UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan told a UN panel on Thursday that the present government had launched special programmes and projects designed to empower women, minorities, youth, the elderly and the disabled as part of its determined efforts to foster social integration.

“Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has put socio-economic development at the centre of his government’s agenda,” Ambassador Masood Khan said in a speech to the 52nd session of the UN Commission for Social Development.

The session, which is scheduled to run until Feb 21, is being held under the theme, “Promoting empowerment of people in achieving poverty eradication, social integration and full employment and decent work for all”, and is expected to adopt an action-oriented resolution on that issue.

Ambassador Khan said women and poorer households in Pakistan were directly benefiting from a cash transfer programme under a strengthened government’s social protection. Eligible households were identified on the basis of a scientific poverty-scoreboard survey, he said, adding that the programme also provided vocational training and interest-free loans for small businesses of self-employment.

“Baitul Mal provides financial assistance to the destitute, widows, orphans and the disabled, he told UN commission.

Pakistan, Mr Khan said, had ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and passed several national laws for affirmative action for the disabled, which included special schools, vocational training institutes and job quotas in the public sector.

In this context, he underscored the need for international cooperation and partnership to support the national efforts in developing countries to address inequalities. “It is, therefore, important to mitigate the adverse impact of extreme disparities on income distribution at the national, regional and global levels.”

The ambassador also underlined the role of official development assistance from developed to developing countries in lifting many societies out of poverty.—APP