deepening inequalities and increasing their vulnerabilities. This disparity falls even heavier on women, including older women, who bear the brunt of providing unpaid care.

Recognising the rights of both those who receive care and care givers is essential for more resilient societies.

We must work to cultivate people-centered care systems that are sustainable and equitable, and they must amplify the voices of older persons by ensuring their participation in policy making.

That requires investing in the infrastructure for formal long-term care, ensuring opportunities for decent work, and enabling individuals to transition from informal to formal care.

On this International Day of Older Persons, let’s commit to strengthen care and support systems that honour the dignity of older persons and caregivers.

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ILO

PRESS RELEASE

Asia-Pacific achieves social protection milestone, yet challenges remain and new ones emerge with climate change

New ILO report highlights positive trend in regional social protection coverage, however uneven progress and financial sustainability issues, coupled with the need to address climate change impacts highlight the need for comprehensive system enhancements.

BANGKOK, (ILO News) – The Asia-Pacific region passed a milestone in 2023 when for the first time over half of its population (53.6 per cent) was covered by at least one social protection benefit according to a new International Labour Organization (ILO) report. However, social protection systems in Asia-Pacific countries face both recurrent and new transformative challenges and require significant strengthening if they are to help effectively mitigate the impacts of climate change on populations in the region.

The Regional companion report for Asia and the Pacific of the World Social Protection Report 2024-26: Universal Social Protection for Climate Action and a Just Transition highlight how the effective social protection coverage for the region now exceeds the global average (52.4 per cent). Despite this, some 2.1 billion people remain unprotected against various life-cycle and socio-economic risks while progress in extending social protection has been uneven.

According to the report, since 2015 the effective coverage rate in Eastern Asia increased by 15.2 percentage points (from 63.3 to 78.5 per cent); by 13.4 percentage points (32.5 to 45.9 per cent) in South-Eastern Asia; by 16.7 percentage points (18.7 to 35.4 per cent) in Southern Asia; and by 6.8 percentage points (65.7 to 72.5 per cent) in the Pacific Islands. However, significant disparities exist among countries.

The region faces challenges in the adequacy of benefits and the financial sustainability of social protection systems. In 2023, the region spent 11.8 per cent of GDP for social protection, well below the global average of 19.3 per cent.

Furthermore, the report reveals the effective coverage of women by at least one benefit lags that of men by 6.8 percentage points; a figure that is particularly pronounced in Southern Asia, where a 11.1 percentage-point gap exists.

“While the progress made since 2015 in the region as a whole is promising, there is still a considerable way to go to attain universal coverage and to reach adequate and comprehensive protection. Investing in comprehensive and resilient social protection systems has never been as urgent as it is today,” said Chihoko Asada-Miyakawa, ILO Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific.

With the region home to 16 of the 50 most vulnerable countries to climate change, the report also highlights how properly designed and funded social protection systems will help mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change, provide income protection for those affected by climate policy measures, and promote the transition towards a green economy.

“It is particularly concerning that many countries in Asia and the Pacific are experiencing a high vulnerability to climate change yet have low effective coverage. Social protection will play a vital role in supporting climate adaptation and mitigation efforts, and in facilitating a just transition, ultimately enhancing the resilience of all, and especially vulnerable communities,” said Kenichi Hirose, Senior Social Protection Specialist at the ILO Decent Work Technical Support Team for East and South-East Asia and the Pacific.

For further information, please contact:

Steve Needham

Regional Communication Officer

Email: needham@ilo.org

Muhammad Numan

Communication Officer

Email: numan@ilo.org

Mobile: +92 303 5000041

UNDP

PRESS RELEASE

Striving for people-centered justice for all: Federal Steering Committee of the European Union-funded ‘Deliver Justice Project’ holds its third annual meeting

27 September 2024, Islamabad: The third Federal Steering Committee (FSC) meeting of the EU funded ‘Deliver Justice Project’ was held at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Economic Affairs Division (EAD)..

The ‘Deliver Justice’ project supports reforms to ensure the delivery of people-centred justice, access to justice for all, particularly women and less privileged groups; and improve service delivery of the security sector in line with constitutional safeguards and international standards. Implemented in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and the Merged Districts. The project is funded by the European Union (EU) and is jointly implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The meeting was chaired by Samar Ihsan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, EAD, and was attended by Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Pakistan, Samuel Rizk, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan, Arsalan Malik, Officer-In-Charge, UNODC Pakistan, and Jacqui Ketunuti, Deputy Country Representative, UN Women Pakistan. Officials from all the project implementing partners, the Government of KP and Balochistan, and the Federal Government also attended the meeting.The FSC meets every year to discuss the project’s progress and present its work plans for the year ahead. The meeting chair, Samar Ihsan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, EAD, reaffirmed the Pakistan Government’s commitment and support to the successful implementation of the project. “Together with our partners, under the ‘Deliver Justice Project,’ we have achieved many milestones that are essential to delivering people-centered justice. We look forward to our continued partnership with the EU and its implementing partners UNDP, UNODC, and UN Women.”

In the meeting, it was shared that together with KP and Balochistan Rule of Law institutions and partners, in 2023, UNDP, UNODC and UN Women:

• Strengthened justice and security sector policy and legal framework by developing 12 key policy/legislative instruments, including  8 pro-women legislative instruments.
• Raised people’s legal awareness and legal literacy by conducting sessions for over 7,068 people on laws, rights, alternative dispute resolution, and gender in both provinces.
• Sensitized over 60,000 people, including 24,000 women, on pro-women laws and GBV prevention.
• Contributed to free legal aid services whereby 44 people, including 34 women, received legal aid (civil law cases 43%, succession 20%, and family law 20%), and 176 women received legal aid and psychosocial support in flood-affected areas of Balochistan.
• Developed capacity of over 3,379 justice and security actors, including 861 women
• Strengthened provincial rule of law coordination mechanism in both provinces, including through the KP Rule of Law Roadmap revision exercise.
• Increased service delivery and access to justice for vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities in KP by equipping over 36 virtual courts, 3 prison facilities, 3 sub-jails, and in Balochistan by equipping over 10 smart police stations, smart classrooms, second police Khidmat Markaz, 6 prosecution offices, Forensic Science Laboratory and Prison Training Academy in Mach.
• Enhanced gender-responsive facilities through the creation of 6 facilities for women and men duty bearers and rights holders.
• Increased women police officer recruitments by supporting police recruitment drives contributing to an increase of women police recruits in Balochistan by 88% (375 in 2022 to 706 in 2023) and in the Merged Districts in KP by 123% (22 in 2022 to 49 in 2023).

During the meeting, the FSC also discussed the results of the mid-term evaluation of the project to improve its implementation. The need to engage with civil society organizations and the media to increase public awareness of the project was also underlined.

In his welcoming remarks, the Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Pakistan,  Jeroen Willems, underlined the importance of investments in rule of law as a cornerstone for inclusive development, peace and security for the Pakistani people, particularly women and girls. He noted that as the project is in its final stage of implementation and that full commitment from all project stakeholders at federal and provincial level is required to ensure that the project lives up to its title and “delivers justice” in a sustainable and inclusive manner.  

On the occasion, the UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative, Samuel Rizk, thanked Samar Ihsan for chairing the FSC, and the EU, Federal, and Provincial Government stakeholders for their valuable support. He also emphasized the important partnership with UNODC and UN Women in implementing the project. He highlighted, “Deliver Justice is a flagship project that is providing crucial support to key institutions with the overarching goal to strengthen justice and rule of law in Pakistan.” He also reaffirmed UNDP’s commitment to supporting the federal and provincial governments in ensuring the delivery of people-centered justice.

UN Women Pakistan Deputy Country Representative, Ms Jacqui Ketunuti in her remarks said " "The Deliver Justice Project is a transformative initiative focused on establishing a gender-sensitive justice system in Pakistan. This initiate upholds our strong commitment to ensuring justice is accessible to all, particularly women and marginalized groups are not left behind. Through essential reforms and the strengthening of the justice sector in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Merged Districts, we are laying the foundation for a more equitable society. We empower women and marginalized communities to fully realize their right to justice within a responsive legal framework that addresses the needs of every citizen."

Arsalan Malik, Officer-In-Charge, UNODC Pakistan added to his remarks, “The 3rd Federal Steering Committee meeting marks yet another milestone under the Deliver Justice Project. With the presence of all stakeholders, it gives us a unique advantage to build on ongoing engagements and collaborative networks to further strengthen and align the existing reforms with the emerging priorities of provincial and federal stakeholders.” He reiterated UNODC's commitment to serving as a strategic partner to the Government of Balochistan and acknowledged the continued collaboration with UNDP and UN Women. “Together, we aim to support the development of an inclusive and responsive rule of law that ensures free and fair access to justice for all, particularly women, vulnerable populations, and marginalized groups”.

For additional information, please contact:

• Fizza Bangash, Communications Analyst, UNDP Pakistan | fizza.bangash@undp.org or +92 (51) 835 5631
• Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC | rizwana.asad@un.org or 030198564255
• Erum Fareed, Communications Officer, UN Women |  erum.fareed@unwomen.org or 0346 8502146

About UNDP:

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP.

About UNODC:

UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices. Learn more at unodc.org or follow at @UNODC.

About UN Women:

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress in meeting their needs worldwide. Learn more at unwomen.org or follow @UNWomen.