Punjab Human Development Forum 2018 Concludes

The two-day Punjab Human Development Forum 2018 concluded here on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said that it was heartening to see a good number of development experts and health experts under one roof discussing the human capital growth in Punjab

LAHORE, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Feb, 2018 ) :The two-day Punjab Human Development Forum 2018 concluded here on Wednesday. Speaking on the occasion, Federal Minister for National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination Saira Afzal Tarar said that it was heartening to see a good number of development experts and health experts under one roof discussing the human capital growth in Punjab.

"We need a multi-sectoral approach for the implementation of all initiatives to find out new ways for accelerating the pace of human development", she said. "We must learn from the extensive experience of the experts present here so that the true objective of organizing this forum can be achieved", he added.

She congratulated Planning & Development Department and the Urban Unit on successful execution of the forum. The closing ceremony was also attended by the Minister Planning and Development Department Punjab Malik Kamran Malik.

Chairman Planning and Development board Muhammad Jehanzeb Khan said, Forum discussed multiple determinants of human development with the main focus on the prevailing endemic of Malnutrition in the province.

In today's world, investing in nutrition was an absolute necessity, not a luxury; the Punjab government with its commitment to making nutrition a priority in the province is well cognizant about this fact, he added.

Good nutrition lies at the heart of human development and drives progress in health, education, gender equity, poverty reduction and employment opportunities. Dr Nasir Javed, Chief Executive Officer The Urban Unit commended the successful organization of Punjab Human Development Forum 2018 and stressed the need for making human capital development a policy priority, making appropriate investments, and ensure that it gets attention from the highest level.

The two-day event brought together a number of international and national development experts discussing 6 various themes in 6 sessions respectively Inclusive & Sustainable Human Development, Better Healthcare, Better Development, Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development, Education & Skills for a Sustainable Tomorrow, Integrating Development and Population Planning, Making Nutrition a Priority; were discussed as key themes in the forum.

International speakers included Patchamuthu Illangovan (The World Bank Pakistan) Cristian Munduate, (UNICEF Pakistan) Dr Christian Oldiges, (University of Oxford) Cristina Isabel Santos (World Bank) Professor Gavin Jones, (Australian National University) E.

Gail Richardson (HNP Pakistan, World Bank) Dr Jaime Saaverda Chaduvi (World Bank) Neil Buhne(UNDP)Sarah Morati Masale (UNFPA) Dr Agha Xaher Gul (USEFP) and Dr Yasmeen Sabeeh Qazi (David and Kucile Packard Foundation) also addressed the audiences.

Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, Secretary Planning & Development Department, Punjab said, "This forum not only shed light on major determinants of human development but also highlighted that it is imperative that policies and programs which promote human development are designed for and reach everyone, thereby making development more inclusive." Dr Umar Saif Chairman Punjab Information Technology Board said, skills development and its links with inclusive and sustainable development are indispensable.

Therefore, skills training is the only way to make the huge pool of youth productive members of the workforce in Punjab. The forum was attended by high profile government officials, professionals, practitioners, academicians, development partners, researchers and government officials.

The practical recommendations finalized through this forum will be helpful in developing the composite strategy.