Statement by Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan Ambassador Amjad Hussain B. Sial 48th session of the Commission for Social Development 5 February 2010 

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies and Distinguished Delegates,

I would like to congratulate you and other members of the Bureau on their election. We assure you of our full support and cooperation during the deliberations of this Commission.

My delegation associates itself with the statement made by the distinguished Permanent Representative of Yemen on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

We thank the Secretary General for his reports.

Together with the priority areas of poverty eradication, and the promotion of full employment and decent work for all, social integration constitutes one of the three priority areas identified in the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995. Social integration is a prerequisite for fostering “safe, harmonious, peaceful and just societies to create an optimal basis for dynamic development and progress”.

Mr. Chairman,

As observed by the Secretary General in his report, “Poverty eradication, full employment and social integration are interrelated and mutually reinforcing.” Provision of full and decent employment is a key through which benefits of growth can be equitably distributed to the less privileged segment of the society.

The Global financial and economic meltdown, its resultant job loss and under-employment has negatively affected the social investment of past many years. The developing countries are the worst affected, job uncertainty has led to lowering wages, which has caused decline in demand and economic growth thereby aggravating poverty. So far economic recovery has remained fragile and continuous increase in unemployment will be an important impediment in our future efforts to achieve social integration.

Mr. Chairman,

Pakistan attaches high priority to the commitments made at the World Summit for Social Development.

The institution of family provides the first level of social integration. Family is a time tested institution. Many a times, in a society like Pakistan’s, extended family come to help when the immediate family fails to provide the assistance required to a socially disadvantaged relative. Therefore, we need to continue to strengthen this institution.

Mr. Chairman,

Pakistan is a country undergoing demographic transition, by 2030 we will have 50 million people in the economically productive age group. We are trying to invest in human resource and skills development of our youth to benefit from the youth bulge.

The 10th Five Year Plan (2010-15) and the second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP-II) are being finalized with thrust on economic growth, reduction in poverty and human resource development. The Government of Pakistan has been endeavouring to adopt an integrated and holistic approach to reduce the level of poverty through human resource and skills development, provide social protection to the poor, and achieve social integration of marginalized groups. This approach has resulted in some of the following initiatives which have produced positive results:

  1. Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is a social safety net programme to protect the poor and vulnerable. It provides cash transfer and imparts training to one member of each family to gain productive employment. One time interest free loan for self-employment of poor has also been introduced. This programme intends to cover 3.4 million families or 22.75 million people in 2009-10.
  2. Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), a public-private partnership makes available microfinance and other financial services to the poor with the help of civil society. An estimated 1.5 million poor have benefited from PPAF services.
  3. The Ministry of Women Development has launched "Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP)" for the empowerment of women and promoting gender equality. GRAP is mandated to undertake a coherent gender reform agenda through phased implementation processes including political participation, institutional restructuring, women employment in the public sector, and gender responsive policy and budgeting.
  4. Social insurance system governed by the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI) and Provincial Social Security Institutions have been helping the aged, the physically challenged and widows for quite some time.
  5. Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM) is also making a significant contribution towards mitigating the hardship of the poor.
  6. National Plan of Action for persons with disabilities has been finalized that includes early intervention, assessment and medical treatment, education and vocational training, employment and rehabilitation and strengthening of institutional mechanisms. Employment quota has also been provided to persons with disabilities in the public sector.
  7. To integrate minorities in the decision making, the Government has set up a National Commission on Minorities and at grass root level District Interfaith Harmony Committees have been established with representation from prominent religious leaders of minority and majority communities.

Mr. Chairman,

While we celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development, our agreement that “Social development is central to the needs and aspirations of people throughout the world and to the responsibilities of Governments and all sectors of civil society” remains valid.

We would like to reiterate that this Commission remains the essential forum for all countries to come together to discuss the issues of social development. It is important to identify examples of good practices and policy approaches so that these may be shared among all countries. This sharing of experiences is yet another positive aspect of intergovernmental cooperation.

I thank you.