The Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and UNAIDS have signed an agreement to strengthen collaboration to protect the rights of people living with and most at risk of HIV. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed in Islamabad, Pakistan on 21 October by Zafarullah Khan, Executive Director, PIPS and Mamadou Sakho, UNAIDS Country Director for Pakistan and Afghanistan in the presence of Marriyum Aurangzeb, National Convener, Parliamentary Sustainable Development Goals.

With the new agreement UNAIDS and PIPS will work together to raise public awareness of Pakistan’s commitment to the AIDS response. They will also build the capacities of parliamentarians to find solutions for HIV-related problems at district level and to create a protective legal environment for an effective AIDS response. The partnership will also encourage parliamentarians to call for budgetary allocations for the AIDS response at the national and provincial levels.

During the signing ceremony, Ms Aurangzeb highlighted the importance of parliamentary oversight to advocate for the public’s basic health and education rights. She reiterated the strong resolve of the national parliament to take up a people-centric development agenda and improve the service delivery of government through legislation.