ISLAMABAD-Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Local Government and Rural Development Department (LGRDD) Kamran Bangash Wednesday said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government was committed to creating mass awareness on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) issues in the province and taking pragmatic action for the promotion of public health.
He was talking to the participants of MHM virtual conference. The conference was organised by LGRDD's Water and Sanitation ( WatSan) Cell in collaboration with UNICEF and IRC. People from six different countries and locals participated in the moot.
Addressing the conference Kamran Bangash said the conference was expected to provide opportunity to participants and speakers to highlight the work done in the field of hygiene management and for the government indeed it was also of great importance that the performance of KP province in particular and the country in general should be addressed.
He said this year’s theme 'Innovation in MHM: Putting Girls at the Center' and the event was organized to highlight aims, examples, success stories and find new ways to identify and address barriers to safeguard and dignify MHM for girls in schools.
He further said under the leadership and as per vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the KP government was implementing the reform agenda and bringing changes in the life of the people of the province.
"We acknowledge the importance of hygiene education and improved practices especially among girls. We also believe that MHM friendly infrastructure in schools is also of great importance," he added.
He said the LGRDD and specially the WatSan Cell had performed a tremendous job in coordination of the sector partners for the last few years.
Kamran Bangash said all resources were being utilized and development partners were being encouraged to come forward and invest in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services and help the vulnerable and needy population of the province.
Meanwhile, LCB Additional Secretary Said Rehman opened the conference and highlighted the efforts of KP government in the field of MHM and thanked all the participants and speakers.
UNICEF chief financial officer Abdullahi Muhammad Yousaf appreciated the efforts of the entire team for arranging successful event.
Penninah from International Rescue Committee (IRC) Nairobi Kenya, Dr Wasaf from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Peshawar, Kiran Qazi, Afshan Bhatti and Afshan Afridi were the presenters of the virtual conference.