PROMOTING ECO-TOURISM Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 29, 2023: The following is the UNSG message on International Mother Earth Day: On International Mother Earth Day, we reflect on humanity’s most important relationship — our relationship with the natural world. From the air we breathe to the water we drink to the soil that grows our food – humanity’s health depends on the health of Mother Earth. Yet we seem hell-bent on destruction. Our actions are laying waste on forests, jungles, farmland, wetlands, oceans, coral reefs, rivers, seas, and lakes. Biodiversity is collapsing as one million species teeter on the brink of extinction. We must end these relentless and senseless wars on nature. We have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions. But we must pick up the pace. We need accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We also need massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis. Healthy ecosystems — from oceans and rivers to forests and prairies — are also critical in our fight against climate change. Let’s get to work to implement the historic UN biodiversity agreement to ensure that 30 percent of Earth’s land and water is protected by 2030. At every step, governments must lead the way. But corporations, institutions, and civil society also have a vital role. Finally, we must learn from the time-won wisdom, knowledge, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples, whose environmental stewardship stretches back millennia, and who hold many of the solutions to the world’s climate and biodiversity crises. This Earth Day, I urge people everywhere to raise their voices – in your schools, workplaces, faith communities, and on social media platforms – and demand leaders make peace with nature. Let us all do our part to protect our common home for the sake of people and the planet right now, and for the generations to come.

INTERNATIONAL MOTHER EARTH DAY Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 21, 2023: The following is the UNSG message on International Mother Earth Day: On International Mother Earth Day, we reflect on humanity’s most important relationship — our relationship with the natural world. From the air we breathe to the water we drink to the soil that grows our food – humanity’s health depends on the health of Mother Earth. Yet we seem hellbent on destruction. Our actions are laying waste on forests, jungles, farmland, wetlands, oceans, coral reefs, rivers, seas, and lakes. Biodiversity is collapsing as one million species teeter on the brink of extinction. We must end these relentless and senseless wars on nature. We have the tools, the knowledge, and the solutions. But we must pick up the pace. We need accelerated climate action with deeper, faster emissions cuts to limit global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. We also need massively scaled-up investments in adaptation and resilience, particularly for the most vulnerable countries and communities who have done the least to cause the crisis. Healthy ecosystems — from oceans and rivers to forests and prairies — are also critical in our fight against climate change. Let’s get to work to implement the historic UN biodiversity agreement to ensure that 30 percent of Earth’s land and water is protected by 2030. At every step, governments must lead the way. But corporations, institutions, and civil society also have a vital role. Finally, we must learn from the time-won wisdom, knowledge, and leadership of Indigenous Peoples, whose environmental stewardship stretches back millennia, and who hold many of the solutions to the world’s climate and biodiversity crises. This Earth Day, I urge people everywhere to raise their voices – in your schools, workplaces, faith communities, and on social media platforms – and demand leaders make peace with nature. Let us all do our part to protect our common home for the sake of people and the planet right now, and for the generations to come.

Children in Pakistan Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 18, 2023: Today the United Nations warned that the number of children suffering from waste in Pakistan’s flood-affected areas had greatly increased compared to the pre-flood situation, which was already reaching emergency levels. A rapid survey conducted in 15 flood-affected districts suggests that nearly one-third of children aged 6-23 months suffer from moderate acute malnutrition and 14 percent from severe acute malnutrition -- a life-threatening form of malnutrition -- with girls being more affected than boys*. The number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition with medical complications who are admitted for hospital treatment has also gradually increased since the floods, as global food prices soar. “Even before the floods, child wasting was already reaching emergency levels, but what I am seeing now in villages is very worrying,” said Julien Harneis, the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan. “We are grateful for the global community’s support so far, but much more is needed to help the Government provide the increasing numbers of children who are at risk of death with immediate therapeutic food and care. We must help the Government avert a nutrition crisis which would have dangerous and irreversible consequences for millions of children and the future of Pakistan.” The Resident Coordinator announced that he would dedicate USD 5.5 million out of the USD 6.5 million allocations received from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) -- four-fifths of the grant -- towards emergency nutrition and food security interventions. This additional USD 5.5 million will help UNICEF, WFP, WHO, and NGOs provide emergency nutrition interventions as part of the Government-led flood response in the most vulnerable communities of Balochistan and Sindh, with OCHA coordinating and ensuring that the funds are used efficiently. But with only one-third of the nutrition interventions included in the Floods Response Plan funded so far, additional funding is urgently required to implement early identification, integrated prevention, and treatment of malnutrition in a greater number of villages and healthcare facilities. There is also a need to increase the number of interventions that improve the availability, affordability, and accessibility of nutritious foods that protect children from wasting. Led by the Government of Pakistan, with support from UN agencies and NGOs, the Food Security and Agriculture Sector has provided life-saving assistance to nearly 7 million people and the Nutrition Sector to nearly 1 million people since the climate disaster hit the country last summer, but many needs remain unmet.

U.S.-Pakistan Health Partnership Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 18, 2023: U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Andrew Schofer; Federal Secretary at the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation, and Coordination, Dr. Muhammad Fakhre Alam Irfan; and Pakistani National Institute of Health Chief Executive Officer Ghazal Parveen inaugurated a U.S.-funded entomology laboratory today that will strengthen Pakistan’s ability to track and respond to vector-borne disease outbreaks. “The devastating 2022 floods across Pakistan reminded us all of the health risks posed by waterborne diseases,” Schofer said. “The United States stands with Pakistan as it continues to recover from the floods.” The laboratory, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the latest milestone in the longstanding U.S.-Pakistan health partnership. For decades, the United States and Pakistan have collaborated closely to support the health of the Pakistani people. After both the 2010 floods and the 2022 floods, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention experts traveled to Pakistan to consult with Pakistani and UN partners about how to effectively respond to the health crises stemming from the flooding. In recent years, the United States and Pakistan also have partnered to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, with the United States supplying over 80 million doses of safe and effective COVID vaccines to Pakistan thus far. The U.S. Agency for International Development also has built clinics and hospitals across Pakistan, expanding access to quality health care. For example, the Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences, built by USAID, remained open during the 2022 floods, providing necessary medical care to flood-affected individuals. The United States will continue to build a strong health and science partnership with Pakistan, including through the U.S.-Pakistan Green Alliance framework.

FAO organizes anticipatory action simulations Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 12, 2023: UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) has awarded USD 83,496 to Beaconhouse National University to undertake a project titled “Improving Data Collection among National and Provincial Statistical Agencies to Strengthen Policymaking for the Cultural and Creative Industries”. The IFCD is a multi-donor fund established under Article 18 of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Its purpose is to promote sustainable development and create economic growth in developing countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention. Since 2010, the IFCD has provided more than USD 10 million in funding for 140 projects in developing countries. This is the first time Pakistan has been awarded funding under the IFCD. Pakistan ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in March 2022. The Convention supports the growth and development of cultural and creative industries and provides a new framework for informed, transparent, and participatory systems of governance for culture. The project will be implemented by Beaconhouse National University, with technical guidance from the UNESCO Islamabad Field Office. Founded in 2003, Beaconhouse National University (BNU) is a leading liberal arts university in Pakistan and has previously worked with UNESCO on several key interventions to support the creative economy, including the mapping of cultural and creative industries around heritage sites in Punjab. The project will work with national and provincial statistical agencies to develop improved data collection and analysis tools for the cultural and creative sectors in Pakistan, contributing to the development of inclusive cultural policies that respond to the needs of the sector and include often overlooked voices such as women artisans. The project outcomes will strengthen evidence-based policymaking and will benefit a range of government bodies including bureaus of statistics, cultural bodies, skill development, and vocational training authorities, councils of the arts, small and medium enterprise development authorities, planning and development boards, trade and investment boards, and more.

UNESCO Awards Funding to Pakistan Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 7, 2023: UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) has awarded USD 83,496 to Beaconhouse National University to undertake a project titled “Improving Data Collection among National and Provincial Statistical Agencies to Strengthen Policymaking for the Cultural and Creative Industries”. The IFCD is a multi-donor fund established under Article 18 of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. Its purpose is to promote sustainable development and create economic growth in developing countries that are Parties to the 2005 Convention. Since 2010, the IFCD has provided more than USD 10 million in funding for 140 projects in developing countries. This is the first time Pakistan has been awarded funding under the IFCD. Pakistan ratified the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in March 2022. The Convention supports the growth and development of cultural and creative industries and provides a new framework for informed, transparent, and participatory systems of governance for culture. The project will be implemented by Beaconhouse National University, with technical guidance from the UNESCO Islamabad Field Office. Founded in 2003, Beaconhouse National University (BNU) is a leading liberal arts university in Pakistan and has previously worked with UNESCO on several key interventions to support the creative economy, including the mapping of cultural and creative industries around heritage sites in Punjab. The project will work with national and provincial statistical agencies to develop improved data collection and analysis tools for the cultural and creative sectors in Pakistan, contributing to the development of inclusive cultural policies that respond to the needs of the sector and include often overlooked voices such as women artisans. The project outcomes will strengthen evidence-based policymaking and will benefit a range of government bodies including bureaus of statistics, cultural bodies, skill development, and vocational training authorities, councils of the arts, small and medium enterprise development authorities, planning and development boards, trade and investment boards, and more.

Message on 1994 genocide in Rwanda Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 6, 2023: The following is the message of the UNSG His Excellency Antonio Guterres on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda: On this International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, we mourn the more than one million children, women, and men who perished in one hundred days of horror 29 years ago. We honor the memory of the victims – the overwhelming majority of Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide. We pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors. We recognize the journey of the Rwandan people toward healing, restoration, and reconciliation. And we remember – with shame – the failure of the international community. A generation since the genocide, we must never forget what happened – and ensure future generations always remember. How easily hate speech – a key indicator of the risk of genocide – turns to hate crime. How complacency in the face of atrocity is complicity. And how no place and no time is immune to danger – including our own. Preventing genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other serious violations of international law is a shared responsibility. It is a core duty of every member of the United Nations. Together, let us stand firm against rising intolerance. Let us be ever vigilant – and always ready to act. And let us truly honor the memory of all Rwandans who perished by building a future of dignity, security, justice, and human rights for all.

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MINE AWARENESS Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 4, 2023: The following is the message of the UNSG His Excellency Antonio Guterres on the INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR MINE AWARENESS: For the millions living amidst the chaos of armed conflicts — especially women and children — every step can put them in danger’s path. Even after the fighting stops, conflicts often leave behind a terrifying legacy: landmines and explosive ordnance that litter communities. Peace brings no assurance of safety when roads and fields are mined when unexploded ordnance threatens the return of displaced populations, and when children find and play with shiny objects that explode. The United Nations Mine Action Service gathers partners together to remove these deadly weapons, support national authorities, and ensure safe access to homes, schools, hospitals, and farmers’ fields. The Service also supported the design of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the safe export of grain and fertilizer from Ukrainian ports. Yet, broader global efforts are essential to safeguard people from mines. I urge Member States to ratify and fully implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. On this International Day, let’s take action to end the threat of these devices of death, support communities as they heal, and help people return and rebuild their lives in safety and security.

THE WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY Dr. Jassim Taqui DG, Al-bab Institute for Strategic Studies

Islamabad April 2nd, 2023: The following is the message of the UNSG His Excellency Antonio Guterres on THE WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS DAY: On World Autism Awareness Day, we celebrate the contributions of persons with autism and renew our resolve to advance their inherent rights. Despite important progress, persons with autism continue to face social and environmental barriers to the full exercise of their rights and fundamental freedoms, in line with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We must do better – by promoting inclusive education, equal employment opportunities, self-determination, and an environment where every person is respected. And as we do so, we also recognize the role of families, caregivers, and support networks in the lives of persons with autism. Today and every day, let us fully recognize the active and diverse contributions of persons with autism to our societies – and let us work together with persons with autism to build an inclusive and accessible world for all.