A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Senate of Pakistan and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The MoU was signed by the Secretary Senate, Mr. Muhammad Qasim Samad Khan, and Representative, UNFPA, Mr. Bakhtior Kadirov, on Thursday, 7 July 2022, at the Parliament House.

The MoU seeks to establish institutional cooperation between the Senate Secretariat and UNFPA to provide technical support for the parliamentary oversight and strengthening accountability with respect to Population growth and gender-based violence through subject experts. The partnership established under the MoU looks to use the expertise of UNFPA in the subject areas of gender equality and reproductive health to support the Senate Secretariat in; planning/implementing awareness-raising and capacity-building initiatives for Members and the Secretariat, promoting Senate’s interaction and ideas-sharing with other parliaments, providing expertise to Committees on need basis, and, establishing and operationalizing a comprehensive parliamentary outreach programme. The MoU also provided for holding a National Narrative on Population based on interlinked principles of Rights, Responsibilities and Balance (Tawazun).

On the occasion, the Secretary Senate underlined that it is the need of the hour to disseminate the awareness in masses regarding the population explosion and advancing skills and opportunities for adolescents and youth to ensure their participation in policymaking and programming.

The Senate of Pakistan issued the Press Release 

UNFPA Pakistan contact: Pilirani Semu-Banda, semu-banda@unfpa.org