Minister vows to follow population agenda

Says PIDE-UNFPA collaboration will address demographic dynamics, unpaid work challenges

ISLAMABAD:

Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Muhammad Sami Saeed, on Thursday, emphasised Pakistan’s commitment to the agenda of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Thailand last month.

Addressing the launching ceremony of two reports jointly compiled by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), the minister said, “We are committed to the population conference agenda, and our delegation to the regional conference made a bit of contribution to it.”

The minister appreciated the research work carried out by UNFPA and PIDE researchers, adding, “Pakistan is the first country in the region to delve into this kind of effort which is very useful for policymakers, academicians, and researchers.”

The reports titled “National Time Transfer of Account (NTTA); and National Transfer of Account (NTA)” have been meticulously developed by PIDE in close collaboration with UNFPA. The primary objective of the NTA report is to elucidate the intricate linkages between population growth, evolving age structures, economic growth, public finances, and other pivotal facets of the macro-economy, addressing aspects of gender and generational equity.

Read Population control — Pakistan’s greatest challenge

The NTA, however, has limitations in capturing unpaid work falling outside production boundaries. To address this, the study introduced NTTA for valuing unpaid work, and its methodology divides unpaid work into general household production, care work, and learning activities. Sami Saeed said the population demographics had changed, and the related themes were ‘very important’ as Pakistan was a populous country and had a large youth bulge. “So, any analysis that captures the inter-generational dynamics is very useful and also the computation of the unpaid work that women contribute is also very important,” he said.

The minister also highlighted the significance of the research work that had been done at the provincial level as “We have been struggling for many years to prepare provincial GDPs.” He said the government would use these reports in the process of policy-making and development planning initiatives.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2023.

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