PESHAWAR: Disaster management role of Unicef stressed
By Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR, Nov 9: The provincial government has asked Unicef to include disaster management plan in its Annual Work Plan to cope with any emergency in the province. "The Unicef should have one office in Peshawar instead of various sub-offices in the districts for coordinating more effectively with the provincial government for policy formulation and technical back-up," said Secretary Health NWFP Abdul Samad Khan while speaking as chief guest at the mid-term review meeting of the Unicef-NWFP Government Programme (2004-2008) held here on Thursday.
He also called for extension of such projects to more districts and tribal units of the Federally-Administered Tribal Area (Fata) for provision of basic amenities to people.
Provincial secretaries, district nazims of Mardan and Swabi, the country representative of Unicef, representatives of several NGOs and religious leaders attended the meeting which reviewed the overall implementation of the Unicef-NWFP programme.
Under the programme, the Unicef is supporting the government in establishing district-based pilot projects in the areas of girl's primary education, maternal child health care, child protection and empowerment of adolescents as well as water and environmental sanitation. The various programmes are covering Swat, DI Khan, Peshawar, Abbottabad, Upper Dir, Hangu, Mardan, Swabi and Mohmand and Khyber agencies.The secretary health said that the strategy as regards the Immunisation Plus programme should continue with more focus on the lady health workers (LHWs) and the private sector.
He said that the Unicef provided support for establishing a midwifery school and launching a training programme in Mardan; strengthening five hospitals for Emergency Obstetric Neonatal Care; setting up a nursery unit in DHQ Hospital Mardan; and supporting salt industry for universal salt iodisation (USI).
He said that for child survival and development (CS&D), there should be increased focus on institutional strengthening through Integrated Management of Neonatal and Childhood Illness (IMNCI). He also called for extending IMNCI to Swat, Charsadda, Bannu and DI Khan.
Speaking on the occasion, Terje Thodesen, Officer Incharge (OIC) at Unicef Islamabad, said that the Unicef had been assisting Pakistan in various sectors since its establishment in 1947. "Unicef considers Pakistan a very important country," he said.
Ronald Van Dijik, Senior Programme Officer (SPO) at Unicef Islamabad, said that extension of the Emergency Obstetric Neonatal Care (EmONC) programme to the tribal area and other districts needed serious consideration.Earlier in his welcome address, Dr Abdul Jamil, Officer Incharge (OIC) at UNICEF Peshawar, said that the MTR was an opportunity for all of the participants to review progress of the Unicef Country Programme (CP) 2004-2008 in order to evaluate the progress and direction of various sectoral projects at the district, provincial and federal level for the next two years.
Deputy Director Schools and Literacy Jamaluddin, in his presentation on the Unicef-assisted girls' primary education project, said that about 265 community feeder schools (CFSs) had been set up in the target districts while pick-and-drop facility was provided to 400 female school teachers.
Fakhrul Islam, Director Social Welfare and Women Development Department, said that with the support of the Unicef, they had set up four drop-in centres and helplines for street children suffering from violence and abuse in Peshawar and Mardan.
In his presentation on Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES), Secretary for Local Government, Election and Rural Development Department Rehmat Ghazi said that water and sanitation facilities had been provided in 494 girls' primary schools and 700 teachers trained on hygiene education.
