UN Women PRESS RELEASE UN Women puts spotlight on the role of CSR for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Pakistan Islamabad, September 22, 2021: UN Women hosted a convention on CSR4Women – The Untapped Potential in Islamabad on September 21, 2021. The event was supported by the Government of Norway and chaired by Sima Kamil, the Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. The convention brought together business leaders, CEOs of private companies, heads of Chambers of Commerce, development partners and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) experts to deliberate on the potential role of the CSR towards fostering inclusive economic opportunities for women. "The nexus of corporate social responsibility and women's economic empowerment presents four wins - for the private sector, the state, women and for us as UN Women Pakistan. Through our collaborative efforts, we will achieve the vision of making Pakistan the 10th largest economy by 2047”, said Sharmeela Rassool, Country Representative of UN Women in her opening address. The convention provided an opportunity to recognize the role of women Home-Based Workers (HBWs), while identifying possibilities for their economic advancement in the CSR space. Evidence shows that HBWs contribute 1.5% of Pakistan’s GDP, the available data does not include those who are self-employed or contributing family workers. According to the Labour Force Survey for 2017-2018, out of 5.26 million HBWs in Pakistan, 81% are women. HBWs are playing an increasingly important role in the economic growth of the country. However, their contribution is undervalued with limited recognition and legal protection. Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor, SBP, sharing a perspective in the keynote address said, ‘the financial sector also needs to realize its role as a key player in advancing regulatory policy and strategies towards promoting women’s access to finance and digital financial inclusion.’ She highlighted the need for introducing digital channels for lending by the financial institutions and capacity building of women for effectively accessing these tools. UN Women Pakistan has worked with the private sector companies in Pakistan since 2015 through the application of Women’s Economic Empowerment Principles (WEPs). The WEPs are a set of gender responsive principles offering guidance to businesses on how to promote gender equality and women’s economic empowerment in the workplaces and marketplaces. UN Women has mobilized a fast-growing community of WEP signatories in Pakistan, who are doing valuable and impactful work in this regard. Fareeha Ummar, Portfolio Manager, UN Women, in her call for action, underscored that private business activity, investment and innovation through social responsibility are major drivers of inclusive economic growth and job creation. She called on the private sector to apply creativity and innovation through a partnership approach ‘towards ensuring income equality, gender equality, equity in access to health, education and social security.’ The expert panel discussion featured best practices and experiences from the CSR initiatives to identify opportunities for channeling CSR funds towards an economically secured future for women in Pakistan. The convention concluded with some very pertinent commitments and agreed action points from the participants for nurturing a new generation of business and public leaders that will take CSR and sustainability to the next level. For more information, contact: Anam Abbas, UN Women Pakistan anam.abbas@unwomen.org; (03455075163)

UNHCR PRESS RELEASE Country-wide DRIVE updates details of 500,000 registered Afghan refugees PESHAWAR, 21 September 2021 – Pakistan has updated details of more than 500,000 registered Afghan refugees as part of a country-wide campaign to issue renewed Proof of Registration (PoR) cards. Some 1.4 million already registered Afghan refugees are being verified and issued with new biometric cards through 35 sites and four mobile units. The last large-scale verification of refugees in the country was undertaken 10 years ago. Known as the Documentation Renewal and Information Verification Exercise – DRIVE – the government-led campaign is run by Pakistan’s National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and Commissionerate for Afghan Refugees (CAR), with the support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), and is expected to be completed within the year. DRIVE will boost Pakistan’s efforts to enhance protection and assistance for refugees. The cards will better enable refugees to access critical services, such as health and education. Refugees who completed their DRIVE verification interviews receive SMS notifications advising them of when and where their new PoR smartcards can be collected. “I applaud the progress Pakistan has made with this exercise. It is a global leader in terms of developing  a high-tech refugee registration platform which enables refugee protection and solutions. I hope more countries will follow in Pakistan’s footsteps in providing documentation to refugees,” said the UNHCR Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Indrika Ratwatte while visiting a DRIVE Centre in Peshawar today. Pakistan’s NADRA has printed and distributed some 100,000 new smartcards to existing registered Afghan refugees. “A lot has changed since the last large-scale exercise in Pakistan 10 years ago. The refugee smartcards are an important tool of protection, and it enables the Government and UNHCR to have current information on the refugee population, including vulnerabilities, skills and education levels to better inform the provision of services and assistance,” Ratwatte added. The smart PoR cards, which will be valid until June 2023, are legally recognized proof of identity and include enhanced security features. These cards will also be technologically compatible with systems used in Pakistan to authenticate the identities of nationals to access services. DRIVE is also part of a wider effort to seek solutions for Afghan refugees, particularly through the Support Platform for the Solutions Strategy for Afghan Refugees (SSAR). The exercise will help collect data on the educational and professional backgrounds of refugees. This information will also assist in the development of skills training and enhance education opportunities for refugees, as well as match the needs for specific skill sets with opportunities in Afghanistan, which may enable voluntary return and sustainable reintegration in the future. Measures are in place at all DRIVE sites to mitigate COVID-19 risks through enhanced hygiene, physical distancing, and the scheduling of set numbers of appointments each day. ENDS

Video Message for the Secretary-General: International Day of Peace September 21, 2021 This year’s International Day of Peace comes at a crisis point for humanity.  COVID-19 has turned our world upside-down. Conflicts are spinning out of control.  The climate emergency is worsening. Inequality and poverty are deepening. And mistrust and division are driving people apart at a time when solidarity and collaboration are needed more than ever. As a human family, we face a stark choice — Peace or perpetual peril. We must choose peace. That is why I call for a 24-hour ceasefire today. And by working in solidarity for a lasting, sustainable peace every day, we can tackle the issues facing us. We need peace to urgently deliver lifesaving vaccines and treatment for COVID-19. We need peace to recover from the pandemic and re-build shattered systems and shattered lives. We need peace to level the playing field and reduce inequalities. We need peace to renew trust in one another — and faith in facts and science. And we need to make peace with nature — to heal our planet, build a green economy, and achieve our net-zero targets. Peace is not a naïve dream. It’s a light in the darkness. Guiding us to the only pathway to a better future for humanity. Let’s walk the pathway of peace as if our lives depended on it. Because they do. Thank you. *** UNITED NATIONS MEDIA ADVISORY  World leaders to gather at UN to mark SDG Moment and inspire ambition critical to ending the pandemic and ensuring a sustainable and inclusive future for all K-pop band BTS and Global Stakeholders to join Heads of State and Government in keeping the promise of the SDGs for people and planet   Follow on UN Web TV What: The SDG Moment serves to place an annual spotlight on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will be held at the beginning of the United Nation’s General Assembly’s High- Level Week. It takes place as the world experiences a deeply uneven response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which risks creating a two-tier recovery with significant implications for the advancement of the SDGs, especially in developing countries.   Convened by the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the Moment will provide world leaders with a platform to showcase the bold plans, actions and solutions that are needed to end the COVID-19 pandemic and set the world on course towards achieving the SDGs. Held in advance of major meetings on food systems, climate, energy, jobs and social protection, the SDG Moment event is expected to build the momentum needed to deliver on the Decade of Action and Keep the Promise of the SDGs.   The event will include more than 30 heads of state, a key debate with UN leaders on the COVID-19 Response and Recovery and a musical performance by K-pop band BTS, Special Presidential Envoy for Future Generation and Culture of the President of the Republic of Korea. Leaders from business, civil society, local authorities, the SDG Advocates and the UN will highlight how to take solutions to scale.   Why: To get the SDGs back on track and prevent the worst impacts of climate change, a profound shift in economies and societies is now needed that benefits both people and planet. 2 In the last 18 months, COVID-19 has disrupted economies and livelihoods, deepened inequalities and risks sending over 70 million people into extreme poverty.   In the same period, progress on reducing greenhouse gas emissions has been too slow and biodiversity loss has continued at an extraordinary pace. This is compounded by a deeply uneven global response to the pandemic with the world’s poorest countries and people suffering the most. The SDGs are the north star for the transformation required to overcome the pandemic and usher in a sustainable and inclusive future for everyone.   Recognising this urgency, the UN will launch a new campaign, Keeping the Promise ahead of the SDG Moment. The digital campaign will call on people around the world to make a promise to take action for a better future for all. Users will be asked to choose from 11 promises inspired by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals – the world’s to-do list to protect our planet and all its people.   More information is available: www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sdg-moment https://un.cheerity.com When: 8am-5pm, Monday 20 September 2021 Where: Follow on UN Web TV Social Media #GlobalGoals @UN @antonioguterres @aminajmohammed Media Contacts Francyne Harrigan, UN Department of Global Communications T: +1 917-209-6320 / E: harriganf@un.org Sharon Birch, UN Department of Global Communications T: +1 212-963-0564 / E: birchs@un.org

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE ON INTERNATIONAL EQUAL PAY DAY 18 September 2021 COVID-19 pulled back the curtain on a gross injustice: the lack of compensation for the work of raising children and caring for people who cannot look after themselves, which is largely done by women. By pushing care work out of the formal economy and into the home, the pandemic has exacerbated the gender pay gap. Many women are struggling to hold down paid jobs while raising children, dealing with online school, and caring for sick or vulnerable family members without material compensation. Investing in the care economy helps bridge the pay gap by creating new, sustainable jobs while freeing women up to participate in the paid workforce. At the same time, most frontline health workers battling the virus are women. They often earn less than men, lack decision-making power, and suffer greater exposure to violence and harassment. I was vividly reminded of women’s dual roles when I spoke with a health worker in Ghana, Scholastica Dery. “As frontline workers, we are the majority,” she said. “Combining this with our household duties is not easy, but we are determined to do it.” Despite equal pay laws, women earn an average of just 80 cents for every dollar men earn for work of equal value. That figure is even less for women of colour and those with children. Addressing the COVID-19 pandemic offers a generational opportunity to write a new social contract that upholds women’s human rights, including the right to equal pay.  This is a matter of justice and a responsibility for us all. On International Equal Pay Day, let’s resolve to dismantle the discrimination and harmful gender stereotypes that contribute to the gender pay gap. *** ITC PRESS RELEASE ITC supporting Government of Sindh to attain SPS compliance (Karachi) International Trade Centre (ITC), a joint agency of the United Nations and World Trade Organization through its 5-year European Union Supported Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project completed a series of seven Training of Trainers (ToTs) on “Slaughterhouse Management and SPS Compliance on 17 September 2021 in Karachi. At the closing ceremony of the training program Secretary Livestock and Fisheries, Government of Sindh, Mr. Aijaz Mahesar said the trainings marked the beginning of a new era of enhancing and strengthening public sector capacity in professional performance and execution of duties. He stated that “he believed that unless there is good collaboration between public and private sectors, no coherent, integrated and sustainable progress can be made. During his speech, Mr, Mahesar appreciated GRASP initiatives for enhancing professional capacity of government officials in SPS compliance in Sindh and termed the collaboration between the Government of Sindh and GRASP project vital for improving professional capacity of especially field staff in ensuring food safety standards and compliances.  While addressing the participants Director General Sindh Institute of Animal Health, Mr. Nazir Kalhoro said that ITC in collaboration with the Livestock and Fisheries Department has undertaken several initiatives in Sindh which will ultimately benefit SMEs in Sindh. He emphasised on the need to have active and close coordination between public and private sector to improve the quality and effectiveness of the services at grass roots level. Complying with the SPS regulations and quality standards of slaughtering and processing of meet will enable local entrepreneurs to tap the full business potential of the sector. Ms. Shabnam Baloch, GRASP Provincial Lead informed that over 150 master trainers from 14 districts of Sindh have been prepared through seven training sessions across the province. “This capacity building program has been designed to build the professional capacity of the staff of departments of Livestock and Fisheries, Local Government and Sindh Food Authority’’’ GRASP is supporting the Government of Sindh in not only building professional capacities of the staff of line departments, but also providing technical assistance in regulatory reforms through development and review of various policies, acts and laws etc. The initiatives taken by the project will result in improved quality and delivery of the services and pave the path for further collaboration between public and private sector in Sindh. ***   UNICEF PRESS RELEASE Schoolchildren worldwide have lost 1.8 trillion hours and counting of in-person learning due to COVID-19 lockdowns, says UNICEF Urging governments to reopen schools as soon as possible, UNICEF unveils No Time to Lose – a clock counting hours of lost learning – as the UN General Assembly gets underway in N NEW YORK, 17 September 2021 – Schoolchildren around the world have lost an estimated 1.8 trillion hours – and counting – of in-person learning since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns. As a result, young learners have been cut off from their education and the other vital benefits schools provide. To call attention to this education crisis, UNICEF today unveiled ‘No Time to Lose' at United Nations Headquarters in New York. The centerpiece of the installation is a clock, modelled to look like the blackboard of an empty classroom, situated at the UN Visitors’ Plaza in front of the General Assembly Building. The clock is a real-time counter, displaying the growing cumulative number of in-person learning hours every schoolchild in the world has lost and continues to lose since the pandemic's onset. The empty classroom consists of 18 desks, one for every month of the pandemic-caused education disruptions. The installation is being created ahead of the opening of the General Debate of the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), a period when some leaders will take the opportunity to return to United Nations headquarters in person for the first time since the onset of the pandemic. “Next week, the United Nations will open its doors to delegations from around the world. But in many countries, the doors of schools will remain closed to children and young people,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. “We are short-changing an entire generation whose minds and futures hang in the balance. We must prioritize the reopening of schools and support those who have lost out during the pandemic. There is no time to lose.” This year, the General Debate and associated annual meetings will take place in a hybrid format, with many events taking place virtually. The installation, open to delegations which will have elected to attend General Assembly meetings in-person, is a stark reminder that millions of schoolchildren remain locked out of their schools and a call for leaders to act urgently on this education crisis. The installation will be up from 17 September to 27 September with the conclusion of UNGA.* Globally, around 131 million schoolchildren in 11 countries have missed three-quarters of their in-person learning from March 2020 to September 2021. Among them, 59 per cent – or nearly 77 million – have missed almost all in-person instruction time. Around 27 per cent of countries continue to have schools fully or partially closed. Additionally, according to UNESCO’s latest data, more than 870 million students at all levels are currently facing disruptions to their education. UNICEF urges governments, local authorities, and school administrations to reopen schools as soon as possible and take all possible steps to mitigate against transmission of the virus in schools, such as:   ·        Implementing mask policies for students and staff that are in accordance with national and local guidelines; · Providing handwashing facilities and/or hand sanitiser; · Frequently cleaning surfaces and shared objects; · Ensuring adequate and appropriate ventilation; · Cohorting (keeping students and teachers in small groups that do not mix); staggering start, break, bathroom, meals and end time; and alternating physical presence; · Establishing information sharing mechanisms with parents, students and teachers; · While not a prerequisite to reopen schools, teachers should be prioritised to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, after frontline health workers and those most at risk, to protect them from community transmission. Additionally, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNHCR, WFP and the World Bank previously issued the Framework for School Reopening to provide practical and flexible advice for national and local governments and aid their efforts to return students to in-person learning. "Every hour a child spends in the classroom is precious – an opportunity to expand their horizons and maximize their potential. And with each passing moment, countless amounts of opportunity are lost,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. “1.8 trillion hours – and counting – is an unfathomable amount of time. Equally unfathomable is setting priorities around mitigating the impacts of COVID that do not put our children’s future first. We can and must reopen schools as soon as possible. The clock is ticking.”   ##### Notes to editors: Download multimedia content here.   *NOTE: Due to the prevailing conditions under COVID-19, media accreditation will not be issued for the high-level period of the 76th session of the General Assembly. Access during high level week will be limited to accredited media representatives who have an office at UN Headquarters (resident correspondents) and the official media of visiting delegations. Other interested media are encouraged to join the photo call on 17 September to obtain access prior to high-level week. About UNICEF  UNICEF works in some of the world's toughest places, to reach the world's most disadvantaged children. Across more than 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a better world for everyone.  Follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook  For more information please contact:  Sara Alhattab, UNICEF New York, Tel: +1 917 957 6536, salhattab@unicef.org