UN to finance projects in south Punjab

MULTAN: The United Nations has shown a keen interest in the uplift of the remote region of south Punjab and it would finance in health, education, environment, water management, human resource and infrastructural development.

The UN envoys including UN Resident Head Islamabad Shah Nasir Khan and UN Joint Secretary Nelufar Zahid said this while addressing a capacity-building workshop on Development Program 2023-2027 jointly organised by UN and South Punjab Administrative Secretariat here on Friday.

The UN envoys said they would enhance cooperation in fields of environment, water management and human resources.

The next annual development program will also ensure transparent utilisation of UN grants for South Punjab projects.

Shah Nasir Khan said efforts would be supported to combat poverty and enhance people’s skills.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion South Punjab Additional Chief Secretary Saqib Zafar said a five-year development program would be launched from the United Nations platform to start a new journey of development in South Punjab.

The UN grants would only be spent in south Punjab, he assured. He said a separate framework has been formulated for the schemes and infrastructure projects of South Punjab this year in the grant of international donors and government budget which will pave the way for development.

He said it is great to see the administration and the UN come together on a single platform to review the progress of UN development projects in South Punjab.