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UNICEF for polio eradication from Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Newly appointed United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Pakistan Angela Kearney has said that one of the major challenges and priorities in her new function would be to ensure the UNICEF’s continuous support to eradicate polio from Pakistan.
She made these remarks while presenting her credentials to the government of Pakistan in Islamabad. Kearney, a national of New Zealand, said that she first joined the UNICEF in 1998 as an emergency officer in Sudan, while in 2002 she was transferred to Afghanistan as deputy representative and now in Pakistan she will head a multi-sector operation in health, nutrition, water and sanitation, education and child protection.
Before coming to Pakistan she was the UNICEF’s representative in Indonesia, Liberia (2003-2006) and Angola (2006-2009). For four months following the typhoon Haiyan disaster in Philippines, she led the UNICEF emergency response.
“As we are approaching the 25th anniversary of the convention of the rights of the child to which Pakistan is signatory, I can see that the country has made significant progress in protecting and promoting the rights of its youngest and most vulnerable citizens,” Kearney said.
“Much more needs to be done, however, to ensure that each child has a good start in life with access to health care, vaccination, a balanced and sufficient diet, education, hygiene and clean water. Most importantly every child must be protected from violence and abuse,” she added.
While addressing another ceremony, Kearney expressed her gratitude to the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) for its support towards improving the teaching and learning environment through its contribution to provide furniture and other necessary supplies to schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). With funds from SFD, UNICEF has distributed school supplies including furniture, IT and library equipment worth $14.4 million to the provincial education department, for more than 1,000 schools including 343 girls’ schools in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, benefitting more than 128,000 students and teachers.
“The importance of a good school environment cannot be overemphasised to ensure quality teaching and learning and most importantly the holistic growth of a child,” the UNICEF representative said.
The ceremony was attended by Saudi Arabian Acting Ambassador Jassim Al-Khaldi and SFD Chief Specialist Saeed Almshaikhi. On the occasion, Curriculum and Teacher Education Director Bashir Hussain Shah received the school supplies.

 

Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk


 

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