ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has said that 1 million young people will be engaged as social awareness ambassadors under the government’s Uraan Pakistan programme to promote awareness about child health, nutrition, early education and development.
Speaking at the concluding session of a multi-sectoral dialogue on nutrition and early childhood development in Pakistan, the minister said the country’s rapidly growing population had created major challenges in meeting the needs of its people, particularly in nutrition, healthcare, education and human development.
He said Pakistan’s population had reached around 260 million, with young people making up nearly 60 per cent of the total population.
Ahsan Iqbal said the future of Pakistan depended on how effectively the country invested in the health, education and skills of its children and youth.
He said around 40 per cent of children in Pakistan suffered from stunted growth, describing it as a serious national challenge. The minister stressed that the foundation of a healthy society was laid during the first five years of a child’s life.
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“Education and development begin from birth,” he said, adding that nutrition, healthcare, care and the surrounding environment during early childhood had lasting effects on a person’s life.
The minister said malnutrition could not be addressed through food supply alone. It was closely linked with maternal and child health, access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene.
He called for an integrated approach to address these issues and said maternal and child health should be given a central position in development planning.
Ahsan Iqbal also stressed the need for quality early education and trained teachers for the early grades. He said Pakistan would complete 100 years of independence in 2047 and would need a healthy, educated, skilled and creative generation by then.
Referring to the 18th Constitutional Amendment, he said several important sectors had been devolved to the provinces in 2010, but the transfer of powers had not resulted in the required improvement in public service delivery.
He said there was a need to ensure that powers and resources were effectively transferred to the grassroots level so that people could receive better services at their doorstep.
The minister said the federal and provincial governments, relevant institutions and all sections of society would have to work together to improve healthcare, education, nutrition and early childhood development.
He said the Ministry of Planning was taking up the issue of child development and nutrition at the national level and working with all provinces to address it.
Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan did not lack plans or policies, but effective implementation and continuity remained major challenges. He stressed that policy consistency was essential for economic and social development, while frequent changes and instability could undermine progress.
Under Uraan Pakistan, he said, a programme was being launched to enhance the capacity of young people and engage 1 million of them as social awareness ambassadors. They would conduct awareness campaigns in their local areas, neighbourhoods and communities on issues including child health, nutrition, early education and development.
The minister described the youth as Pakistan’s greatest strength and said their energy should be channelled towards positive social change.
He said Pakistan needed to treat child health, nutrition and early development as a national mission if it wanted to build a strong and prosperous future for coming generations.
