ISLAMABAD, June 30: United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) Regional Director for South Asia, Karin Hulshof is arriving here on Sunday to hold consultations with the government representatives and other stakeholders on the new five-year country programme.

Children in Pakistan face a variety of challenges ranging from malnutrition and poor access to education and health facilities to exploitation in the form of child labour. Their low status in society leaves them a victim to daily violence at home, in school and to organised trafficking and sexual exploitation. Girls are specially affected as conservative attitudes may stop them from attending or finishing school.

The Unicef country programme will cover the period 2013-2017 and will be an integral part of the second phase of delivering as One UN Programme.

The Unicef director will hold meetings with government counterparts and key development partners and review Unicef field operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh which focus on the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children.

Ms Hulshof’s visit to KP includes a trip to the Jalozai camp in Nowshera district to witness Unicef’s humanitarian support for people displaced from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) due to insecurity.

In Sindh, Ms Hulshof will visit rural areas besides seeing urban programmes in Karachi.