ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed an agreement on Wednesday for the promotion of rule of law and empowering governmental and non-governmental stakeholders for implementing human rights mandates to be carried out in collaboration with federal and provincial institutions of Pakistan.

The agreement was signed in Islamabad between German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Stephan Schlagheck and UNDP Pakistan acting resident representative Ignacio Artaza.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Artaza said the German government had been supporting UNDP’s rights-based governance interventions in Pakistan since 2016 which have contributed in strengthening the human rights ecosystem of the country. He thanked the ministry for signing the agreement.

The UNDP will assist the Pakistani government through rights-based governance interventions in support of national priorities, providing technical assistance to human rights institutions and stakeholders including the Ministry of Human Rights, provincial human rights departments and the national commission on human rights along with civil society and the business community.

The project aims to improve the situation of human rights in Pakistan.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2020