Press clubs across Pakistan committed to supporting female journalists at a United Nations Information Centre event ‘Women in Media: Challenges and Success Stories’ on the eve of the International Women’s Day.

In response to a declaration presented by female journalists at the event in Islamabad demanding representation in regulatory and journalistic bodies, press club officials announced a commitment to organise minimum quotas for female journalists in their governing bodies.

The declaration, presented at the end of the event, also demanded the provision of basic facilities for women and the formation of committees to address complaints of sexual harassment in all media houses, unions and press clubs. Continue reading →

About a hundred school children learnt about human rights through interactive sessions and games in two workshops held at the UN Information Centre (UNIC) in Islamabad on 21 and 22 February.

Students from Mashal Model School, International Grammar School, Roots School System and those associated with the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) participated in the workshops organized by UNIC in collaboration with the High Commission of Canada.

The distinguishing feature of these workshops was the diversity of participants: not only did they belong to different ethnic, cultural and class backgrounds, around a half of them were street children, who worked after school hours. Continue reading →

An exhibition of work by young artists from across Pakistan opened at Beach Luxury Hotel in Karachi in conjunction with the Karachi Literature Festival. These art pieces had qualified in a competition titled “We the Peoples, We the Arts”, which aims to promote Sustainable Development Goals and provide Pakistani students with a unique opportunity to gain international visibility.

Students of five art schools were invited to develop sculptures, miniature paintings and paintings on “Zero Hunger”, the second of 17 Sustainable Development Goal, for this competition. A total of 64 art pieces were received, out of which 23 made it to the final exhibition, which was first inaugurated at the residence of Swiss Ambassador in Islamabad and later opened for public in Islamabad and Peshawar.

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Driving around the corner on this sunny morning, I look down and see, squeezed between the steep cliff of a high mountain and the glistening river, a lovely little village. The bright green of its wheat fields, its colourful traditional houses and rose gardens make an enchanting contrast to the grey rock formations and pebbles.

As I walk down a narrow path into the centre of the hamlet called Bilphok, I think to myself what a blessing the proximity to the river must be. Old stone irrigation canals transport water rich in fertilising sediment to the fields; a beautiful water mill produces flour that feeds the villagers when made into chapati and the traditional Chitrali maize bread.

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Eiza Abid, 15-year-old from Pakistan has been declared winner of the 12-18 age group, while Alexandria Slaven, 11, from Samoa is the winner of the 5 to 11 age group.

“My painting personifies the darkness and confinement within a person’s life and once the person is set free from the pressures and judgement of others, one can freely express their thoughts and imagination in their true colors, illustrating their unique vision and bright outlook,” Eiza Abid

Alexandria and Eiza’s designs, which will be made into posters for use during the campaign, were selected from the winners of local UN competitions organized in seven countries.

1. The Global Goals need you
It’s not only up to governments to take action, it’s up to all of us – and that includes you. It starts with little things that can make a big impact, and the more people know about the Global Goals for sustainable development, the more successful they will be. So let everybody know about the Global Goals, what they are and why they matter. For more ways in which you can get involved visit http://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment

2. The Global Goals will change the way the world does business
For too long, economic growth has been all about profit. The Global Goals want to transform the world economy so it works without violating workers rights and harming the environment. Continue reading →

The United Nations Information Centre Islamabad is celebrating Human Rights Day 2015 by organizing a series of movie screenings on topics related to human rights between 05 – 13 December 2015. Continue reading →

The Youth of the World Flag Parade was part of a series of Events of the 70^th anniversary celebrations of the UN. It was a creative visual presentation of the member states of the United Nations. The event was hosted by the Embassy of the Republic of Korea within the Hanbok Fashion Show Gala Dinner at Serena Hotel, Islamabad. Students, representing the youth of Pakistan, paraded flags belonging to member states represented in Pakistan. Some students read excerpts from the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to emphasize the values the UN believes in. This event highlighted the importance of young people to the United Nations but also the importance of young people to Pakistan because the UN believes that they will drive the country’s future.