Blog 5: Online survey: ‘Rule of law, human rights and gender inequalities worry most Pakistanis’

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            Shamsul Islam from The Express Tribune wrote about an online survey that was conducted by Directorate of Students Affairs at the Government College University Faisalabad or the GCUF. The survey has revealed that issues pertaining to rule of law, human rights and gender inequality have been prioritized as one of the biggest problems people face in Pakistan. The survey was titled, “Prioritization themes- Issues for Post-2015 Development Agenda from Pakistani Perspective”. It was taken under the instructions of Vice Chancellor Zakir Hussain of Pakistan. The United Nations Development Program or the UNDP carried in collaboration as well. The survey was put on the university website.

            There was a seminar held to address and share the survey results with the students and faculty. Hussain said that it was meant to prioritize issues that the nation needed to cope with and to map out a comprehensive strategy to move the country up on development indicators. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Dean Professor Pervez Azim, Faculty of Science and Technology Dean Professor Naureen Aziz Qureshi and UNDP Program Officer Shakeel Anjum attended the seminar as the guests of honor. The speakers included Students Affairs Director Dr. Nadeem Sohail and Dr. Sofia Anwar.

            According to Professor Azim there were 2,243 respondents to the survey. Out of the respondents, the major problems that were prioritized included impediments to human development, lack of food security, energy crisis, lack of social development, gender inequality, violence against women and failure to protect and rehabilitate people before and after calamities. When the discussion of global challenges came about, Shakeel Anjum from the UNDP said that 1 billion people in the world were undernourished and more than 205 million were unemployed. He said that only 28 per cent of the world population was covered by social protection systems, which can be quoted from UNDP data. He pointed out that half of the world’s forests in 1980 had been cut due to increasing population and urbanization and that carbon dioxide emissions had increased by 40 per cent over the 33 year long period. The incidents of natural disasters had increased five times in the last four decades.

            Apparently the UNDP is actively working on the agenda to cater to the emerging needs and find solutions to the problems by the end of 2015. Professor Qureshi said that governments along with non government organizations must use data from such surveys to analyze priority issues. This helps the government tackle the problems that are most relevant within the country. Professor Qureshi urged for a coming up with a comprehensive plan to tackle various issues Pakistan was facing. “Over 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population is under 30-years-old. Plans must be devised keeping that in mind.” She feels that there is a reason for this predicament and that things need to be done to reduce this problem. Professor Qureshi also stressed that the children need to enhance their role in the development by training them. These survey questions consisted of score problems from 1-9, 1 being the most important. These results revealed the priorities that Pakistan needs to address. 

          Pakistan is one of many countries that need to change they way that they develop. The survey helps the government understand what needs to be address even though it may be obvious before hand. The people are the ones that know what is best for the country and the government needs to listen and hear their opinion. 

Article Link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/513940/online-survey-rule-of-law-human-rights-and-gender-inequalities-worry-most-pakistanis/