MIRPUR (AJK): The 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) began in Nairobi, Kenya with the participation of an official delegation headed by Federal Minister for Health, Secretary Population Planning of AJK Government Raja Muhammad Razaq Khan, relevant stakeholders from Pakistan representing various segments of the civil society, academia and NGOs, official sources said.
In the 3-day anniversary programs, leaders from across the world including Pakistan and AJK are engaged in articulating a bold vision regarding the relationships between population, development and individual well-being besides added recognition for reproductive health as well as women’s empowerment and gender equality, being the pathway to sustainable development, Secretary Population Planning of AJK Government Raja Muhammad Razaq Khan later told this Correspondent over telephone on Wednesday.
Raja Razaq expressed the hope that the participation of the delegation in the world-moot from Pakistan / AJK will not only mainstream the Population Welfare Department of Pakistan / Azad Jammu & Kashmir, but will also help in evolving an enhanced partnership between public & private sectors and will lead to strengthening our understanding regarding the vision and commitment to bringing balance in population growth, women’s empowerment with poverty alleviation to ensure sustainable development for the well being of the people of Pakistan / AJK.
“It may be added that the first identical ICPD congregation, hosted in 1994 in Cairo, was attended by a high-level delegation from Pakistan headed by then Prime Minister of Pakistan late Benazir Bhutto”, he recalled.
