ISLAMABAD, August 03 (SABAH): Adnan Pasha Siddiqui, Advisor to the Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue has said Pakistan must treat investment in children as the most strategic national priority, moving beyond traditional financing constraints to ensure measurable outcomes in education, health, nutrition, and climate resilience.
He was speaking at a high-level webinar, titled: ‘Rethinking Fiscal Space: Exploring Alternative Financing for Social Sector Investments in Pakistan’ organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).
Adnan Pasha Siddiqui warned that Pakistan risks “a lost decade for children” if immediate steps are not taken to unlock sustainable and innovative financing solutions. “We are working to ensure every dollar is tied to prearranged, measurable SDG outcomes, with a new taskforce being established to steer impact-linked financing for children,” he said, calling investment in children “the most strategic investment Pakistan can make for its future generations.”
Opening the session, SDPI Executive Director Dr. Abid Suleri stressed the importance of mobilizing additional resources to safeguard the future of Pakistan’s children, who make up over 40 per cent of the population. He noted that traditional financing models have failed to deliver adequate investments in education, health, nutrition, and social protection.
Joshua Kakaire, OIC Deputy Representative, UNICEF Pakistan, underscored that every rupee spent on debt servicing is a rupee denied to a child in need. He called for institutionalizing child-responsive budgeting and translating political will into concrete fiscal action.
Francesco Saverio, IF4C Principal Advisor – UNICEF ROSA, highlighted global lessons in alternative financing such as debt swaps, social impact bonds, and blended finance models, stressing that “child-focused financing is a question of survival, not charity.”
Dr. Saima Bashir, Member (Social Sector & Devolution), Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, acknowledged the competing pressures between urgent social needs and fiscal constraints, urging greater public-private collaboration and integration of donor financing into medium-term budgets.
Faisal Rashid, Principal Consultant, Public Finance, Oxford Policy Management Pakistan, pointed out that despite signs of macroeconomic stability under the IMF programme, social sector spending remains low, with 47% of health expenditures being out-of-pocket, pushing vulnerable households further into poverty.
Panelist Zafar Masud, President and Chief Executive Officer, Bank of Punjab, said that global funding for social sectors is tightening, calling for a shift to innovative models such as blended finance and social impact bonds. “We need to leverage external capital, incentivize performance, and reimagine fiscal space to bridge the structural gaps in social spending,” he added.
Other experts, including Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, Member Board of Directors – Loss and Damage Fund, and Syed Mashhood Rizvi, Executive Director – Communications, Indus Hospital and Health Network, highlighted global best practices, climate finance mechanisms, and the untapped potential of zakat and diaspora investments to support sustainable social sector funding.
Dr. Sajid Amin, SDPI Deputy Executive Director, in his vote of thanks. concluded that consensus on institutionalizing child-responsive budgeting, adopting innovative financing tools, and fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships was critical to secure long-term social sector investments crucial for Pakistan’s future generations.
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