The Secretary-General met with Mr. Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, in Islamabad today. The Speaker was joined by a number of ruling party and opposition Members of Parliament.

The Secretary-General congratulated Mr. Sadiq and the Government of Pakistan on the recent elections and appreciated the new agenda of the Government, which aims to tackle some of Pakistan’s most pressing issues.

The Secretary-General and Mr. Sadiq also discussed UN-Pakistan cooperation, including joint efforts in the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster risk response and reduction, as well as polio eradication.

They also addressed concerns in relation to terrorism and extremism, human rights and gender equality. The Secretary-General welcomed recent legislation aimed to promote the rights of women in Pakistan and urged full implementation of such laws.