News Detail
Event Title: Princess Sarah Zeid, Special Advisor on Mother and Child Nutrition, World Food Program (WFP) Calling on Chairman Senate, Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani at Parliament House Islamabad
Event Date: 2022-08-25
Chairman Senate Muhammad Sadiq Sanjrani has underlined the need for constitution of a parliamentary committee comprising of the members of national assembly , senate and the provincial assemblies and other relevant stakeholders to suggest legislative and policy interventions for promotion of maternal and child nutrition in the country. . The Chairman Senate said this while talking to a delegation of World Food Programme at the Parliament House on Thursday. The delegation was headed by Princess Sarah Zeid, WFP Special Advisor on Mother and Child Nutrition.
He opined that Senate of Pakistan has taken historical step by introducing legislation with regard to mother and child nutrition and consultative process is underway to include both food security and mother and child nutrition in basic rights’ list. The delegation appreciated the steps taken by the upper house of the parliament, expressing hope that it will have a positive impact on the health of women and children overcoming malnutrition.
Situation arising as a result of the floods was also discussed during the meeting. Chairman Senate said that the recent torrential rains and devastating floods have played havoc in nook and corner of the country specially adding to the miseries of the people in the province of Balochistan and under-developed areas of other provinces. He said that millions have been left homeless and shelter less by the heart-wrenching floods. Chairman Senate observed that situation is going from bad to worst and it is time to act with cohesion to mitigate the sufferings of the people. He called for making joint efforts and provide relief to the people in need. Chairman Senate said that the floods have disrupted the communication network and a huge population is stranded in far flung areas of Balochistan province. He said that resources are falling short as the magnitude of the calamity is so large and a number of villages have been inundated. “Cohesive strategy is needed to mitigate the sufferings of the people in flood-hit areas”, said the Chairman Senate adding that institutional collaboration needs to be further strengthened. He pointed out that Pakistan is bearing the brunt of climate change despite the fact that its carbon footprint is less than one percent. Global community needs to play a more responsible role by assisting Pakistan to overcome the negative impacts of climate change.
Chairman Senate called upon the international community to join hands together to fight the threats posed by climate change and particularly assist the countries with meagre resources.
Chairman Senate also praised WFP for its work and hoped that institutional collaboration would help increase the outreach. He said that malnutrition is a challenge and through joint efforts we can devise better strategies to overcome it. The recent floods have put the lives of thousands at stake, he cautioned while saying that women and children are at the risk of facing issues of malnutrition. He called upon the WFP to assist the government avoid any such crisis.
Leader of the delegation agreed with the views of chairman senate. She also called for enhanced collaboration to mitigate the sufferings of the people stranded in far off areas due to floods. She expressed her sorrow over the tragic losses and ensured to take all possible steps for relief.
The meetings was also attended by Secretary Senate Mohammad Qasim Samad Khan and senior officials of the Senate.