November 28, 2023: Senator Sania Nishtar presented a Resolution in the Senate commemorating World Humanitarian Day. The Resolution was passed unanimously.
Humanitarian day resolution speech: Sania Nishtar
November 28, 2023: Senator Sania made a speech explaining how arbitrage is institutionalized in the wheat policy cycle; she outlined public policy measures to address wheat cycle challenges. The speech can be accessed here: Pakistan Wheat Crisis Senate Speech
Her oped on the subject can also be accessed here: https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1067410-wheat-policy-imperatives
November 28, 2023: Sania moved a motion in the Senate to amend Senate Rule 185 related to Conflict of Interest; in her speech she said “this was vital for promoting transparency”. However, Nishtar’s proposed amendment pertaining to conflict of interest safeguards, and aimed at institutionalising conflict of interest disclosure with a view to promoting public interest, transparency and good governance was vehemently opposed by the House. “I am deeply disappointed” she said afterwards in her tweet.
The speech can be accessed here: Conflict of Interest: Pakistan Senate
November 24, 2024: On 21–24 November 2023, 20 senior decision makers and influencers with extensive engagement with the UHC movement and in successfully elevating health onto the highest political agenda convened in person at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Centre in Italy. The aim of the convening was to ensure that we keep UHC high on the agenda. Three months following the UN High-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage (September 21), a closed-door retreat was a timely opportunity for frank discussions, stocktaking, and forward planning to develop a more strategic approach on how to leverage and engage the broader UHC movement mid-point to the SDGs.
November 20, 2023: Senator Sania Nishtar participated in the invitation only conference on “International Politics, Leadership and Diplomacy for Health”. The conference was organized by Anders Nordstrom, former Ambassador for Global Health, Norway. The conference was part of a project which aims help expand a cadre of professionals competent in international politics and diplomacy, who can effectively navigate in the political landscape of health across the world. It represents a collaborative effort between two leading academic institutions, the Stockholm School of Economics (House of Governance and Public Policy) and Karolinska Institutet (Department of Global Public Health). Dr Sania Nishtar attended the meeting as an invited expert.
November 13, 2023: Senator Nishtar’s Resolution on COP 28 was not supported by the Senate majority today, purely for political reasons. In her tweet she stated “I was deeply disappointed yesterday, when the Senate majority rejected this Resolution urging the Government of Pakistan to develop food systems-related institutional mechanisms in line with Pakistan’s global commitments ahead of COP-28. On the one hand, climate change, Pakistan’s burgeoning population, the precarious water scarcity situation and the tendency to use arable land for lucrative housing schemes is creating serious food security challenges, and is threatening the future of generations, but on the other hand, our toxic political environment is not just hampering the country’s progress on such existential matters, it is also undermining Pakistan’s reputation globally”
November 13, 2023: Senator Sania Nishtar’s Future Council Bill was presented in the Senate today and did not receive support. In a tweet she stated “Planning for the future is crucial for a country as it underpins growth, development, stability, and the overall well-being of its citizens. However, as opposed to this, future planning in Pakistan remains fragmented and heavily politicized; it is held hostage to the politics of patronage and policy vacillation which is inherent to change in government. The idea of “Pakistan’s Future Council” outlined in my Bill was to draw on the expertise of independent reputed experts and provide advice and recommendations to the government on long-term policy formulation particularly in the economic and related realms with conflict-of-interest safeguards on the one hand, and to evaluate progress towards achieving long term goals, on the other. Sadly, the Bill was thwarted due to the inherent tendency within the political system to undermine transparency, and accountability and the innate desire to keep political considerations supreme”
November 8, 2023: Senator Nishtar’s Bill titled “Pakistan Ehsaas Targeted Subsidies (Riayat) Program” has been forwarded to Senate Standing Committee for further deliberations. If this Bill passes and gets implemented, millions of families in Pakistan will be able to access a targeted subsidy on essential food items in these times of crippling 40% food inflation. In a tweet she stated “We had demonstrated the benefits and transparency of this program when it ran its operations in more than half the country from Feb-June 2022 and later in Punjab. For the sake of millions of poor families, I pray I succeed in getting this through!”