Local to Global Human Development

At the time of independence in 1947, Pakistan’s forest cover was about 33%. However, this number has decreased significantly over the past few decades due to the effects of deforestation, agricultural expansion and urbanization. Efforts were made by various plantations in the 1970s and 1980s, but these measures faced problems such as lack of funding and lack of community participation. The recent decades marked the transition to sustainable forest management, highlighted by major projects such as the Billion Tree Tsunami (2014-2018), which aimed to restore degraded lands and prevent climate change, and subsequently pursue the “Ten Billion Tree Tsunami” plan. New solutions are being explored to solve these problems. For example, technology that uses satellite imagery and drones to monitor forest health can collect real-time data on deforestation rates and biodiversity. In addition, community forestry projects were encouraged to involve local residents and provide training.   Pak...

A country of 236 million people, Pakistan faces many challenges, including rising inequality, health disparities, and the vagaries of climate. Yet, Pakistan has a huge asset and potential in the form of burgeoning youth, who, if provided the right opportunities, can transform the country. One institution, the School of Pharmacy (SPH) at the University of Management and Technology (UMT) in Lahore, is attempting to do this by empowering youth and placing an emphasis on social service. North Carolina-based Local 2 Global Human Development was excited to recently visit their campus. Dr. Ejaz Cheema , the founding Dean of the SPH at UMT, gave us a tour of the SPH's amazing campus, which includes superb classrooms/teaching technologies, well-equipped laboratories (beautified by students), an animal research center, and other aspects of the campus.  School of Pharmacy at the University of Management and Technology is located in Lahore, Pakistan     Dr. Ejaz Cheema, Founding Dea...

Nurturing Tomorrow: Exploring the Impact of Healthcare Systems and National Policies on Maternal and Child Health By Fizza Javed* Infant mortality is one of the indicators by which we can tell about the condition of the people of any country. The infant mortality rate in Pakistan is 55 per thousand live births (1). Ensuring the health and well-being of a mother is the cornerstone of securing a healthy start for her infant. It's a critical link that profoundly impacts the growth, development, and even mortality of the baby. Several key aspects underscore this crucial relationship. Maternal nutrition plays a pivotal role. A mother's well-balanced diet during pregnancy and breastfeeding is more than just sustenance for herself—it's the primary source of vital nutrients that fuel the infant's growth and bolster their immunity. Equally significant are maternal health conditions. Pre-existing ailments or infections in the mother, such as gestational diabetes, hypertension, HI...

Pros and Cons of Telemedicine in Pakistan by Minal Zaman Cheema* Healthcare in Pakistan faces an array of challenges, including issues of accessibility, affordability, and quality of service. The country has a mixed healthcare system which includes both public and private healthcare facilities. The government-run public system is inadequately managed and includes hospitals, clinics, and healthcare centers. More often than not, these facilities face severe challenges of insufficient funding, outdated infrastructure, and a shortage of properly trained healthcare professionals. The private healthcare sector in Pakistan is relatively well-developed and better equipped, with more advanced and specialized services compared to the public ones, making them expensive and less accessible to lower-income populations. Pakistan faces a significant burden of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and hepatitis, in addition to non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular diseases and d...

Access to Quality Education in Pakistan by Muddaser Saeed* Pakistan's education system comprises a total of 260,903 institutions, catering to 41,018,384 students and supported by 1,535,461 teachers. Within this system, there are 180,846 public institutions and 80,057 private institutions. Consequently, the private sector operates 31% of educational institutes, while the remaining 69% are public institutes. On top of that, a significant number of youth do not go to school since they have to work from an early age or go to religious madrassah schools that run on a charity basis and often lack quality education in math, science, and other subjects for economic mobility.  The rise of dominant elite private school chains can be traced back to the late 1970s. These schools arose as a response to what they perceived as a decline in the quality of education in public schools administered by the government, particularly after Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's nationalization policy i...

Pakistan's minority religious community members are victims of extreme violence. One of the worst violence is meted to Christians in Punjab and other parts. According to the   2017 census ,   2.6 million Christian community members live in Pakistan, comprising 1.27% of the population. One tool called anti-blasphemy law is frequently used against minority community members often to capture their property/business. This law is misused in the form of mob violence where hundreds or thousands of people attack minority community's religious places, houses, and businesses over rumors of "blasphemy against Islam". According to Pakistan-based   Center for Research and Security Studies , approximately 1500 people of all faiths have been targeted by anti-blasphemy law between 1947-2021, 89 of whom have been extra-judicially killed. The actual number of accusations and attacks in the context of anti-blasphemy law is likely much higher. A significant number of people targeted by a...