Pakistan’s Population Challenge Advocacy Meeting with Honourable Parliamentarians In collaboration with Population Center Pakistan (June 8, 2022)

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The meeting was organized by the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) in collaboration with Population Center Pakistan and Population Council. The meeting was held to facilitate legislators on the multifarious challenges of a rapidly growing population which call for stronger political commitment.

The meeting featured dialogues with subject experts, program managers and health practitioners to focus attention on parliamentarians’ role for advocating high impact practices that can be a game changer to promote family planning in Pakistan. Members of the Senate, legislators from the National and Provincial Assemblies, and Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly representing all major political parties attended the meeting.

In her opening session, Dr. Zeba Sathar, Country Director Population Council emphasized the role of increased and better resource allocation for family planning servics to improve maternal and child health indicators due to decline in unintended pregnancies.

In his session titled Role of Parliamentary Committees on Oversight, Mr. Mohammad Anwar, Executive Director, PIPS pointed out Parliamentarians’ role as pivotal for oversight and accountability to address the population challenge. He reiterated legislators’ role to drive political discourse on the population issue in the assembly floors by regularly dedicating time to discuss its impact on the country’s development. Mr. Anwar discussed how Parliamentary Committees plays a pivotal role in overnighting and furthermore he also discussed several tools such as Calling Attention, Motion for discussion, Resolution.

Speaking at the occasion, Honourable Senator Mushahid Hussain said political parties must leverage on the existing cross-party consensus on attaining sustainable population growth in Pakistan and advocate for inclusion of critical areas of health and family planning to take center stage in all national development and human security. Present at the occasion, Honourable Senator, Waleed Iqbal stressed on advocating for reducing the alarming population growth by highlighting its cross-sectoral impact on other areas of life particularly water emergency and food insecurity. He emphasized Parliamentarians to promote the new national narrative of Tawazun that promotes maintaining balance between family size and resources.

Honourable Mr. Mahmood Jan, Deputy Speaker, Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stressed on legislators’ role in advocating for sustained population growth through grassroots engagement at the constituency-level, targeted media campaigns and through discourse in the assembly houses and support to enhance budgetary allocation for population planning activities.

The meeting featured plenary sessions to discuss how Pakistan can bend the population curve by implementing global practices of increasing finances, utilizing voucher programs and engagement of private sector to enhance outreach and access to family planning services amongst all economic cadres of population. Panelists included Dr. Hanid Mukhtar, Former Senior Economist, World Bank; Syed Moazzam Ali Shah from Benazir Income Support Programme; Dr. Yasmeen Qazi, technical advisor, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; representatives from the International Rescue Committee; Punjab Social Protection Authority and the Pakistan Academy of Family Physicians.

On the direction of the Chairman Senate/President PIPS Board of Governors, the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS), has implemented a comprehensive set of measures aimed at ensuring fiscal discipline, operational efficiency, and responsible utilization of public resources, on the same lines as notified and adopted by the Senate and National Assembly Secretariats.

Under the new measures, the Institute has adopted a four-day working week (Monday to Thursday), while introducing a hybrid working model whereby 50% of staff will perform duties from the office and 50% will work remotely on a rotational basis. Employees working from home will remain fully accessible through digital communication platforms and may be required to report to the office on short notice, ensuring uninterrupted institutional functioning.

Significant steps have also been taken to promote energy conservation. These include a target of achieving up to 70% reduction in energy consumption through minimizing unnecessary use of electricity and ensuring that official meetings, trainings, and events are scheduled during daylight hours. Foreign tours are banned and international meetings are being held virtually.

In the transport section, PIPS has introduced strict measures to curtail expenditure and 70% official vehicles have been grounded as part of this initiative.

As part of broader austerity efforts, 20% reduction has been imposed on the non-ERE budget for the fourth quarter of the current financial year. The officers drawing a monthly salary of PKR 300,000 or more, shall surrendered two days salary or 5% to 30% salary on gross as per Federal Government decision.

The Institute has also discontinued all non-essential procurements with immediate effect. Official functions such as dinners and receptions will not be hosted, except in the case of visiting foreign delegations, and even then, strictly in accordance with austerity protocols.

These measures have been implemented with immediate effect and will remain in force until further orders.

Under the guidance of President PIPS Board of Governors, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, PIPS remains fully committed to maintaining its core functions of parliamentary support, capacity building, and research while contributing proactively to national austerity and sustainability goals.

Pakistan’s Population Challenge Advocacy Meeting with Honourable Parliamentarians In collaboration with Population Center Pakistan (June 8, 2022)

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