The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Agreement  with United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS  (UNAIDS),  in guidance of MNA Ms, Marriyum Aurangzeb, National Convener, Parliamentary Sustainable Development Goals. Mr. Zafarullah Khan Executive Director, PIPS and Dr. Mamadou L. Sakho Country Director, UNAIDS Country Office for Pakistan and Afghanistan signed the MoU on the behalf of the two organizations.

The MoU cover the following areas of cooperation:-

1. National Awareness of public about the commitment of States in the response to HIV at national and international level: PIPS and UNAIDS/Pakistan, in guidance of National Convener, Parliamentary Sustainable Development Goals Taskforce, shall collaborate in taking their defence to political authorities at the national and international levels so as to ensure that the response to HIV remains a priority for Pakistan;
2. Creation of a protective legislative and legal environment propitious for an effective response to HIV:  PIPS in close mentorship of Parliamentary SDGs Secretariat   and UNAIDS Pakistan shall collaborate notably in the elaboration of legislative measures related to HIV with a view to ensuring that legislation relating to HIV/AIDS in Pakistan should respect human rights and ensure the protection of and access to services by those who are vulnerable and most exposed to the risk of HIV infection.
3. Information for Honourable Parliamentarians on HIV and their role in the response to the pandemic:  PIPS and UNAIDS shall collaborate with a view to furnishing parliamentarians with all the necessary information on HIV, its methods of transmission, prevention, health care of patients as well as any other question on HIV/AIDS.  This information shall aim at reinforcing effective mobilization, building capacities of Parliamentarians and their real involvement in all questions relating to HIV/AIDS; the search for solutions to specific problems related to HIV including but not limited to urging for appropriate allocations at national and provincial (state) levels.

Dr. Mamadou L. Sakho Country Director, UNAIDS, expressed his pleasure and satisfaction that both PIPS and UNAIDS team has worked hard to make the MoU a reality, Mr Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, PIPS Director Research and Ms Fehmida Khan, Advisor Monitoring UNAIDS have been nominated as focal person to implement the MoU between Parliament’s SDGs Taskforce, PIPS and the UNAIDS, Pakistan aimed at prevention against aids in the country. While speaking on the occasion MNA Ms, Marriyum Aurangzeb, National Convener, Parliamentary Sustainable Development Goals highlighted the importance of parliamentary oversight as key to advocacy of public’s basic health and education rights. She reiterated the strong and unflinching resolve that National Parliament will leave no stone unturned to take up the issues of people-centric development agenda at improving the service delivery of government through parliamentary tools of committee system, calling attention notices as well as undertaking fresh legislations. She also informed that PIPS has set up its provincial assembly resource centres that provide secretariats to SDGs provincial Parliamentary taskforces, which will prove as catalyst to enhance the oversight of Executive on delivery of each aspect of human development such as universal immunization, clean drinking water and sanitation, prevention from epidemics and HIV Aids and other deadly diseases such as thalassemia. She expressed the hope that through the functions of representation, law making, oversight and budget review, Members of Parliament can play a decisive role in achieving human development targets for Pakistan.