Pakistan to host South Asian Conference on Sanitation

Pakistan to host South Asian Conference on Sanitation

ISLAMABAD: (APP) Federal Minister of Climate Change Zahid Hamid on Monday said that Pakistan will host South Asian Conference on Sanitation next year.

Addressing the participants of the a conational consultative workshop on "Transforming Strategic Developing Goals (SDG) into Action-6 organized by Ministry of Climate Change and United Nation Pakistan he said, "Pakistan fully stands with SDG's, we have recognized the seventeen goals as seventeen steps essential towards a better Pakistan."

The minister said, Parliament of Pakistan has established the SDG Secretariat which is now serving as a Resource Center.

Federal and provincial governments, he said, have committed a total of 15 million US dollars for SDG localization in Pakistan for 5 years.

"This is indicative of our steadfast commitment to SDGs and places Pakistan ahead of other countries" he added.

The minister said, "It is great privilege for us that Pakistan being one of few countries which met the MDGs sanitation target in 2015 is being quoted time and again. The Ministry has honour of developing the National Sanitation Policy in year 2006 and National Drinking Water Policy in 2009."

Provincial Minister of Housing, Urban development and Public Health Punjab Province Malik Tanveer Aslam on the occasion said, "All partners need to act in new way to achieve Strategic Developing Goals."

He also shared his experiences of representing Pakistan in a high level political dialogue of Sanitation and Water for All in March 2016 and gave the presentation on the facts and figures to the related topic.

Country Representative of UNICEF Pakistan Angela Kearney, said, "It was difficult to reach Millennium Development Goals (MDG) but due to collective efforts we met them."