UNESCO Pakistan Country Strategic Document 2018-2022

U N E S CO PA K I S TA N // COUN T RY S T RAT EG IC D OC UM EN T 2 018-2022UNESCO in PakistanA long-term strategic partner of the Government.The Islamic Republic of Pakistan joined UNESCO on 14 September 1949. In 1984 the Government proceeded to establish a National Commission, the Pakistan National Commissionfor UNESCO, in support of UNESCO operations in Pakistan. Since its inauguration in 1984, thePakistan National Commission for UNESCO supports and promotes the work of UNESCO inPakistan. The Pakistan National Commission is presided by Hon. Shafqat Mehmood, FederalMinister, Ministry of Education and Professional Training.UNESCO has a distinct comparative advantage and is uniquelypositioned to support the Government and people living inPakistan at different levels and through different interventions.In collaboration with its stakeholders and partners,UNESCO provides integrated policy support, contributes tocapacity-building at provincial and national levels, acts as acoordinating and convening entity, promotes internationaland regional cooperation, exchanges of knowledge, andpartnership, compiles and disseminates best-practices andadvice, as well as conducts advocacy and awareness raisingin areas of UNESCO’s mandate and its fields of expertise.UNESCO Cooperation Modalities in Pakistan:Integrated policy supportCapacity building and technical assistanceat national and subnational levelsCoordinationAdvocacy and awareness-raisingMulti-stakeholder conveningUNESCO’s support to Pakistan is built around the UnitedNations’ common support framework for Pakistan, thePakistan One United Nations Programme III (OP III) 20182022, and its shared purpose ‘Delivering as One’ to achieve theSDGs in line with the Government’s priorities.10UNESCO and the United Nations FamilyJointly pursuing thenationalprioritiesenshrined in Pakistan’sVision2025andthe achievement ofthe Agenda 2030forSustainableDevelopmentandSDGs, the UN systemin Pakistan is jointlyimplementingthePakistan One UnitedNations ProgrammeIII (OP III) 2018-2022.UNESCO is contributingto the OP III and has astrong comparative advantage in selected areas leveragingits expertise, resources, and global experience in support ofnational and provincial stakeholders.Out of the ten key outcomes set in the OP III 2018–2022,UNESCO contributes to the following in collaboration withfederal, provincial, and district governments, alongside otherkey local partners:»»»»»»»»»»»»Outcome 1: Economic GrowthOutcome 2: Decent WorkOutcome 6: ResilienceOutcome 7: Education and LearningOutcome 8: Gender, Equality and DignityOutcome 9: Governance

UNE SCO PAKI STAN // COUNTRY STRATEGI C DOCUME NT 20 1 8 - 2 0 2 2S I G N AT U R E O F PA R T N E R S H I P AG R E E M E N TW I T H R E P U B L I C O F KO R E A TO S U P P O R T U N E S C O ’ S G I R L S ’ R I G H T TO E D U C AT I O N P R O G R A M M E .PartnershipsUNESCO ChairsThe UNESCO Office in Islamabad works closely with a diverserange of partners – federal and provincial governmentcounterparts, other UN agencies, international and bilateraldevelopment partners, local and international NGOs, localcivil society, academia, the media and communities.UNESCO promotes international inter-university cooperationand networking to enhance institutional capacities throughknowledge sharing and collaborative work through theUNESCO Chairs Programme. The programme involves over700 institutions in 116 countries in key priority areas related toUNESCO’s fields of competence. Through the network, highereducation and research institutions pool their resources,both human and material, to address pressing challengesand contribute to the development of their societies. Inmany instances, the networks and chairs serve as thinktanks and bridge builders between academia, civil society,local communities, research and policy-making. In Pakistan,UNESCO granted three UNESCO chairs:The partnership with the Government of Pakistan is key tothe success and relevance of UNESCO’s interventions in theIslamic Republic. Through its 60 years of operation in Pakistan,UNESCO has built strong relationships with the Government,Partners, Universities, and the Media and is uniquelypositioned to support the Government at different levels tomeet its national vision and aspiration such as to diversifythe economy, to provide high quality educational servicesand skills development to its citizens, as well as to meet itsinternational obligations.UNESCO leverages synergies by engaging with allstakeholders, diversifying its funding partners, formingprivate-public partnerships, and by promoting cross-sectoralworking both within UNESCO and across the UN system. UNESCO Chair in the Conservation and Managementof Historic Towns and Urban Centers at the NationalCollege of Arts, Lahore UNESCO Chair “Light for Health” at the Pakistan Institutefor Engineering and Applied Sciences (PIEAS), Islamabad UNESCO Chair on Information and CommunicationTechnology for Development at the InformationTechnology University, Lahore11

U N E S CO PA K I S TA N // COUN T RY S T RAT EG IC D OC UM EN T 2 018-2022PART 2—SITUATION ANALYSIS: SUMMARY ANALYSISOF PAKISTAN'S DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT.SUMMARY ANALYSIS OF PAKISTAN'S DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT.Pakistan’s social indicators point to a combination ofboth fast and slow progress. While poverty indicatorsreflect improvements over the past years, the majority ofimprovements have materialized at slow and unsustainablepace.While in terms of per-capita income Pakistan is a middleincome country. The Human Development Index (HDI) 2015ranked Pakistan 147 of 188 countries, placing it in the “lowhuman development” category. Particularly indicators relatedto health and education show slow advancements vis-à-visPakistan’s rapid population growth (2.0 percent annually).Inequality remains pervasive as economic progress hasnot been fully translated into poverty alleviation and theredistribution of resources.Despite Pakistan’s rapid economic development, certain partsof the population — mostly those in remote rural areas andfemale — still suffer from extreme poverty, diseases, the lackEducationPakistan is among the countries with the lowest spending oneducation per capita (2.76 percent in 2017)1 though the overallnational education budget has increased by 27 percent since2010. Access to education and retention remains low withenrollment and completion rates for primary education amongthe lowest in the world. In 2017, primary school enrollmentwas below 80 percent and completion rates were below 75percent.2 Similarly, completion rates at the lower secondarylevel are 46 percent and 36 percent at the higher secondaryof medical facilities, and insufficient job opportunities. Further,Pakistan’s ‘Middle Income Country’ status, which was awardedin 2011, has led to a reduction in international aid as donors haveshifted their focus to countries in more dire need of assistance.Pakistan is currently undergoing a demographic transition,experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime demographic dividend asthe working-age population bulges and dependency ratiosdecline. In 2017, 60 percent of the country’s population was 30years of age or younger. Over the next four decades 2.1 millionadolescents will enter the labor force every year.In order for economic benefits to materialize, adequateeducation and public health policies, as well as policiespromoting labor market flexibility and providing incentivesfor investment and savings, need to be put in place. If not,the demographic dividend will turn into a cost, leading tounemployment and an unbearable strain on education, health,and pension schemes.levels. Causes for low enrolment and retention rates include,teacher absenteeism, poor quality of education, distancesthat children, especially girls, have to travel to attend school,coupled with limited transportation options, as well as a lackof school WASH facilities, poverty and food insecurity.Pakistan’s literacy rates are amongst the lowest in the world:Less than 60 percent of the population is literate. The UNESCOInstitute for Statistics (UIS) estimated in 2016 that around 25percent of the Pakistani youth is illiterate with 8.2 percentunemployed with no vocational and technical skills.1 UNESCO Institute of Statistics [online] Available at: http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/pk [Accessed 23 Oct. 2018].2 UNESCO Institute of Statistics [online] Available at: http://uis.unesco.org/en/country/pk [Accessed 23 Oct. 2018].12

UNE SCO PAKI STAN // COUNTRY STRATEGI C DOCUME NT 20 1 8 - 2 0 2 2Government Girls Primary SchoolS T U D E N T S AT T E N D T H E I R C L A S S I N G OV E R N M E N T G I R L SP R I M A RY S C H O O L J A F FA R A B A D, B A LO C H I S TA N .Beyond enrolment, learning outcomes are also a concern. In2016, 48 percent of Grade 5 pupils in both public and privateschools could not read a Grade 2 story in Urdu, and 52 percentcould not divide a two-digit sum.3 Challenges regarding theprovision of quality education in Pakistan can be attributedto a number of causes, including an insufficient number ofteachers, lacking teacher training institutions, inadequateschool management, unfavorable school physical and learningenvironments, poor multi-grade teaching methodologies/approaches, teacher absenteeism, ineffective classroomteaching and learning, and inadequate capacity of educationofficials especially at the district level. The need for life skillseducation, a focus of SDG 4, is reflected both in Pakistan’sNational Education Policy and in national and provincial youthpolicies. However, much needs to be done to integrate existingpolicies into teacher training curricula and textbooks.Pakistan still faces serious challenges with out-of-schoolchildren. Currently, it is estimated that 22.84 million childrenare out of school, leaving Pakistan as one of the countries withthe highest number of out-of-school children (OOSC) at theprimary level.4 Children from the poorest rural householdsare four times more likely to be out of school than those of thewealthiest urban ones. If business continues as usual, Pakistanwill have more than 45 million illiterates in 2030.Gender disparities are a serious concern, too. It is estimatedthat 53 percent of the out-of-school children are girls,compared to 47 percent of boys5. Particularly girls in rural areasremain a vulnerable group affected by insufficient investmentin education and related facilities. This matter is certainlyexacerbated by inaccurate perceptions and investmentsregarding the education of girls in Pakistan. Families oftenprefer to send their daughters to girls-only schools, especiallyafter Grade 5, which are often not available in their vicinity.In 2017, Pakistan has 42,786 girls primary schools, 9,292 girlsmiddle schools, and 6,906 girls high schools (excluding mixedschools).6 This reduced accessibility, especially at the middleand high-school level, often discourages parents to invest ingirls’ education altogether.On the positive side, the promulgation of Article 25-A of theConstitution after the Devolution makes education a right andobligates the State to provide free and compulsory educationto all children of the age 5 to 16. Article 37-B of the Constitutionalso reiterates that ‘the State of Pakistan shall remove illiteracyand provide free and compulsory secondary education withinminimum possible time.Pakistan is committed to increasing its GDP spending oneducation7 and to raise the literacy rate of children aged 103 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER), 2016. (2017). [online] SAFER.4 5.03 million out of school children on the primary level, 6.40 million at the middle level, 4.88 million at the highest level, and 6.33 million at thehigher secondary level.5 Pakistan Education Statistics 2015-16. (2016). [online] Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.6 Pakistan Education Statistics 2016-17. (2017). [online] Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training.7 Pakistan 2025 - One Nation One Vision. (2018). [online] Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform, p.33.13

U N E S CO PA K I S TA N // COUN T RY S T RAT EG IC D OC UM EN T 2 018-2022G R A D E 3 S T U D E N T S I N G OV E R N M E N T G I R L S P R I M A RY S C H O O LM O H M A N D AG E N C Y, E X- FATAand above to 90 percent in the coming years.8 Following the18th Constitutional Amendment, which delegated moreresponsibility to the provinces, provincial governments havesignificantly increased resource allocations for education intheir annual budgets.CulturePakistan is richly dotted with thousands of historical andcultural sites including six sites inscribed on the UNESCO’sWorld Heritage List and 25 sites on UNESCO’s Tentative Listof World Heritage. While Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage canmake important contributions to sustainable developmentand possesses great potential for cultural tourism, today,the safeguarding of cultural heritage receives insufficientattention. Culture is not specifically reflected as a priority areain major national development frameworks and has not yetbeen officially fully recognized as an enabler of sustainabledevelopment.Pakistan has ratified the 1970 Convention on the meansof prohibiting and preventing illicit import, export, andtransfer of ownership of cultural property in 1981. After the18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010, the responsibilityto prevent the illicit excavation of heritage sites has beendevolved to Provincial authorities, while the responsibility tocontrol cross-border trade of antiquities has remained withthe Federal Government. A Coordination Committee has beenestablished by the National History and Literary HeritageDivision in June 2018 to improve the collaboration withProvincial authorities on heritage matters.The Federal Department of Archaeology and Museum(DOAM) has undertaken a very important preventive measureby strengthening its inventorying and registration system ofobjects in collaboration with UNESCO. Similar pilot initiativeshave been undertaken in a number of museums in differentProvinces. Despite these efforts and the commitment fromthe Government, Pakistan remains a source country in theillicit trade market of cultural artifacts. Illegally excavatedor stolen artifacts are depriving historians, researchers, andarchaeologists from understanding important segments ofthe region's history.An effective implementation of the 1970 Convention requiresthe inventorying and registration of both public and privatecollections as well as the updating of relevant legislations toregulate the illegal art and antiquity market. A lack of publicawareness about the issue, combined with limited financialresources, lack of technical capacity of law enforcementagency, and inadequate coordination with key culturalinstitutions, continues to prevent the regulation of the trade ofcultural properties and contribute to the low implementationof the 1970 Convention.Natural heritage sites in Pakistan are facing environmentaland conservation challenges. Natural hazards whichthreaten natural heritage sites include the high watertable, water salinity, floods, soil erosion, torrential rains,humidity and wild growth. Staff and technical capacities tocope with environmental and conservation challenges arelimited. Pakistan’s rapid urbanization places a real threatto the country’s natural heritage as heritage protectionand management are neglected in urban planning anddevelopment efforts.Pakistan has tremendously rich intangible cultural heritage,including social practices, dance, music, storytelling,indigenous knowledge, crafts, traditions, oral traditions andexpressions. Intangible cultural heritage is an important factorin maintaining cultural diversity. An understanding of the8 Pakistan 2025 - One Nation One Vision. (2018). [online] Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform, p.101.14

UNE SCO PAKI STAN // COUNTRY STRATEGI C DOCUME NT 20 1 8 - 2 0 2 2L A L S U H A N R A B I O S P H E R E R E S E RV E A N D N AT I O N A L PA R KE N R O L L E D I N U N E S C O ’ S W O R L D N E T W O R K O F B I O S P H E R E R E S E RV E Sintangible cultural heritage of different communities enablesintercultural dialogue, promotes social cohesion, interculturalunderstanding, and encourages mutual respect for other waysof life. As of 2018, two elements of Pakistan’s rich intangiblecultural heritage are inscribed in UNESCO’s RepresentativeList of Intangible Cultural Heritage: Falconry, Nowruz, andone item on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need ofUrgent Safeguarding, known as “Suri Jagek”.The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not thecultural manifestation itself but the wealth of knowledge andskills that are transmitted through it from one generation tothe next. Pakistan’s culturally diverse population providesa rich base of intangible cultural heritage, which can beleveraged as a driver for sustainable development by investingin the creative economy.The ratification of the 1972 Convention on the Protection ofWorld Cultural and Natural Heritage and the 2003 Conventionfor safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage reflects thecommitment of Pakistan to protect its both tangible andintangible heritage. Inventorying of tangible and intangiblecultural heritage is being undertaken at the national level andinitiatives engaging the relevant provincial institutions areunderway.Pakistan’s museums house rich and immensely importantcollections of antiquities and ethnological objects reflectingthe country’s rich past. Museums have the potential to servesocieties in building national narratives and revitalizing local,forgotten traditions, while stimulating sustainable tourismbolstering the creative economy locally. However, a lack oflearning resources and trained staff as well as the limitedaccess to digital technologies inhibit the educational role ofmuseums and visitors get little learning experience by visiting.Further, due to limited staff capacity and lack of financialresources many collections do not receive the research andpreservation they require.Pakistan’s tang

of Pakistan is giving great importance to meeting the SDG 1 Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 6th Population and Housing Census, 2017 2 Pakistan One United Nations Programme III (OP III) 2018-2022. 3 Pakistan 2025 - One Nation One Vision. (2018). [online] Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform. targets.3