Photo exhibition in Peshawar highlights Sustainable Development Goals

The UN Information Centre in partnership with the Directorate of Tourism and Culture of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa opened a photo exhibition at Nishtar Hall to raise awareness about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The photo exhibition, comprising 102 photos from all over Pakistan, is a joint project of Agence France-Presse (AFP), the European Union and the United Nations and was supported by the Embassy of France in Pakistan and UK Aid. The photos have been organized in 17 collections according to the 17 SDGs. Continue reading

Press clubs pledge to give greater role to female journalists

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

School children learn about human rights

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

Radio producers trained on Sustainable Development Goals

On World Radio Day (13 February), the UN Information Centre conducted a training session for producers of Radio Pakistan. Organized in collaboration with Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, the training aimed to familiarize radio journalists with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the work of UN agencies and programmes in Pakistan. The UN attached great importance to radio as a tool of reaching out to the public, said Vittorio Cammarota, Director of the UN Information Centre. Continue reading

UN and Radio Pakistan celebrate World Radio Day

The United Nation Information Centre (UNIC) and Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) organized a two-hour live event on the theme of ‘Radio and Sustainable Development Goals’ at the PBC headquarters in Islamabad on World Radio Day.

World Radio Day, celebrated each year on Feb 13 since 2013, marks the establishment of the United Nations Radio on February 13, 1946, just a year after the creation of the United Nations Organization. This year’s theme of World Radio Day is “Radio is You.”

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Artwork on ‘zero hunger’ exhibited in Karachi

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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‘A Girl in the River’ screened at private university

United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) organized the screening of Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy’s Oscar-winning documentary ‘A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness’ at The Millennium University College, Islamabad.

The screening was part of UNIC’s efforts to create a debate on human rights through cinematography and was followed by a panel discussion with Sangeeta Thapa, Deputy Country Representative UN Women, Anne Marchal, Deputy Head of Delegation of the EU to Pakistan, Tahira Abdullah, human rights activist and Vittorio Cammarota, Director UN Information Centre. Continue reading

Exhibition in Peshawar promotes cause of ‘zero hunger’

An exhibition highlighting the work of young artists from five arts schools of Pakistan opened at Nishtar hall in Peshawar. The exhibition comprise pieces that had qualified in “We the Peoples, We the Arts” competition, an initiative aimed at promoting the cause of zero hunger through visual arts.

The event was organized by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Embassy of Switzerland in partnership with the United Nations Information Centre and the Department of Tourism and Culture Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to mark the 50th year of SDC’s cooperation with Pakistan. Continue reading

Human Rights Through Cinematography festival closes with screening of Oscar-winning documentary

‘Human Rights Through Cinematography’ film festival concluded with the screening of ‘A girl in the River: the Price of Forgiveness’ at COMSATS Institute of Information Technology in Islamabad. The last film screening of the festival coincided with the Human Rights Day, celebrated every year on 10 December.

Members of the diplomatic community, parliamentarians, civil society activists and students attended the screening of the documentary which was followed by a penal discussion. The panelists included Kamran Michael, Federal Minister for Human Rights, Isabelle Gattiker, Director of International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights, Neil Buhne, United Nation’s Resident Coordinator in Pakistan and Anne Marchal, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the EU to Pakistan.
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