Najam Speaks at Launch of UN Report
Dr. Adil Najam, Dean of the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and a leading expert on human development, was invited to help launch the United Nation’s annual Human Development Report for 2015 in Lahore, Pakistan. The Lahore launch was held on January 25, 2016, as one of several global launches being organized.
The report, titled ‘Work for Human Development’, calls for equitable and decent work for all. In doing so, it encourages governments to look beyond jobs to consider the many kinds of work, such as unpaid care, voluntary, or creative work that are important for human development. The report suggests that only by taking such a broad view can the benefits of work be truly harnessed for sustainable development.
The Lahore launch was led by a presentation on the Report by Marc-André Franche, Country Director UNDP Pakistan. This was followed by a featured presentation by Dr. Najam that focused on the concept of human development and set the context for the upcoming Pakistan National Human Development Report (NHDR) which is being prepared with UNDP Pakistan and is to be launched later this year. The topic of the Pakistan NHDR is on youth and it uses a framework that consider three key levers of youth empowerment: Education, Employment and Engagement.
This was followed by a panel discussion in which Dr. Najam served as a participant and as moderator. Other participants on the panel included Dr. Umar Saif, Vice-Chancellor of Information Technology University and Chairman of the Punjab Information Technology Board; Ms. Roshaneh Zafar, Managing Director of Kashf Foundation; and Mr. Ahmad Saho, Secretary Planning and Development, government of Punjab.
In both his presentation and on the panel, Dean Najam highlighted the importance of thinking about young people not just as the ‘subject’ of our work but as the voices that have to be heard. He stressed that “youth is not a problem to be solved, it is an opportunity to be availed.” In this context he detailed the process of deep consultation with young people in Pakistan that have been the backbone of the Pakistan National Human Development Report, where over 100,000 young men and women have been directly or indirectly consulted. He also pointed out that in employment, as in education and engagement, it is quality that matters more than quantity. Finally, he also highlighted the many insecurities in the lives of the young which, in important ways, are not allowing them to be young.
The launch of the Human Development Report and Dean Adil Najam’s presentation was widely covered in the media, including in Express Tribune, The News International, The Nation, and The Daily Times.