DNA

Rawalpindi, DEC 23 – In connection with the birth anniversary of Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, a photographic exhibition depicting life and struggle for Pakistan of the great leader Quiad-e-Azam was arranged under auspices of  Punjab Council of the Arts here on Tuesday which would be opened for general public for one week. Member Punjab Assembly Seemabia Tahir inaugurated the exhibition flanked by ex-Governor Rotary Club, Haji Iftikhar Ahmed, Naheed Manzoor and Director Punjab Council of the Arts Waqar Ahmed.

More than one hundred rare photographs were put on display to highlight personal life of Quid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and his struggle for an independent state. Addressing at the inaugural ceremony, Member Punjab Assembly Seemabia Tahir said that Quid-eAzam was great leader of the world whose untiring efforts made possible to achieve an independent state for the Muslim of sub-continent. She said that charming personality of Quid-e-Azam united Muslim of sub-continent on one platform.

Member Punjab Assembly Seemabia Tahir further added that current government would make the country strong by following the vision of Quid-e-Azam. Naheed Manzoor said that the country could be stand in row of developed nations to follow teaching of great leader. Director PUCAR Rawalpindi Waqar Ahmed addressing at the occasion said that aim of the exhibition is to introduce the deeds of Quid-e-Azam in new generation. Students, artists and people from all walk of life attended the inaugural ceremony.

Hameed Haroon, President and Sarmad Ali, Secretary General All Pakistan Newspapers Society have congratulated members on Wining Excellence Award

DNA

KARACHI: “Hameed Haroon, President and Sarmad Ali, Secretary General All Pakistan Newspapers Society have congratulated members on Wining Excellence Award at the 2020 Beijing International Public Service Advertisement Creativity Competition.

The All Pakistan Newspapers Society bagged the Excellence Award at the 2020 Beijing International Public Service Advertisement Conference Creativity Competition for their public service campaign on Covid-19. This was the second Beijing International PSA Creativity Competition in which countries from across the globe participated.

The 2020 Beijing International Public Service Advertisement Conference Creativity Awards was organized by the Publicity Department of Beijing Municipal Committee of CPC and Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau.

Last year, the conference and the awards were held at Beijing. However this year, keeping in mind the Covid-19 situation, the conference as well as the awards were held online. The entries were emailed while the jury sessions were held through video link across continents. It was after rigorous jury sessions, APNS won the Excellence Award for their public service during the tough times of the pandemic.

The awards are specifically organized to recognize organizations that are contributing towards betterment of society by spreading awareness and playing their part. The campaigns were welcomed from Print, Audio, Video and Interactive media. APNS submitted in both Print and Video, and won the Excellence Award for both categories.

APNS launched a print campaign earlier this year informing masses about the pandemic, bursting myths and providing people with information to stay safe and healthy. The print campaign was supported by newspapers across Pakistan so that the word reaches out to the corners of the country and help people. The same was adapted for TV in the form a 40 seconds promo and was aired on various national channels as public service message.

DNA

Islamabad, DEC 23 – International Turkic Academy and COMSTECH sign MoU at COMSTECH Secretariat on December 23 to strengthen cooperation and collaboration for the promotion of science & technology in OIC member states.

On the occasion of MoU signing ceremony, President of the Int’l Turkic Academy, Dr. Darkhan Kydyrali, appreciated COMSTECH for holding Al-Farabi forum successfully.

Dr. Kydyrali said that our relations are not only limited to the relations between institutions, we have great relationship between nations. He assured that on his return he will meet with the president of Kazakhstan to share these activities with him. He said we have signed many MoUs with different institutions of Pakistan. He said that he strongly believes that COMSTECH will play a strong role for further enhancing the Pak-Kazak relations.

Coordinator General COMSTECH, Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhary appreciated the organization of OIC Science Summit by Kazakhstan in 2017. He said that we will soon organize an international forum on Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal in collaboration with international Turkic Academy, Kazakhstan. Dr. Iqbal assured that we will be partner in these activities.

Both institutions have agreed to be engaged in various joint activities such as organizing forums on Al-Farabi, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, and Ulugh Beg Mirza and establishing Turkic Academy Library at COMSTECH and incorporating leading universities of Pakistan in the network of universities of International Turkic Academy.

The Turkic Academy was founded on 25 May 2010 at the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation in the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

COMSTECH is Islamabad based OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation.

University China (CUC), Beijing, and Center for Global and Strategic Studies Islamabad jointly organized an Online International conference on “Working together towards a community with shared future”

DNA

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Research Center for Community with a Shared Future, Communication University China (CUC), Beijing, and Center for Global and Strategic Studies Islamabad jointly organized an Online International conference on “Working together towards a community with shared future”.

The conference aimed to analyze international academicnetworks and bringing nations together through regional integration, the concept of creating harmony resulting in a strong social foundation to counter challenges faced by the global community.

Prof. Hualing Li, Dean, Institute for a Community with a Shared Future, Communication University of China, Beijing, China discussed prospects of the International academic network for a community with a shared future. He stated that in 2020 the world has witnessed two major events, one of them is the ASEAN agreement, which embodies the agreement of ASEAN countries and it tells us that the countries of Asia wish to live independently, they do not wish to choose between China and America. Another big event of 2020 is Brexit that has weakened the American influence on Europe. Keeping in view the recent developments we can devise that our world is now multilateral. The concept of a community with a shared future envisions multilateralism in politics, security, development, civilization, environment and solidarity in all kinds of problems being faced by the mankind such as the pandemic, terrorist, climate change and drugs. He further suggested that in the current wake of the pandemic it is important that all countries join hands to form a human bond. According to Professor Li, international think tanks play an important role and they should focus on enhancing academic dialogue to erase existing prejudices, promote dialogue between communities and work towards achieving mutual understanding. Think tanks in western countries accuse the Belt and Road initiative of being a death trap, which is wrong. The BRI advocates joint contributions and shared benefits for all its member countries. He emphasized that through the concept of a shared future we aim to plan exchange programs for scholars across the world and to connect them on common goals and objectives.

Prof. Dr. Muhmmad Saleem Mazhar, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, University of the Punjab, Lahore,briefly discussed the waysof enhancing regional connectivity through the global concept of a community with a shared future. He shed light on the establishment of the Regional Integration Center in collaboration with CGSS and how it will contribute towards the regional cooperation and the idea of a community of a shared future.

He further commented, that this initiative of sharing resources and ideas will be beneficial for all partners and will create a win-win situation for all those who are working together. Mentioning the effective role played by China in helping the communities,Dr. Mazhar highlighted that China’s policy of non-interference and its aim to respect other cultures, norms and civilizations has played an important role in bringing the regional countries together. China has always promoted that our future is together. He also mentioned that Punjab University, Lahore welcomes this initiative and is ready to have a shared bright future under this concept introduced by China and accepted by Pakistan.

Mr. Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat, Chairman of ASEAN Research Center for a Community with a Shared Future, Malaysia highlighted working towards an inclusive world and the global concept of a community with a shared future.

He stated that In the American perspective the rise of China and its increasing role and weightage in global geopolitics has been labeled as a potential threat. In the present context of escalating polarization, the concept of forging a community with a shared future, as was espoused by China, is no doubt a timely wake-up call for the international community. More so, in the wake of increasing existential cataclysms that no single nation-state could ever handle singlehandedly. He further commented that in this regard, universities or research-based institutions of BRI participating countries can play meaningful roles in shaping an inclusive world.

Prof. Dr. Iram Khalid, Chairperson, Political Science Department, University of the Punjab, Lahore, presented a comprehensive presentation on the concept of Dialogue of Civilization. She stated that the changing patterns in global politics and socio-cultural intermingling and interpenetration are opening new vistas in international relations among nations for the time to come. She stated that the time is approaching when war and armed conflicts will be regarded as outdated methodologies of tackling conflicts/disputes among nations, regions and communities. She also shared effective recommendations including, alliance of civilization, connectivity and self-reliance to deal with the challenges faced by civilizations in the modern world.

Prof. Deqiang Ji,Vice Dean, Institute for A Community with Shared Future, Communication University of China, Beijing shed light on how a community with a shared future can defeat common global challenges. In his comprehensive presentation, he shared some of the major problems being faced by the global community post-COVID-19. He stated that the global pandemic has caused a divide in the global governance and multilateralism, from global to regional to national it has also escalated geopolitical conflicts. Furthermore, the declinenthe global economy and trade constraints also pose a major threat to the world. He shared that the concept of a community with a shared future has introduced a new concept of globalization that gives an alternative, reflective and hybrid norm in driving globalization. It is based on connectivity, diversity, and a concept of mutual understanding and respect. He emphasized that, global challenges require global resistance and to defeat these global challenges we must rebuild the channel for dialogue and trust in collaboration.

Mr. Jean Christophe, CEO of The Global Compass, Paris, France and Head of The European Network of The Center for A Community with Shared Future emphasized the social foundation of the new world under the concept of a community with a shared future. He congratulated the research centers established across the globe and highlighted that we are the pioneers of change in today’s world. The world today is connected because we are facing the same problems, to solve them we must work towards a collective approach. There are two major components of this vision, one is of the community and the second is of a shared future. Our collective responsibility is to work on both pillars and convince other countries as well to come at one platform to build a sense of a community with a shared future. He mentioned that it is our responsibility to rebuild the mechanism of multiculturalism that has been destroyed by the previous American administration.

There is no one system or one superior culture, it is our duty to research that what brings us together as a community, in the 21^st century.

Dr. André Dominic Negussie, The East African Research Center for a Community of a shared future of Mankind discussed a community with a shared future and Africa’s vision of China-Africa Relations. He gave an extensive presentation on the topic and enlightened the audience by sharing interesting facts. He stated that China and Africa relations date back as far as the sixteenth century but in the last decade it has grown to such an extent that today China is the continent’s largest trading partner. He also highlighted that China’s development cooperation with Africa is based on a complete set of projects, commodity aid, technical cooperation, help from Chinese medical teams, and humanitarian aid. He concluded by sharing that China and Africa believe in the philosophy of”I am because we are, We are because I am”

Ms. MinahilShawal Afridi, Deputy Director, Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future highlighted the aim of 7 Research Centers across the world. They vow to collaborate, cooperate, and work collectively towards making a progressive and prosperous community. She further highlighted that Research Center for a Community with Shared Future envisions the promotion of a community with a shared future through collaborative efforts to put aside differences and establish harmony and peaceful co-existence.

Ms. Palwasha Nawaz, Deputy Director, Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future discussed the initiatives taken by Pakistan Research Center for a community with a shared future. She also highlighted that more joint conferences, research projects, and academic exchange programs are planned to promote common goals and to bring together the academia of other countries for finding solutions to common problems.

Dr. MuhmmadSaleemMazhar, Pro-VC University of the Punjab, Lahore in his concluding remarks mentioned that we can see a positive change in our region because of the Belt and Road Initiative. It has contributed towards portraying a positive image of regional integration.

The conference was moderated by Mr. Khalid TaimurAkram, Director, Pakistan Research Center for a Community with Shared Future, and was participated by 60 participants including students and members of academia from Pakistan, China,Tanzania, Malaysia and France. It was also viewed live by 150 people on social media channels.

DNA

ISLAMABAD, DEC 23 – Adopting new SoPs in trade and transportation has become a critical need to get aligned with the new scenario amid Covid-19.  The experts including the representative from the public and private sectors said this while sharing his views at workshop ‘Trade Protocols Amid Covid-19 Pandemic’ organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), in collaboration with Pakistan Institute of Trade & Commerce, Ministry of Commerce here on Wednesday.

Director General, Pakistan Institute of Trade & Commerce, Ministry of Commerce, Ms Raheela Tajwar, emphasized that after Covid-19, new SoPs involved in trade and transportation must get adopted to remain competitive in the international markets.

“We are glad that private sector bodies and think tanks are closely working with the government to understand the new trade regime,” she said in the current scenario, trade of fresh fruits and vegetables could get more challenging. Safety of workers involved in production and trade is also important and requires cooperation from both public and private sector to help each other, she added.

Senior Adviser, Export Quality Management, International Trade Center, Geneva, Mr Khemraj Ramful, highlighted that allowing electronic certifications can ensure safe handling of animal and livestock trade. The sustainability of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) is important during pandemic as they are ensuring stable supply of food and personal protective equipment. Besides, risk management tools need to be integrated into their management systems, he added.

Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director SDPI, while covering various dimensions of the pandemic related impacts, said that Covid-19 is an amalgam of three crises that include health, economic and food crisis. The food production, processing and handling will become challenging and more hygienic standards from the buyers may get introduced in this new scenario.

“During the first wave of Covid-19, Pakistan’s output was also affected by the locusts attack,” Dr Suleri said. He added further that the inputs for kharif crops were therefore curtailed and likewise, during the second wave, rice and citrus are at the mercy of the circumstances that are unfolding. He informed the participants that SDPI is working closely with the government to establish a central data facility to facilitate decision makers in ensuring smooth domestic food supplies.

Mr M. Anees, Khawaja, Director, Mahmood Group of Industries, opined that the agriculture sector’s productivity needs to be addressed. Besides, we also need to ensure that the focus on sustainability and environmental protection is not lost during the pandemic.

Dr Vaqar Ahmed, Joint Executive Director, SDPI while moderating the discussion, highlighted that after Covid-19, there is an emphasis in most countries to ensure hygienic and safe transportation, port handling, storage, and warehousing of cargo. Therefore, we also need to understand that WHO and WTO have been looking at this and new consignment handling procedures have been recommended.

He said “there is a need to see how our transport, warehousing, and port operations can all go online in an integrated manner to minimize human interface and reduce incidence of infection”.

He said that for agriculture trade, introduction of risk-based approaches, backed by scientific evidence and robust traceability system are now essential. The legislation and technical regulations need to be in line with best international practices may be adopted. We need to plan with the view that future waves of Covid-19 will continue to impact the global supply chain, he added.

Director, Bio-Labs Pvt Ltd. Mr Usman Shaukat, was of view that there is a short and long run perspectives to Covid-19. He said that export restrictions are not the answer to deal with the current crisis and all countries need to keep the supply chains open. He advised that government should practice caution while placing orders for vaccine. Most vaccine options may not be viable given weak cold storage infrastructure.

Mr Ahmed Khaver, Researcher at SDPI, highlighted learnings from ‘Strengthening Use of Evidence for Development Impact’ (SEDI) and underpinned the importance of deeper public-private sector engagement during pandemic times for informed decision making at the policy level.