At a U.S.-Pakistani diaspora conference today in Islamabad, United States Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer highlighted the valuable contributions of the U.S.-Pakistani diaspora, which is a key partner in the humanitarian, social, and commercial sectors in Pakistan.

Deputy Chief of Mission Schofer highlighted the longstanding U.S.-Pakistan partnership to advance Pakistan’s economic growth and emphasized continued opportunities for future partnership.  “As the Green Revolution improved lives in the past, a ‘Green Alliance’ between the United States and Pakistan will help us jointly strengthen climate resilience, develop clean energy alternatives, and foster economic growth,” he said.

At the event, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) signed four partnership memoranda of understanding with U.S.-Pakistani diaspora entities:  Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America, Silicon Valley to promote technology and digital investments in Pakistan and support Pakistani startups; SARCMedIQ to improve the health digital ecosystem in Pakistan; The Crescent Charity Foundation to support physical infrastructure in flood-affected areas of Pakistan; and PakFoods to improve humanitarian and social development outcomes for Pakistan.             

At the conference, which was sponsored by the U.S. Mission in Pakistan in close coordination with the U.S.-Pakistani diaspora entity Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America, Silicon Valley fundamental challenges and opportunities in the technology sector of Pakistan were discussed and deliberated.  More than 300 participants attended in-person, including members of the U.S.-Pakistani diaspora, prominent local business leaders, and Pakistani officials, including Syed Naveed Qamar, Federal Minister for Commerce, and Zeeshaan Shah, the Prime Minister’s Ambassador at Large for Investments.

USAID Mission Director Reed Aeschliman said, “The conference was an opportunity to highlight some of the contributions and investments already made by the Pakistani diaspora, facilitate collaborations between Pakistani diaspora entities, and develop a road map for collective action to address the current economic, humanitarian and social challenges in Pakistan.”

The United States remains firmly committed to engaging and partnering with the U.S.-Pakistani diaspora to address Pakistan’s challenges in the technology, humanitarian, social and commercial sectors and to further Pakistan’s development goals.

 Dr. Kazim Naiz, Secretary of Economic Affairs Division (EAD), H.E. Mr Nicolas Galey, Ambassador of France, and Mr. Philippe Steinmetz, Country Director of the French Development Agency (AFD), signed the Credit Facility Agreement of €120 million to finance the Keyal Khwar hydropower project. This 128 megawatt facility is located in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), near the city of Pattan.

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

A child or youth died once every 4.4 seconds in 2021

Dr. Jassim Taqui DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, 11 January 2023,   An estimated 5 million children died before their fifth birthday and another 2.1 million children and youth aged between 5–24 years lost their lives in 2021, according to the latest estimates released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).

 

In a separate report also released today, the group found that 1.9 million babies were stillborn during the same period. Tragically, many of these deaths could have been prevented with equitable access and high-quality maternal, newborn, adolescent, and child health care.

“Every day, far too many parents are facing the trauma of losing their children, sometimes even before their first breath,” said Vidhya Ganesh, UNICEF Director of the Division of Data Analytics, Planning, and Monitoring. “Such widespread, preventable tragedy should never be accepted as inevitable. Progress is possible with stronger political will and targeted investment in equitable access to primary health care for every woman and child.”

 

The reports show some positive outcomes with a lower risk of death across all ages globally since 2000. The global under-five mortality rate fell by 50 percent since the start of the century, while mortality rates in older children and youth dropped by 36 percent, and the stillbirth rate decreased by 35 percent. This can be attributed to more investments in strengthening primary health systems to benefit women, children, and young people.

 

However, gains have reduced significantly since 2010, and 54 countries will fall short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals target for under-five mortality. If swift action is not taken to improve health services, warn the agencies, almost 59 million children and youth will die before 2030, and nearly 16 million babies will be lost to stillbirth.

“It is grossly unjust that a child’s chances of survival can be shaped just by their place of birth, and that there are such vast inequities in their access to lifesaving health services,” said Dr. Anshu Banerjee, Director for Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing at the World Health Organization (WHO). “Children everywhere need strong primary health care systems that meet their needs and those of their families, so that – no matter where they are born – they have the best start and hope for the future.”

 

Children continue to face wildly differentiating chances of survival based on where they are born, with sub-Saharan Africa and Southern Asia shouldering the heaviest burden, the reports show. Though sub-Saharan Africa had just 29 percent of global live births, the region accounted for 56 percent of all under-five deaths in 2021, and Southern Asia for 26 percent of the total. Children born in sub-Saharan Africa are subject to the highest risk of childhood death in the world – 15 times higher than the risk for children in Europe and Northern America.

 

Mothers in these two regions also endure the painful loss of babies to stillbirth at an exceptional rate, with 77 percent of all stillbirths in 2021 occurring in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Nearly half of all stillbirths happened in sub-Saharan Africa. The risk of a woman having a stillborn baby in sub-Saharan Africa is seven times more likely than in Europe and North America.

 

 

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

United States Provided Nearly $60 Million in 2022 for Afghan Refugees in Pakistan and Pakistani Host Communities

 

Dr. Jassim Taqui DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, 6 January 2023,     "The United States is grateful to Pakistan for generously hosting Afghan refugees for more than four decades, and we are proud to continue our support for this worthwhile cause," said U.S. Ambassador Donald Blome. Since 2002, the United States has provided more than $273 million (nearly Rs 62 billion) in humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Pakistani host communities. In Fiscal Year 2022 alone, the U.S. provided nearly $60 million (more than Rs 13 billion) in assistance to the refugees and their host communities.

This U.S. assistance is increasing school enrollment for Afghan and Pakistani children in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan; improving Pakistani healthcare services and boosting nutrition programs in areas hosting Afghans; promoting livelihood activities for refugees and host communities; improving water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure; and supporting recovery from the health and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thanks to the generous and compassionate support of the American people, UNHCR was on the ground immediately to respond to the devastating floods of 2022 – providing life-saving relief items to Pakistanis and Afghan refugees,” noted UNHCR Representative to Pakistan Noriko Yoshida.  “The invaluable support of the United States has also been felt across the entirety of the UNHCR program – from increasing girls’ access to formal and informal education, saving lives through donations of critical equipment in provincial hospitals, and also allowing entrepreneurs to thrive thanks to an increase in vocational and skills training.”

UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Abdullah Fadil added, “Thanks to generous support from the United States, UNICEF has been able to make a positive difference in the lives of Afghan refugees and the Pakistani host communities living next to them. We have helped prevent and treat children suffering from severe acute malnutrition, establish maternal and neonatal services which help mothers and newborns survive, and provide families with access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation. We have also supported girls' and boys’ access to education so that they too can one day become agents of sustainable change within their communities.”

Since the beginning of 2022, U.S. humanitarian assistance for Afghan refugees and host communities has also improved health infrastructure in refugee-hosting areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.  The United States supported UNFPA and UNICEF to conduct renovations to health facilities, including updating labor rooms and purchasing advanced newborn care equipment, furniture, and patient care equipment.  In addition, health facilities received solar panels that ensure a continuous electricity supply.  With U.S. funding, UNICEF also helped families access essential health, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene services in 70 health facilities, and provided nearly 50,000 mothers and close to 110,000 children with preventative and curative nutrition services.

Pakistan’s Chief Commissioner for Afghan Refugees Saleem Khan said, “We are grateful to the U.S. government for their generous contributions towards the welfare of Afghan refugees in Pakistan and assistance to the host communities.”

 

 

 بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

UNITED STATES CELEBRATES 75

YEARS OF PAKISTAN-U.S. FRIENDSHIP WITH PUBLIC ILLUMINATION

Dr. Jassim Taqui DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, 4 January 2023,    The United States Embassy in Islamabad is marking 75 years of bilateral partnership with Pakistan by illuminating the building at One Constitution Avenue in the capital. The illumination starts the evening of January 3rd and will continue through January 11th. 

Using innovative technology pioneered by partner organization 3D Illumination, the three-dimensional, moving projection highlights key themes and images of Pakistan-U.S. relations from the past 75 years.  Previously used with famous landmarks such as the Washington Monument and Eiffel tower, this type of projection has rarely been seen before in Pakistan. 

U.S. Mission Chargé d’Affaires Andrew Schofer said, “Through 75 years of diplomatic relations, the United States has worked with Pakistan to support energy, agriculture, public health, education, infrastructure, and people-to-people connections.  We are proud to use this unique technology to show the Pakistani people the breadth and depth of our longstanding bilateral partnership and look forward to exploring opportunities for future collaboration and partnership, including through the U.S.-Pakistan Green Alliance framework.”

Over the past 75 years, the United States and Pakistan have created a relationship based on mutual respect and shared values, building a partnership that has been advantageous to both countries.  Over the decades, the United States has invested more than $32 billion to improve the lives of the Pakistani people, strengthen our bilateral collaboration, and advance our shared interests.  Testaments to our strong and abiding commitment to Pakistan include the 37,000 Pakistanis who have benefitted from U.S. government-sponsored professional and educational exchanges and the $97 million for flood relief, food security, and disaster preparedness the U.S. provided to Pakistan in 2022.

 

 

 

ISSI Bids Farewell to Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry

Dr. Jassim Taqui DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, 4 January 2023, In a specially-hosted event, the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) bid a fond farewell to Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry upon completion of his term as the Director-General.

 

Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry joined the ISSI in June 2018, following his retirement from the Foreign Service of Pakistan after having served as Ambassador to the United States and earlier as Foreign Secretary.

 

During his tenure, the Institute undertook extensive reforms, upgraded the infrastructure, and established four centers of excellence. Ambassador Chaudhry launched several new initiatives and strengthened the policy advocacy role.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Talat Shabbir, Director (Admin)/CPSC, Malik Qasim Mustafa, Director (ACDC), Ms. Amina Khan, Director (CAMEA), Dr. Arshad Ali, Director (ISC), Dr. Neelum Nigar, Director (CSP), and several other Research Fellows/Research Associates shared their rich work experiences with Ambassador Chaudhry and highlighted the progress achieved in research and dialogue under his stewardship.

 

Chairman ISSI’s Board of Governors Ambassador Khalid Mahmood lauded the transformative contribution of Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry in enhancing the quality of the Institute’s research activities as well as enlarging its outreach and policy input role. He also appreciated his role in the uplifting of the Institute’s premises. Ambassador Chaudhry was less of a boss and more of a mentor to his ISSI colleagues, Ambassador Khalid Mahmood added.    

 

Former Foreign Secretary and the new Director General of ISSI, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, lauded Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry’s dedicated efforts that had led to the Institute’s enhanced profile and trajectory and vowed that this work would be carried forward and further expanded through collective efforts. While wishing Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry the best in his future endeavors, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood expressed the hope that the Institute would continue to benefit from his support and wise guidance.

 

In his valedictory address, Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry spoke fondly about his tenure as the DG ISSI. He said hard-working research faculty and administration staff were a source of strength for the Institute. He added that the Institute was set to scale new heights in both its research work and outreach efforts. Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry appreciated the dedication and efforts of his team members and thanked them for their valuable support to him in fulfilling his duties as the Director-General.

 

The event concluded with the presentation of a special souvenir to Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhry by Chairman Ambassador Khalid Mahmood.

 

 

 

 Ambassador Sohail Mahmood assumes charge as Director-General of ISSI

Dr. Jassim Taqui DG Al-Bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad, 3^rd January 2023, Ambassador Sohail Mahmood has assumed charge as Director-General of the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI). He took over from Ambassador Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry upon the completion of his term.

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood brings with him vast experience in diplomacy and high-level decision-making. He served in the Foreign Service of Pakistan for nearly 37 years and rose to the rank of Foreign Secretary, serving in that position from April 2019 to September 2022. Before that, he was the High Commissioner of Pakistan to India from 2017-19. Earlier, he served as Ambassador to Turkiye (2015-17) and Thailand (2009-13). He has also served as Additional Secretary (Afghanistan/West Asia) and Director-General (Americas) and Director-General (Foreign Secretary’s Office). Earlier in his diplomatic career, he served in Pakistan Embassies in Ankara and Washington, D.C., and as a Counsellor at Pakistan’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. He has also served as Director (Iran & Turkiye).

Ambassador Sohail Mahmood holds a Masters's degree in International Affairs from Columbia University, New York, and a Master's in History from Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.