ISLAMABAD (Sabahuddin Qazi) – The parliamentary leaders of Pakistan, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan, at the culmination of the Third Trilateral Speakers’ Meeting in Islamabad, have formally adopted the Islamabad Declaration — a strategic roadmap affirming their shared commitment to peace, justice, cooperation, and principled diplomacy in a turbulent regional environment. Setting the Stage: Context & Significance…
ISLAMABAD (Sabahuddin Qazi) – The Third Trilateral Speakers’ Conference among Pakistan, Türkiye, and Azerbaijan has inaugurated at the National Assembly Secretariat, marking a significant milestone in regional parliamentary diplomacy. The conference, chaired by Speaker National Assembly Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, was attended by Madame Sahiba Gafarova, Speaker of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan; Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş,…
Ahead of World Book and Copyright Day, marked annually on 23 April, Miko Alazas of IOM caught up with a bibliophile in Adiyaman, Türkiye, who is helping to heal his community through the power of books. Muhammed vividly remembers the day his uncle gifted him his first storybook. At the age of 10, this was…
first glance, one would not notice the tumultuous journey that Shiraz has faced in order to find her place in the world. She is studying programming, and dreams of becoming a heart surgeon. She enjoys belly dancing, with her TikTok videos racking up thousands of views and likes. However, the perceptive observer would notice scars…
Despite progress in clearing debris, the city still wears a haunting emptiness that is slowly returning to community life, thanks to support from the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM). Emel and her family were lucky to survive. Yet, their survival came at the heavy cost of losing everything they held dear. “My husband and…
For the next six months, the Bab al-Hawa border crossing will be accessible and allow much-needed assistance to reach millions of people in northwest Syria. Bab al-Hawa has been used since 2014, when the UN Security Council authorized cross-border relief deliveries “across conflict lines”. Around 85 per cent of aid deliveries have passed through Bab…
It marks the start of a wider effort to support the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in protecting damaged artifacts, ahead of full restoration. The deliveries took place two months after major earthquakes caused the deaths of at least 50,000 people, displaced more than 3.3 million, and caused an estimated $103.6 billion in damage. “These…
UNICEF Representative in Türkiye, Regina De Dominicis, said that while the humanitarian response to the disaster was swift, “immediate futures of millions of children remain uncertain”. Urgent health and protection needs To cover the most pressing needs, UNICEF has reached more than 390,000 people with hygiene kits, winter clothes, electrical heaters and blankets. The…
OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke, told reporters in Geneva that the current phase was still “a humanitarian emergency where we look at, ‘What do the survivors need? How can we support those who have survived this devastating earthquake?’” Help for millions in need In Türkiye, where over nine million have been directly affected, the UN and partners have…
Hundreds of thousands of workers in both countries have lost their livelihoods because of the earthquakes, preliminary findings showed in the new ILO assessments of the disaster’s impact on the labour market. “Employment promotion is central to a successful and inclusive response to this disaster,” said ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo. “People can only begin to…
