50th Anniversary of UNHCR. (2000-16)

 

In the year 2000, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees observes its 50th Anniversary. In 2001, the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees will be 50 year old. The longevity of the UN\'s efforts on behalf of refugees is not in itself a cause for celebration. What we could be proud of, is our ability to offer refugees educational and other opportunities, and the means to achieve these opportunities. This will help them not to be a burden, and not be seen as one. It will also help them make positive contributions to the communities giving them asylum or - upon return to their countries of origin. Their courage, determination and the contribution they have made to society throughout the world deserves respect and should be celebrated.

Over the years, Pakistan has been an exemplary asylum country, which in the true spirit of Islamic generosity has hosted one of the world\'s largest and oldest refugee groups. The government and the people of Pakistan have made enormous sacrifices to accommodate the massive influx of refuges from war-torn Afghanistan.

The commitment and co-operation of the government of Pakistan has made it possible to avert a tragedy by providing protection, and together with others, delivering urgent humanitarian assistance to the Afghani refugees. Although many Afghans have been able to return home, more than 1.2 million Afghan refugees remain in Pakistan.

The issuance of these special stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of UNHCR and the UN Convention on the Status of Refugees is yet another sign of Pakistan\'s continued support for the work of UNHCR and commitment to the institution of asylum.

To commemorate the 50the Anniversary of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative postage stamp of Rs. 2/-denomination on December 14, 2000.

A World Without Polio. (2000-15)

 

Paralytic Polio is caused by a virus which attacks the nerves in the spinal cord, culling off the impulse from the brain to the muscles and causing the affected muscle fibers to shrivel and die. The polio virus has only human beings as host. Inexpensive oral polio vaccine - OPV - can stop the virus and eradicate the dreaded disease of poliomyelitis for ever.

When the polio virus, the world\'s greatest crippler of children, is eradicated, the humanitarian and financial benefits ($ 1.5 billion annually) will be enormous.

Through immunization, great progress has been made in the war on polio. Allied in this cause are National Health Ministries and their workers, Rotary International, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations 3 Children\'s Fund (UNICEF), Donor Governments, Non Governmental Organizations 3 (NGO5), Specialized agencies such as the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and hundreds and thousands of Volunteers.

Extraordinary measures are needed to eradicate the polio virus. High level of routine immunization must be supplemented by (1) National Immunization Days (NIDs) (2) Rigorous Surveillance to determine where the polio virus still circulates(3) Laboratory support and (4) Mop up operations where pockets of disease remain.

Rotary International and PolioPlus.

In 1985, Rotary created PolioPlus - a program to immunize all the world\'s children against polio by 2005 - Rotary\'s centennial PolioPlus is one of the most ambitious humanitarian undertakings made by a private entity ever. It will serve as a paradigm for private/public collaborations in the fight against disease well into the next century.

Rotary\'s PolioPlus program is a shining example of the achievements made by cooperation between the United Nations and non-governmental Kofi Annan, Secretary General, United Nations. Rotary International began in Chicago in 1905. It is the oldest and one of the largest non-profit service organizations in the world. It is comprised of 1.2 million members working in over 29,700 Clubs in 163 countries. Rotary memben initiate community projects that address many of today\'s most critical issue such as violence, AIDS, hunger, the environment and health care.

How is Rotary involved in the global polio eradication effort?

Financially: In 1985, Rotary was recognized by WHO as a non-governmental organization working in the field of international health. In the same year, Rotary set a goal to raise $ 120 million to provide the oral polio vaccine (OPV) to newborns in the developing world. When the campaign ended, Rotary has doubled its goal, collecting more than $ 247 million. Todate, Rotary has contributed US$ 385 million to the protection of nearly two billion children. By 2005, Rotary\'s financial commitment will reach a half billion US dollars.

Pakistan has received US $ 12 million upto now as Rotary\'s contribution to support the Government\'s efforts to eradicate Polio from Pakistan.

On the ground assistance: With its community-based network worldwide, Rotary is the volunteer arm of the global partnership dedicated to eradicating polio. Rotary volunteers assist in vaccine delivery, social mobilization and logistically help in cooperation with the National Health Ministries, WHO, UNICEF and the U.S Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Rotarians\' volunteer efforts were instrumental in the eradication of polio from the Western Hemisphere, certified polio-free in 1994.

Global Advocacy: With the end of polio in sight, the eradication campaign enters the most difficult leg of the journey involving the poorest regions of the world. Rotary\'s Polio Eradication Advocacy Task Force successfully reaches out to governments worldwide to obtain vital financial and technical support needed to reach the goal of a polio-free 21st century. And Rotary\'s efforts have paid off. Countries such as Canada, Australia, Denmark, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States are major financial donors to this historic health initiative

The world stands on the threshold of victory. Rotary is making sure that donor nations and other sources must commit - NOW - the financial and technical resources needed to complete the job of eradicating polio. If we seize the opportunity, polio will join small pox as the second major disease to be eliminated from the face of the earth.

What finer gift to the children of the world in the new century than to relegate the ancient scourge of polio to history\'s dustbin.

Courtesy:Ministry of Health Government of Pakistan.

To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative Postage stamp of Rs. 2/- denomination on December 13, 2000.

Medicinal Plants of Pakistan. (2000-14)

 

Pakistan is endowed with the wealth of medicinal plants. These are the natural botanical source of medicines being manufactured by indigenous pharmaceutical houses in Pakistan. These are also the basic source of modern pharmaceutical market, although today it has become an entire world of synthetics, with elevated prices a common man can not afford. It is, therefore, the most appropriate time to consider development and organization of our medicinal plants industry to become independent in the provision of common indigenous natural drugs that are being used to treat diseases in most of our rural areas. In our country there are grown wild or cultivated medicinal plants species which possess great potentient in Greco-Arab (Unani or Eastern) system of medicine but also in the light of active principles or biodynamic compounds being isolated from the using ultra modern screening techniques available in our country.

Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn, Mulathi/Liquorice: Included in family papilionaceae, it is a perennial herb or under shrub distributed in the subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world, particularly in the Mediterranean countries. Liquorice is the dried underground stem and root with sweetish taste used in Unani medicines in the form of extract, powder, decoction infusion or lozenges. Pharmacologically glycyrrhiza has pectoral, demulcent, diuretic, deepurative, alternative, elexipharmic, expectorant, emollient actions and a common flavouring, sweetening agent.

To focus the attention of public on natural botanical sources of medicines Pakistan Post Office is issuing a special postage stamp of Rs. 2/- denomination on November 28, 2000

IDEAS-2000 (International Defence Exhibition and Seminar) (2000-13)

This stamp commemorates the first Commercial Exhibition of an International dimension held in Pakistan. It signifies the efforts by the Government of Pakistan for channelising and focusing the activities of manufacturers including those in the defence sector toward exports. IDEAS - 2000 provides a platform for Pakistan and foreign defence manufacturers to display their products to a wide range of visitors including delegations and trade professionals with its theme \"Arms For Peace\". IDEAS - 2000 is a reflection of Pakistan\'s desire to promote international peace and stability through deterrence.

To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative Postage stamp of Rs. 7/- denomination on November 14, 2000.

Creating The Future, Conference. (2000-12)

 

We have just witnessed the dawning of a new era, of a new millennium, of the 21sf century. It is a well known fact that the driving force for the 21st century is knowledge. At a time when the rest of the world has transformed, Pakistan still remains far behind in every sphere. The need of the hour is education, as it is education which has the power to transform every society and the individual that comprise it. 'Creating the Future\' is a step in that direction. Breakneck rate of innovations and ever reducing distances are bringing about a revolution in our perceptions. No more can we distance ourselves from the events unfolding around us and afford to close our eyes to the reality. In order to catch up we need a tremendous effort given the head start that the others already have on us.

In response to this challenge Sensei International and The NEWS bring to Pakistan an exciting event called "Creating the Future" on November 3rd and 4th 2000. This is a conference which provides the Pakistani business world a unique opportunity to discover the latest approaches being adopted by business leaders around the world. The conference showcases leaders in various management disciplines such as Information Technology, Sales, Human Resources and Marketing.

This event did not just happen overnight. In March 1999, Sensei International organised a unique event in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The event was aptly entitled \"Creating the Future\". The concept of this program was to bring on one platform leaders of various management disciplines so that the audience could get a glimpse of cuffing edge developments in these fields from all over the world.

The success of "Creating the Future" in Colombo spurred Sensei to bring this unique conference to Pakistan. An event of this magnitude required Sensei to partner with another like minded organisation who had a similar interest in opening a window to the world for the Pakistani corporate environment. The "NEWS" was a natural choice for this partnership. Thus \"Creating the Future\" for Pakistan was set to be launched.

The speakers of this event are people of international repute who have a proven track record in their various fields. The speakers are:

Mr. Hermawan Kartajaya - Mr. Kartajaya has recently published a book co-authored with Philip Kotler entitled \"Repositioning Asia: From Bubble to Sustainable Economy\". He is the Leading Service Officer of Mark Plus Strategy Consulting, a firm based in Indonesia, which he founded in 1989. Mr. Kartajaya is the President of Indonesia Marketing Association (1996-1999 and 1999-2000) and the Vice Chairman and one of only 12 members of the World Marketing Association (WMA) council, to which he proposed a paper for a worldwide re-definition of marketing. Bob Urichuck - Mr. Urichuck is an international speaker, trainer and consultant. As an advocate of constant improvement and cultivator of human potential for organisations and individuals, Bob\'s mission over the past 25 years has been to inspire, educate and empower people and organisations, to significantly increase their performance capability while constantly improving the quality of their lives and the lives of others with whom they come in contact. Building on his past experience as a successful entrepreneur and sales professional, Bob\'s present work as a sales and performance consultant has made him a sought-after speaker and trainer across Canada, the United States and Asia.

Tom Burns - Mr. Burns joined Intel Corporation in 1979 in their Embedded Controller Group. In 1981 he was transferred to Intel Japan for two and a half years where he was responsible for growing the embedded controller market. Upon his return to the US he held various marketing and management roles in the Automotive and Smart Card division of Intel. After another stint in Japan, in 1995 he took an assignment with Intel Asia Pacific in Hong Kong. He has been manager of the Intel Insider Program and Intel's Retail and Reseller program. In 1997 he took on the additional responsibility of running Intel's Internet Websites. Late in 1997 he started the Regional Content Group which he currently manages.

Alan Davidson - Mr. Davidson is the Leadership and Supervisory

Development Manager overseeing Europe and the Middle East for one of the world\'s most admired company 3M. This is a company that pushes for regeneration and re-energizing its people, processes and policies. Alan's 3M experience spans Europe, USA, Middle East, South Asia, Far East and more.

Omar S. Khan - Mr. Omar Khan is the Senior Partner of Sensei International and has consulted and trained on peak performance for numerous companies including "Fortune 500" companies, Olympic Athletes, CEO's, Clergy and many more from different backgrounds and from various parts of the world. It was his vision that made a small consulting firm from Pakistan into a multi-national business with offices in Pakistan, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Singapore, UK and Canada. Omar read his B.A, M.A at Oxford University. After further studies at Stanford Law School in the USA, he trained in the break through science of NLP in which he is now a globally acknowledged expert. Omar has recently published a book entitled "Synergy".

With a mix of speakers like above, we hope that "Creating the Future" will spur many a minds to rethink their present strategy and change existing paradigms, thus hopefully germinating the seed of corporate revolution in Pakistan. We hope that this event will prove be a milestone in transforming our country and putting it on the path of progress and prosperity. Courtesy: The "News", Karachi.

To commemorate the occasion Pakistan Post Office is issuing a commemorative Postage stamp of Rs. 5/- denomination on November 4, 2000.