KARACHI, SEP 16 /DNA/ – A delegation of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), led by Ms. Anita Hirsch, Representative and Country Director, WFP Pakistan, called on the Honourable First Lady of Pakistan, H.E. Asifa Bhutto Zardari, in Karachi today.
The meeting was also attended by Senator Sherry Rehman; Sindh Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah; Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab; and Mr. Irfan Soomro, Director General, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The First Lady was briefed on WFP’s work in nutrition, food security, school meals and climate resilience, particularly its collaboration under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP). Since its inception, BNP has reached over three million women and children nationwide, including more than 1.7 million beneficiaries across Sindh. The delegation also highlighted WFP’s US$40 million School Meals Programme, targeting 100,000 children in 614 government schools in Malir and Keamari, as well as interventions addressing acute malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, WASH and climate resilience.
The First Lady underscored the importance of the Benazir Nashonuma Programme and its complementarity with the mandates of UN agencies working in Pakistan, particularly towards achieving SDG 2: Zero Hunger. She stressed the need for an integrated approach to maternal and child health, breastfeeding, immunisation, nutrition, early childhood development and the reduction of infant mortality and stunting. She also highlighted the importance of accessible paediatric healthcare, including the work of the ChildLife Foundation, and called for greater national attention to population growth and its implications for health, education and development.
Welcoming WFP’s School Meals Programme, the First Lady expressed particular interest in centralised kitchen models and proposed greater emphasis on school-based agriculture and kitchen gardens, allowing children to learn about nutrition, agriculture and healthy food through practical experience.
Referring to the devastating floods of 2022, the First Lady emphasised Pakistan’s climate vulnerability and the importance of moving from disaster response towards early warning, anticipatory action and community resilience. She highlighted Sindh’s programme to construct around 2.1 million flood-resilient homes, with ownership provided to women of beneficiary households, and the leadership of Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in advancing the initiative. She also highlighted the Government of Sindh’s development and social-sector interventions, particularly in Thar.
The WFP delegation briefed the First Lady on anticipatory action, disaster-risk financing, early-warning systems, climate-resilient agriculture and measures to protect livelihoods and livestock from natural disasters. WFP’s programmes also support kitchen gardening, community food security and women-led livelihoods in flood-affected areas.
The First Lady reaffirmed her strong support for WFP’s efforts towards achieving Zero Hunger in Pakistan and assured the delegation that she would lend her voice to advocacy and public-awareness initiatives supporting nutrition and food security nationwide.
She also expressed her continued support for WFP’s ShareTheMeal initiative, to which she has personally contributed, and stressed the importance of sustained cooperation between the Government, the United Nations and development partners to ensure that Pakistan’s most vulnerable women and children have access to adequate nutrition, healthcare and education.
