Chief Minister of Balochistan, Mir Sarfraz Bugti, met with UNICEF Country Representative in Pakistan, Pernille Ironside, to discuss joint efforts in health, education, polio eradication, and social welfare.
During the meeting, both sides underlined the importance of stronger coordination to ensure that development initiatives deliver visible results for the people of Balochistan. UNICEF pledged to provide technical assistance and capacity-building training for health department staff to improve service delivery and outreach.
Chief Minister Bugti expressed appreciation for international partners’ contributions, particularly UNICEF’s role in advancing health and education projects in the province. He highlighted that the provincial government has prioritized reforms, channeling significant resources into primary healthcare and addressing staff shortages through contract-based recruitments in both the health and education sectors.
Bugti revealed that in the past year, 3,200 closed schools had been reopened, while 1,200 new community schools are planned for establishment this year. “We are determined to ensure that by the end of the year, no school in Balochistan will remain closed,” he affirmed.
On healthcare, he said that campaigns for polio eradication and routine immunization had been made more effective under the government’s reforms. “We are introducing large-scale reforms in health and education and allocating unprecedented resources to primary healthcare,” he added.
The Chief Minister also addressed the province’s disaster preparedness, stating that the government is actively monitoring the flood situation in districts bordering Sindh and finalizing precautionary measures in vulnerable areas.
Underscoring his government’s commitment to gender equality, Bugti announced the launch of Balochistan’s first Women’s Economic Empowerment Endowment Fund, a landmark initiative to enhance women’s economic participation.
UNICEF Country Representative Pernille Ironside reaffirmed the organization’s support. “The well-being of children in Balochistan remains our top priority,” she said, pledging continued collaboration with the provincial government.
