LAHORE: Monday, Hamza Shehbaz met with UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Julien Harneis here.
The UN Resident Coordinator commended the chief minister for improving the health, education, and social sectors during the meeting.
Julianne Harness lauded the Punjab government’s vision for providing basic social services, saying that partnerships for women’s empowerment and gender equality are vital to society. Climate change is a global challenge that must be dealt with together, Julian Harness said.
Hamza Shehbaz praised the United Nations’ participation in human development in Pakistan, particularly in Punjab. Hamza Shehbaz expressed appreciation for the cooperation of the UN and other agencies on human development. He stressed that a balanced plan of action must be developed to ensure sustainable development.
He said attention must be given to sustainable solutions to the problems. Hamza added that we have to go for box solutions for water shortages and other problems.
Hamza Shehbaz stated that water shortages in other areas, such as the Cholistan, pose a threat to humans and wildlife, and that the Punjab government has taken steps to relieve the water shortage in the Cholistan, which were yielding satisfactory results. The world has indeed been faced with a challenge due to climate change.
Hamza Shehbaz, speaking about agriculture development in South Punjab, said that quality seeds were being bought to ensure better productivity. He said that clean energy goals would be achieved through cooperation.
As part of his arguments, he emphasized the importance of achieving the Zero Plastic Waste and Urban Forest targets. Hamza Shehbaz revealed that Provincial Water Act was being introduced to improve groundwater levels in cities.
The committee was also required to engage with all the relevant stakeholders, including experts, academia, civil society organizations, and the representatives of vulnerable and underprivileged groups, and take into account their inputs and concerns.
In this regard, the committee in collaboration with the Local Government Department has planned extensive stakeholder consultation meetings and sought suggestions from the public through advertisements in the newspaper.
On the 5th of June 2022, the Committee is scheduled to submit its final report to the CM.
