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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has moved to accelerate regulatory and scientific measures to curb lead exposure, with the Ministry of Science and Technology announcing plans for a dedicated lead-testing infrastructure and stronger product safety standards following high-level talks with a United Nations Children&rsquo;s Fund (UNICEF) delegation. According to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology on Friday, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Nawabzada Khalid Hussain Magsi, accompanied by Federal Secretary Shahid Iqbal Baloch, held a meeting with a delegation led by Abdullah A. Fodil, Director of the Partnership for a Lead-Free Future (PLF), UNICEF. The meeting focused on the &ldquo;critical public health challenges posed by lead exposure,&rdquo; particularly its impact on maternal health, childhood development and the long-term well-being of citizens. The discussions centred on Pakistan&rsquo;s national priorities to address lead contamination, with participants stressing the need for preventive strategies and &ldquo;robust regulatory interventions&rdquo; to tackle the issue effectively, the statement said. A key proposal discussed during the meeting was the establishment of a Lead-Free Testing Laboratory at the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) in Karachi, with regional extensions planned in Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar. The proposed facilities would support research and development aimed at identifying lead prevalence and devising control and mitigation strategies across sectors, according to the official statement. The ministry said the meeting also underscored the need to strengthen regulatory frameworks under the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA), particularly regarding permissible lead content in oil-based paints, cosmetics, including antimony surma, food items and other consumer products. Participants also called for improved monitoring of industrial practices to ensure compliance with national safety standards. Highlighting the importance of public engagement, the meeting emphasized national conferences, policy dialogues and awareness campaigns as essential tools in addressing the health and environmental risks linked to lead exposure. In this regard, the federal minister assured that the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) would launch a &ldquo;comprehensive series of awareness seminars&rdquo; to educate the public on the environmental and health hazards of lead exposure. The minister and the federal secretary reaffirmed that the collaboration represented &ldquo;a significant step toward achieving a healthier, safer, and lead-free future for the children of Pakistan,&rdquo; the statement added.

Health

The meeting focused on the “critical public health challenges posed by lead exposure,” particularly its impact on maternal health, childhood development and the long-term well-being of citizens.

Pakistan moves to tighten lead safety, protect children’s health nationwide

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan is facing a deepening humanitarian and economic crisis as restrictions on girls&rsquo; education and women&rsquo;s employment continue to erode essential services, according to a new UNICEF analysis. The report, titled The Cost of Inaction on Girls&rsquo; Education and Women&rsquo;s Labour Force Participation in Afghanistan, highlights a steady decline in female participation across key sectors. Female representation in the civil service dropped from 21% in 2023 to 17.7% in 2025, signaling a shrinking presence of women in public life. Since the ban on girl&#39;s secondary education was imposed in September 2021, more than one million girls have been denied access to schooling beyond the primary level. If the policy remains unchanged through 2030, that number is projected to exceed two million in a country already struggling with one of the lowest female literacy rates globally. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell warned that the long-term consequences could be severe. She emphasized that Afghanistan risks losing a generation of professionals, including teachers, healthcare workers, and social service providers, who are essential to maintaining basic public services. The report describes a &ldquo;dual crisis&rdquo; in which the country is not only losing trained female professionals but also preventing the next generation from entering these fields. By 2030, Afghanistan could face a shortage of up to 20,000 women teachers and 5,400 healthcare workers. The education sector is already under strain. The number of female teachers in basic education fell by more than 9%, dropping from nearly 73,000 in 2022 to around 66,000 in 2024. This decline disproportionately affects girls, who are more likely to attend and remain in school when female teachers are present. Healthcare services are also at risk. In a society where cultural norms often limit interactions between women and male healthcare providers, a reduction in female medical staff could significantly restrict access to care. UNICEF warns this could lead to worsening maternal, newborn, and child health outcomes. Beyond social impacts, the restrictions are also taking an economic toll. Afghanistan is losing an estimated $84 million annually in economic output due to reduced participation of women in education and the workforce. These losses are expected to increase if current policies remain in place. Despite the challenges, UNICEF continues to support education initiatives across the country. In 2025, more than 3.7 million children in public schools received emergency assistance, while 442,000 children two-thirds of them girls benefited from community-based learning programs. The agency has also contributed to the construction or rehabilitation of 232 schools. Russell stressed that denying girls access to education not only limits individual potential but also undermines the country&rsquo;s future. She called on authorities to lift restrictions and urged the international community to remain committed to supporting Afghan girls&rsquo; right to learn. The report concludes that without urgent action, Afghanistan risks long-term damage to its education system, healthcare services, and economic stability consequences that could affect generations to come.

Shehzad Noorani Women wait at a maternal health hospital, the only one of its type in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan

Report warns banning girls’ education in Afghanistan is worsening crisis in healthcare, education, and the economy, with long-term consequences for the country’s future.

Afghanistan risks losing 25,000 women teachers and health workers: UNICEF

GENEVA: At least 100 children have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and ground forces in Gaza since the start of a tenuous ceasefire three months ago, the United Nations said on Tuesday.&nbsp;The UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF said that at least 60 boys and 40 girls had been killed in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory since early October.&nbsp;&quot;More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire,&quot; UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,&quot; he said, speaking from Gaza City.&nbsp;&quot;These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones. They&#39;re killed from tank shelling. They&#39;re killed from live ammunition. They&#39;re killed from quad copters.&nbsp;&quot;We are at 100 -- no doubt,&quot; he said, adding that the true number was likely higher.&nbsp;&quot;A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress but one that still buries children is not enough.&quot;&nbsp;AFP has sought a response from the Israeli military.&nbsp;An official at Gaza&#39;s health ministry, which maintains casualty records, has reported a higher figure of 165 children killed during the tenuous ceasefire, out of a total 442 fatalities.&nbsp;&quot;Additionally, seven children have died from exposure to cold since the beginning of this year,&quot; Zaher Al-Wahidi, Director of the Computer Department at the Ministry of Health, told AFP.&nbsp;Elder stressed that the ongoing Israeli attacks came after more than two years of war which has &quot;left life for Gaza&#39;s children unimaginably hard&quot;.

Middle East

Since early October, at least 100 children, 60 boys and 40 girls, have been killed in Gaza during a tenuous ceasefire, mainly from airstrikes, drones, tanks, and live ammunition, UNICEF and Gaza’s health ministry reported.

At least 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire: UN

ISLAMABAD: On World Children&rsquo;s Day, we review steps taken by Pakistan to ensure the welfare of its children in 2025: enacting legislation to protect minors from early marriage and labour exploitation.&nbsp;UNICEF celebrates the day on November 20 every year, calling on&nbsp;governments worldwide to listen to young people and protect their rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child.&nbsp;Groundbreaking child marriage legislationPakistan&rsquo;s most notable achievement came in May, when President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act. The law sets 18 as the minimum age for marriage for both boys and girls in the federal capital.&nbsp;Under the new legislation, anyone arranging or facilitating underage marriages, including parents, guardians, and religious officials, faces up to seven years in prison and fines of up to Rs1 million. Courts are empowered to intervene and block planned child marriages, with decisions required within 90 days; marriage registrars must verify ages using national identity cards.&nbsp;Former Minister for Women Development Sherry Rehman called the law &ldquo;transformative.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;This law is not just about banning child marriage. It is a declaration that our girls deserve the right to childhood, to education, to health, and to a life free from coercion and harm.&rdquo;&nbsp;Legal experts noted that a 2023 Federal Shariat Court ruling confirmed that setting the minimum marriage age at 18 complies with Islamic law, helping to counter religious opposition to the reforms.&nbsp;Balochistan raises marriage ageBalochistan became the latest province to raise the legal marriage age to 18 in November, addressing high rates of early marriage in the south-western province. A 2024 Save the Children survey found that nearly two-thirds of marriages in Balochistan occurred before age 18, with 40% before age 16. One in four girls surveyed had their first child before 16, and 60% gave birth before 18.&nbsp;Community members cited cultural beliefs about family honour and economic pressures as drivers of early marriages. Previously, girls could marry at 16, while boys were required to be 18. The province now joins Sindh, which enacted similar protections in 2014.&nbsp;Child labor protectionsIn August, the National Assembly passed the Islamabad Child and Adolescent Labour Bill, which aims to prohibit and regulate child labor in the capital territory. While child labor laws exist at federal and provincial levels, including the Employment of Children Act 1991, the new bill updates provisions to align with international child rights conventions.&nbsp;Government coordination and oversightThe National Commission for Child Welfare and Development, operating under the Ministry of Human Rights, has overseen Pakistan&rsquo;s implementation of UN child rights obligations throughout 2025.&nbsp;Established in 1979 as an advisory body on child issues, the commission coordinates monitoring and facilitates implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, submitting mandatory reports to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva.&nbsp;UNICEF&rsquo;s message on World Children&rsquo;s DayThis year&rsquo;s theme, &ldquo;My Day, My Rights,&rdquo; encourages communities to listen to children and understand how they experience their rights. According to UNICEF, &ldquo;Children and young people are powerful agents of change, bringing new ideas and perspectives that can help shape a better world for all of us.&rdquo;&nbsp; The organization now works in more than 190 countries, focusing on reaching vulnerable and excluded children.

Culture

Pakistan marked major child-rights progress in 2025, passing new laws against child marriage and labour, with Balochistan raising marriage age and UNICEF urging stronger youth protection.

World Children’s Day 2025: How Pakistan advanced child welfare this year

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said the country was closer than ever to a polio-free Pakistan. Speaking at a ceremony to mark World Polio Eradication Day here on Friday, the PM thanked the polio workers for their hard work and initiatives against the disease. &nbsp; Citing challenges in fighting polio,&nbsp;PM Sharif said polio workers&#39; courage and dedication were commendable. He also thanked international partners, including the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the Bill Gates Foundation, and Saudi Arabia, for their help in Pakistan&#39;s fight against the poliovirus. Shields were distributed to outstanding polio workers from across Pakistan, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan. Meanwhile, First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari said her late mother, Benazir Bhutto, had launched Pakistan&rsquo;s first nationwide polio campaign in 1994. She paid tribute to health workers and female vaccinators working in difficult areas and called on communities to continue supporting vaccination campaigns.&nbsp; Pakistan&rsquo;s fight against polio Four polio campaigns have been launched this year alone, with over 45 million children targeted, the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, a private-public partnership, reported on October 13, 2025.A new case of wild poliovirus was confirmed this month in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa by Pakistan&rsquo;s Regional Reference Laboratory at the National Institute of Health in Islamabad. This brings the total number of cases in 2025 to 30.Wild poliovirus cases in Pakistan have fluctuated since 2005, with significant decreases in some years, though the virus remains endemic.&nbsp;&nbsp;<img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/fd195175-430b-4c45-833c-be4d68d42e04.png" style="width: 646px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">&nbsp;Sources:<ol style="list-style-type: decimal;"><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Reports and surveillance updates on polio cases and eradication efforts in Pakistan and globally.</li><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">WHO (World Health Organization) - Annual updates and situation reports from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) and other relevant health reports.</li><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">National Institute of Health (NIH), Pakistan - National surveillance data on polio cases, including regional breakdowns and vaccination coverage.</li><li style="font-size: 14px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 2;">Polio Eradication Programme, Pakistan - Official program reports and statistics on polio cases and immunization campaigns within Pakistan.</li></ol> Pakistan&rsquo;s plan for 2025 focuses on a final push to reach every child and target remaining virus pockets. The strategy includes intensified vaccination campaigns, better operations, and stronger community engagement.The third phase of the program involves:<ul><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Door-to-door campaigns vaccinating over 45 million children under five</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Building community trust by involving parents, caregivers and leaders and tackling misinformation</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Closing operational gaps and improving campaign quality, including relapse prevention</li><li style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Strengthening surveillance to detect and respond quickly to outbreak </li></ul>These steps reflect Pakistan&rsquo;s resolve to eradicate polio by end of 2025.

Pakistan's PM Shehbaz Sharif presents awards to polio workers for the recognition of their services in the Pakistan Polio Eradication Programme, on World Polio Day in Islamabad on 24 October 2025. (PMO)

Pakistan’s plan for 2025 focuses on a final push to reach every child and target remaining virus pockets. 

Pakistan leads fight against polio with stronger vaccination efforts in 2025

ISLAMABAD: Childhood obesity now exceeds underweight among school-aged children and adolescents in every region except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, according to a new UNICEF report released Wednesday.&nbsp;The report, titled &quot;Feeding Profit: How Food Environments are Failing Children&quot;, warns that one in five children aged 5&ndash;19 is now classified as overweight, with a growing share living with obesity. The total number of affected children and adolescents globally has reached 188 million.&nbsp;Drawing from data in over 190 countries, the report highlights a dramatic rise in obesity rates &mdash; from just 3% a few decades ago to 9.4% today. UNICEF attributes the spike to a global shift away from traditional diets toward cheaper, ultra-processed foods that are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.&nbsp;&ldquo;Ultra-processed food is increasingly replacing fruits, vegetables, and protein at a time when nutrition plays a critical role in children&rsquo;s growth, cognitive development, and mental health,&rdquo; said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.&nbsp;The report emphasizes that obesity is now more prevalent than underweight in every region except sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, where undernutrition remains a critical concern.&nbsp;UNICEF warned that overweight children are at greater risk of developing serious health problems, including insulin resistance, high blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even certain cancers.&nbsp;The agency called on governments to regulate unhealthy food environments, limit marketing of junk food to children, and promote access to healthy and affordable diets.

Viral

Global agency warns childhood obesity surpasses underweight globally, except in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Articles tagged with "UNICEF"

Pakistan moves to tighten lead safety, protect children’s health nationwide

Afghanistan risks losing 25,000 women teachers and health workers: UNICEF

At least 100 children killed in Gaza since ceasefire: UN

World Children’s Day 2025: How Pakistan advanced child welfare this year

Pakistan leads fight against polio with stronger vaccination efforts in 2025

UNICEF warns of rising global childhood obesity rates