Media Update: United Nations Pakistan, 8 December 2022

UNITED NATIONS

SECRETARY-GENERAL MESSAGE

MESSAGE ON THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF COMMEMORATION AND DIGNITY OF THE VICTIMS OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE

NEW YORK, 9 DECEMBER 2022

Today is a day to remember and pay tribute to the victims and survivors of genocides across the world. It is a day to reexamine our collective failure to prevent this crime in the past, and to redouble prevention efforts for the present and the future.

More than 70 years after the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the threat of genocide remains present in many places around the world. Discrimination and hate speech, the early warning signs of genocide, are on the rise everywhere.

We must do more to promote strong political leadership and resolute action against these dangerous trends. We must do more to live up to our commitment to liberate humanity from the scourge of genocide.

I recently visited Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where I had the privilege of meeting survivors of atrocity crimes.

Their moving testimony was a forceful reminder of the individual suffering, pain and horror of genocide and atrocity crimes.

I call on every Member State to take concrete steps to protect communities at risk, including minorities, and address discrimination and persecution.

States have the primary obligation for preventing genocide, but religious and community leaders, civil society, the private sector and the media – including social media platforms, play an essential role.

On this International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide, I urge all stakeholders to use all means at their disposal to prevent and end this crime.

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UNODC

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S

MESSAGE

International Day Against Corruption

9 December 2022

Corruption threatens our security.

It drives organized crime.

It corrodes our economy.

It crushes opportunities for development.

And it traps people in cycles of inequality and poverty.

On International Anti-Corruption Day, and every day, we can all act to stop corruption.

And we must.

Because our communities are losing out on trillions of dollars and countless opportunities.

As we face growing financial uncertainty, escalating conflicts, and climate disasters, it is more important than ever to end corruption.

UNODC is responding. This year we established our first ‘anti-corruption’ regional hubs in Africa and Latin America, to bring our assistance and expertise closer to the point of delivery.

We have enhanced our cross-border cooperation through the GlobE Network, with membership of 127 entities from 69 countries, and we have teamed up with the World Bank to bolster asset recovery efforts around the globe.

In times of emergencies, it is critical to have anti-corruption safeguards in place.

COVID-19 response and recovery efforts highlighted that with significant amounts of money come significant risks.

Anti-corruption efforts will prove essential to safeguard climate finance and to ensure that the green transition is not undermined by corrupt practices.

Youth and children have the most at stake. Bolstering anti-corruption education is central to our work to connect, engage and empower the next generations. This includes working to help shield sports from corruption.

As the guardian of the UN Convention against Corruption, we support over 185 countries to cooperate and take action to fight corruption. Next year, the Convention celebrates its 20th anniversary.

It is an opportunity to double global efforts to tackle corruption and ensure integrity across the board and around the world.

FAO

PRESS RELEASE

FAO Marks Emergency Response Plan Completion

Islamabad ( Friday, 2 December): Under the Project ‘Livelihood and Food Security Improvement Fund for the Flood Affected Areas of Pakistan’ funded by USAID, Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), provided Rabi assistance packages to the most vulnerable farmers. These packages included certified wheat seed bags and fertilizers (UREA and DAP). A total of 65,115 households, including women headed households, were provided assistance in all four provinces of Pakistan.

An event was held at National Agriculture Research Council (NARC) on Thursday to mark the completion of the Flood Emergency Response Plan. Ambassador Donald Blome, Embassy of United States of America, Pakistan was the chief guest while Mr. Zafar Hassan, Federal Secretary for Ministry of Food Security and Research spoke on behalf of the Ministry.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Florence Rolle, FAO Representative in Pakistan) said that Flood Emergency Response Plan; including selection of beneficiaries, procurement and distribution was completed in a record time of two months that is a huge achievement for FAO.  Ms. Florence said that we faced many challenges, but with strong collaboration with all stakeholders including government agriculture departments, smallholder farms, USAID, all suppliers and vendors, the emergency response plan was completed in time. This is an example of how stronger collaborations can help in the development of the agriculture sector in Pakistan. She thanked USAID and also other donors like EU, ECHO, JICA, and Japan for helping in executing the emergency response plan. She said that there is still need to do more and hoped that the event will result in more synergies and collaborations.

H.E Ambassador Donald Blome expressed concern on the immense loss of life, livestock and infrastructure and said that this has been an extraordinarily difficult year for Pakistan. He further added that USA is very proud to be a part of the rehabilitation process of flood affectees. Apart from that, USA has a long history of helping Pakistan in agriculture development in the form of green revolution, improving agricultural lands, water management, and upgradation of agricultural universities, irrigation systems restoration, and water storage platforms. USA has also played a major role in the electrification of Pakistan. The Ambassador said that together both the countries have accomplished so much and he hopes to continue that. USA will continue to help Pakistan under the Green Alliance Framework with renewed focus on the nexus of water, agriculture and energy. To achieve that USA will facilitate public and private investments. He appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to making required changes to face the challenges of climate change to build a sustainable future.

Mr. Zafar Hassan, Secretary National Food Security and Research, said that Pakistan has experienced the worst floods in its history. The country has faced economic loss of around USD 30 billion. The year has not been good for the agriculture sector. He said that the government is grateful to FAO and USAID for their support and assistance but added that we cannot always look up to donor agencies for help. The COP27 conference was a major breakthrough in pushing for global financing for calamities. However, he said that we can only survive if we work on self-reliance and self-sustainability. Mr. Zafar emphasized on promoting better ways of agriculture, producing better seeds, and providing better education for farmers. He congratulated Ms. Florence Rolle for leading the efforts of relief assistance and making it a success story.

Eight beneficiary farmers (two from each province) were also invited to the event. They shared their account of the losses and challenges they faced during and after the floods. They appreciated the provision of assistance packages which saved them from borrowing more money for purchase of wheat seeds and fertilizers. They said that the use of fertilizers will increase crop production and allow them to put food on their tables for almost a year.

In the end a field demonstration was arranged to show the American Ambassador the traditional methods of sowing practiced by majority of the farmers in Pakistan, while climate smart agriculture technologies developed at NARC were also shown to motivate the farmers to adopt latest techniques and technologies.

Dr. Ghulam Mohammad Ali, Chairman Pakistan Agriculture Research Council , Dr. Shahzad Asad, Director General NARC, senior government officials, donors and media representatives also participated in the event.

For further information:

Fareeha Sultan

Communications Specialist

FAO

0310-5944889

Fareeha.sultan@fao.org