ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has officially made the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) of Pakistan as its Category-II partner.

The partnership agreement was signed between Director General UNESCO Irina Bokova and Director of ICCBS Dr. Iqbal Choudhary in an impressive ceremony held at the UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on Monday, said a press release received here.

The ceremony was witnessed by the Ambassador of Pakistan to France Moin-ul-Haque and former Federal Minister Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rahman, founding member of the Centre.

The Director General UNESCO Irina Bokova termed the signing of the said agreement and historical occasion and appreciated the research work done by the institute in the fields of basic and applied sciences.
Dr. Iqbal Choudhary briefed DG UNESCO about history and work of the Centre.

He said that ICCBS was among the leading centers of excellence in chemical, biological and biochemical sciences in Pakistan.

It was serving as a center for research and training of scholars from various countries of the world. The facilities at ICCBS were at par with research establishments in the West.

The ICCBS was approved as Category-II institute by UNESCO, Executive Board in October, 2015 and by the General Conference of UNESCO in November, 2015 after thorough evaluation, and fulfilling the elaborate criterion of quality assurance and assessment of its technical and research facilities.

ICCBS is the 3rd Pakistani Institution to be honored as a center of excellence by UNESCO in the last two years. Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) and Regional Water Research Centre on Hydrology of Headwater Catchments, Abbottabad have already been designated as of Category-II institutes of UNESCO.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif
Monday expressing deep grief over the death of renowned mountaineer Hasan Sadpara said “Pakistan has lost its hero today”.

“Sadpara’s endeavours of winning laurels for the country will always be remembered in golden words,” the prime minister said in his condolence message on the death of Hassan Sadpara who died at a Rawalpindi hospital Monday morning.

The Prime Minister said late Hasan Sadpara’s dedication and self-confidence enabled him to climb highest peaks of the world.

The entire nation is proud of his outstanding performance, he
added.

The prime minister prayed to Almighty Allah to bless the departed soul with eternal peace and for grant of courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (APP): The Australian government-funded Market Development Facility (MDF) and Telenor Pakistan on Monday signed a partnership to design innovative communications products for small holder farmers based in remote locations in Pakistan.

Australia’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Margaret Adamson, CEO of Telenor Pakistan, Irfan Wahab Khan and representatives from the MDF team attended the event, a press release issued here said.

The MDF will use its experience of working with farmers and horticulture markets in Gilgit Baltistan (GB) to launch Telenor’s 7272 Prosperous Farmer Service (Khushal Zamindar) mobile service model in GB.

Telenor’s technology platform and network coverage combined with MDF’s local farming and market knowledge will improve remote farmers’ access to vital information on climate, market prices and farming best practices.

The MDF is a AUD nine million Australian government private sector development program that is part of the Australia-Pakistan Development Cooperation partnership focusing on poverty reduction and gender equality, economic growth and agriculture development.

“This partnership is a good example of how innovative approaches to agriculture market development can unlock opportunities for Pakistan’s small holder farmers.

At a time when information is everything, partnering with the private sector ensures that development is inclusive and does not leave anyone behind,” High Commissioner Adamson said.

Telenor has launched a similar model in 36 districts of Punjab where farmers can subscribe to the mobile service and receive information about daily weather updates and farming advice in their local language.

This is done through text and robo (in-bound) calls relating to crops in their location.

Telenor also airs a weekly radio show through its phone service which features an agricultural expert who answers questions from callers.

Telenor Pakistan CEO Mr Khan highlighted the importance of the partnership in terms of helping Telenor offer attractive communications products to farmers based in GB.

“Telenor Pakistan is committed to empowering societies through digital inclusion and has ventured into the agriculture sector as it constitutes a major share of the country’s economy and hence it’s progress.

Empowering farmers through providing contextualised and localised advice should help them in improving their yields and their livelihoods,” Mr Khan said.

Since 2014, MDF has partnered with 31 Pakistani businesses in the dairy, meat, leather and horticulture sectors and is aiming to expand to 42 partnerships by June 2017.