UNESCO Country Director Dr Kozue Kay Nagata said on Saturday that UNESCO will help Pakistan Museum of Natural History (PMNH) in a documentary on stuffing and exhibition of Shark Whale specimens as well as for the digitisation of the Museum’s collection.
“UNESCO will also help PMNH in developing its online virtual tour so that the entire world, especially researchers and students, could benefit from its facilities,” he said.
She was speaking as a chief guest at the launch of an Audio Commentary Equipment, a facility for visitors, donated by UNESCO to PMNH.PSF Chairman Prof Dr Manzoor H Soomro, PMNH Director General Hasan Waseem Afzal, senior officers from the Ministry of Science and Technology, UNESCO officials and a good number of scientists and students were also present on this occasion.
Dr Nagata said UNESCO’s support to the museum was based on its concept to promote science and education according to its mandate.
She said PMNH was unique in term of its collection, especially of fossils that revealed natural history of the past million years.
Dr Nagata said though the donation of commentary equipment was a small contribution but it would help visitors in understanding the exhibits during their visit to the museum. “The equipment would make the museum more scientific and dynamic,” she said. She added that launching the commentary equipment at PMNH was a pilot project and this facility will be replicated in other museums of Pakistan later. She also spoke on the collaboration UNESCO and PSF, which was going on since long for promotion of science.
She mentioned some of their collaborative programmes, including Man and Biosphere (MAB) Programme and an Inquiry-based Science Education Programme.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Dr Manzoor Soomro stressed the need for developing collaboration with other organisations in order to achieve common goals.
PMNH DG Dr Hasan Waseem Afzal said scientists from PMNH explored all regions of the country, including the barren and rocky areas of Balochistan, for the collection of rocks, minerals, fossils, plants and animal life.
He said during the last five months 37,557 visitors had visited PMNH, which was a great achievement of museum to educate people on our natural wealth.
Hasan Waseem Afzal said the donation of Audio Commentary Equipment from UNESCO had enabled them to organise this launching ceremony in order to give access to visitors to use this equipment.
He said UNESCO Pakistan had generously lent a big hand to strengthen PMNH through support for updating the VOG Gallery for visitors, contribution of Rs 750,000 for displaying the Whale Shark Skin, MAB Programme sponsorship under which National MAB Committee had been reactivated.
PMNH Deputy Director General Akhtar Javed also addressed the launching ceremony and thanked UNESCO, MoST and PSF for their continued support to museum in research and educational activities.