As a country with young population, we want to translate this potential into accelerated economic growth: Ambassador Masood Khan

Islamabad, January 29, 2014 (PPI-OT): Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has announced six new schemes for the youth of the country in order to enhance employment opportunities for them. Despite fiscal constraints, the Government has decided to increase spending on education from 2% to 4% of the GDP and on health from 1% to 2%.

This was stated by Ambassador Masood Khan, Permanent Representative to UN at the UNFPA segment of the Executive Board of UNDP, UNFPA and UNOPS, United Nations.

He said that Pakistan faces significant challenges impacting the Government’s ability to provide education, health services and jobs, especially to youth and women. “As a country with young population, we want to translate this potential into accelerated economic growth and development for the entire nation”, he added.

Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan was planning to tap into the youth bulge and turn it into a dividend through enhanced allocation of critical resources to health, education and skill development. He emphasized that providing quality education and health service and creating employment opportunities must go hand in hand with dismantling varying discriminatory attitudes and ensuring protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan considers that high economic growth was an essential requirement to enable our youth to become the country’s most valuable productive asset. “We have launched an ambitious economic revitalization and restructuring programme to adjust and align the fundamental drivers of economic growth. The 60% economically active population is being empowered to transform Pakistan’s socio-economic landscape”, he added.

He said that Pakistan has made progress in reducing child, infant and maternal mortality and that Pakistan’s vibrant civil society has played its important role in advocacy and programme planning related to population welfare. “The lady health workers coverage has reached 83%. An active Population Welfare Programme comprising Family Welfare Centres, Reproductive Health Services Centres and the flagship Mobile Service Units is producing good results on the ground”, he added.

Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan values its partnership with the UNFPA, dating back to 1971, and supports its mission statement of delivering a world where every birth is safe and every young person’s potential is fulfilled.

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