United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown called on Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Gordon Brown was accompanied by Malala Yosufzai. The PM thanked Gordon Brown for his continued support to government’s efforts to promote education in Pakistan. He said that education was of high national priority and that his government was committed to achieve all Millennium Development Goals (MDG) including the goal of universal primary education. “The government considers promotion of education at all levels imperative for realising socio-economic development of Pakistan,” he said.
The PM said that his vision was to build an education system that promotes knowledge economy, creativity, critical thinking and innovation. “Pakistan appreciates and welcomes international cooperation including the support of initiatives like Global Education First,” he said.
Moreover, the PM also attended a meeting on ‘Education for All’ hosted by Gordon Brown with different heads of UN agencies including UNICEF, UNESCO, UNFPA as well as bilateral and multilateral entities such as USAID, AUSAID, DFID, World Bank, European Commission and NGOs engaged in promotion of education.
Gordon Brown committed to provide continued support to the government efforts to promote education in Pakistan. He said, “International community has expressed readiness to work with the new government to ensure provision of education for all in Pakistan.”
The participants, including UN agencies, development partners and civil society organizations presented their proposals and suggestions to facilitate the government’s efforts in the field of education. However, the discussions would be followed up in another meeting in Pakistan later this year.
