this report is created with the help of government of Pakistan so people can stop blaming the Evil Israel and USA and also not so evil our neighbor India.
Social and economic inequality threatens the foundations of a just society. It hinders progress by restricting the opportunities available to its citizens. Bridging the gap between the two different Pakistans – the country’s richest and poorest people – is one of the key priorities of our Govern-ment. This has always been an important element of our manifesto, for which we have been actively advocating. After as-suming charge, our Government has made meaningful efforts towards this goal by launching initiatives to uplift the poor, develop rural areas, empower women, en-able our youth to thrive, and ensure the universal delivery of essential services to the public. The Prime Minister’s Ehsaas programme, a multisectoral initiative to provide social services and protection to the most vulnerable groups in Pakistan, is a testament to our commitment and resolve in this context. Against this backdrop, the Pakistan National Human Development Report on inequality (NHDR 2020) is a welcome contribution to our work in this domain, as it highlights challenges, outlines progress, and identifies high-impact areas.Over the years, Pakistan has seen prog-ress on its Human Development Index (HDI) value, which increased from 0.400 in 1990 to 0.560 in 2018. This means a higher life expectancy at birth for ****-stani children, more years of schooling, and higher income for families. However, there remains much to be done, as Pakistan’s HDI value is lower than both the average HDI value of countries in the medium hu-man development group (0.630), as well as our neighbours in South Asia (0.640). The COVID-19 pandemic has further aggra-vated this challenge by threatening to undo past progress, and further widen the eco-nomic and social inequalities in the country through its disproportionate effect on the poorest segments of society. This is an un-precedented challenge for the Government of Pakistan, and one that we are working tirelessly to overcome.
However, it can also be seen as an opportunity for us to rebuild better than before, and to alleviate inequal-ities between the two extremes of Pakistan – one that caters only to the privileged, and the other that relates to the country’s poor, downtrodden, and vulnerable groups. It is for this reason that the insights of this re-port are extremely meaningful to us at this critical juncture.Inequality is a complex phenomenon; it spans diverse groups of people who are vulnerable because of their income, gen-der, religion, region of residence, and oth-er characteristics. This report addresses the complexity of inequality by unpacking the nuances and engaging in an insightful discussion with precision and clarity. Dr. Hafiz A. Pasha’s expertise in translating Pakistan’s HDI scores into the human im-pact on the ground is extremely valuable to readers looking to understand the current situation. The framework of the ‘three Ps’ of inequality – Power, People, and Poli-cy – is also a useful tool for deconstruct-ing challenges and carefully analysing in-equality in detail. The report is aligned with Government’s national agenda, which seeks to reduce inequality in all its forms and manifestations. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Government is committed to build-ing a ‘welfare state’ where rule of law, meri-tocracy and transparency are guaranteed to all citizens and a social safety net is provid-ed to the marginalized segments. It is also committed to ensure equal opportunities for all citizens in all fields – from health to education to security of life and proper-ty. The Government also seeks to address disparities between different regions of the country, by introducing integrated region-al development initiatives for regions and areas which have lagged behind in terms of Special messagesocio-economic development. The Report is also in line with the glob-al commitments espoused by Sustainable Development Goal 10, ‘Reduce inequality within and between countries’. The topics discussed in the following chapters, and the recommendations emanating from this discussion, chart out a roadmap for address-ing critical human development challenges – such as eliminating poverty, mitigating gender-based discrimination, bridging the digital divide, and limiting the risks of cli-mate change.It has been a privilege to be part of the Advisory Council for the Pakistan NHDR 2020, and to have benefited from the feed-back and insight of our fastidious council members. They include some of the coun-try’s most celebrated academics, technical experts, development practitioners, and policy makers – both from across and with-in party lines.
I warmly congratulate UNDP for this incredible effort at deconstructing inequal-ity and creating evidence-based, contex-tual, and actionable recommendations to improve human development in Pakistan. I have no doubt that the insights of this re-port will help many of the country’s most vulnerable communities, and move us to-wards a more equal Pakistan.
Asad Umar
Minister, Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives,Pakistan.Chair, NHDR 2020 Advisory Council
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