I am an advocacy and campaigns expert who has extensive experience working for global development organisations in spheres of policy, influencing, evidence building on climate impacts, advisory and governance reforms. Much of my work includes extensive advocacy programme design, senior management roles, engagements with diplomatic donor community, organising global events i.e. UN Headquarters at New York, COP side events, lobbying to table resolutions at federal and provincial parliaments, and sustainable development, SDGs, related interventions.
On the technical side, I have a proven track record of designing and implementing multi-region, multi-country (Asia-Africa regions) projects i.e. Climate change, WASH, Women Empowerment, Climate Vulnerability Assessments, and advocacy campaigns. This expertise includes In-depth technical knowledge of Parliament's core functions of law-making, oversight of Parliamentary institutional frameworks, secretariats, and staff. Policy dialogues and Capacity development of parliamentarians, government functionaries and civil society.
Above all, I have extensive experience working alongside legislature to engage them in debate and oversight of development activities on SDGs, Climate Change, WASH, building disaster and climate adaptation and resilience, women and youth empowerment, gender equality, reducing poverty through sustainable development goals oversight, in particular through the use of Parliamentary Committees and Senate Committees.
The extensive parliamentary engagements include drafting and moving national assembly resolutions on sustainable developmental policies, and SDGs, and organizing parliamentary policy dialogues at the National Assembly of Pakistan. This role includes strengthening the capacities of Parliamentary Committees in both legislatures to undertake effective oversight to enhance Parliaments role in the implementation and monitoring Sustainable Development Goal 2030 Agenda. This role includes applying the climate and gender lens of key government sectors, through transparent processes aimed at including the perspectives and political participation of youth, local communities, and gender mainstreaming, particularly women, in parliamentary deliberations.
Similarly, the extensive engagements with the Prime Minister Secretariat and the Presidency have been the hallmark of my career. In many instances, I provided my technical advice for the prime ministers talking points/speeches at global forums i.e. UNGA, COPs, etc. Consecutively arranged meetings of IRW leadership with the Prime Minister, the President of Pakistan, and Federal Ministers. The Prime Minister's Office, the President of Pakistan Secretariat, federal and provincial ministries,
Throughout my career in advocacy sphere, I developed valuable partnerships with diverse development partners, chamber of commences (National and International), trade organizations, academia, media, faith leaders, think tanks and donor agencies i.e. FCDO, GAC, GIZ, GCF, UN, and with diplomatic missions. Likewise, I have managed several field missions for diplomats. Consistently engaged in providing climate change policy and for PM briefings/speeches of PM on SCO, UNGA, etc.
Likewise, organized national and global level events and conferences i.e. COP 26-27-28 side events, and oversaw events at CSW68 at UN Headquarters NY.
To my credit, I have a number of key knowledge products, and research studies commissioned in collaboration and partnerships with world-class academic and research institutions i.e. NUST, Washington State University, Adelphi University USA, Penn State University, SLH, IDS Sussex University, Water Institute at the University of North Carolina, etc. My knowledge work includes research papers, policy briefs, position papers, and evidence-building through academic partnerships for research on Climate Change. This incorporates conceptualization, planning, establishing partnerships, and building coalitions with national and international research institutions, and universities.
It is my deep passion for rights-based advocacy that, today, I am an active member of several international Human Rights, WASH, and climate adaptation and justice networks i.e. President Al-Gores Climate Reality Leadership Corps, Citizens Climate Lobby Canada, SuSanA, Global Citizen Movement, AGWA, Amnesty International, and hold a country leadership role at Citizens Climate International.
On top of that, I am a regular article contributor to the mainstream national print media of Pakistan i.e. the News. I write on climate change, sustainable development and public policy themes.
As a key member of the Senior Management Team (SMT), lead ACCM team efforts to promote and protect children's rights and welfare. This role involves developing strategic advocacy initiatives, designing impactful campaigns, effectively managing communication channels, and maintaining robust media relations
Develop and implement powerful advocacy strategies to influence policy and social change for children's rights.
Create and manage campaigns that raise awareness and drive action for children's issues.
Oversee internal and external communications, ensuring clear and consistent messaging.
Establish and maintain strong media relationships, serving as a key spokesperson for the organization.
I am leading IRs’ country and multi-country advocacy programmes and climate change campaigns by providing technical support/backstopping to the nationwide and global advocacy team along with key stakeholders to plan and help direct overall advocacy implementation.
Provide advocacy and climate change-related technical support to programme development team in the development of project proposals. Lead the agenda of Climate Change Adaptation and embed technical inputs for sustainability in multiple sectoral proposals of DRM, FSL, and WASH.
Provide support to Global Climate Change and Advocacy advisors on global climate change strategy development, development of multi-country climate change, gender justice, and women empowerment projects and advocacy campaigns.
Lobbying and extensive engagement with the Federal and Provincial Parliament of Pakistan. Work alongside legislature to engage them in assembly resolutions, debate, and oversight of development activities on SDGs, Climate Change, and building disaster and climate adaptation and resilience.
The extensive parliamentary engagements include drafting and moving national assembly resolutions on sustainable developmental policies, and SDGs, and organizing parliamentary policy dialogues at the National Assembly of Pakistan.
This role includes strengthening the capacities of Parliamentary Committees in both legislatures to undertake effective oversight and make SDG and climate lens of key government sectors, through transparent processes aimed at including the perspectives of local communities, particularly women, in their deliberations.
· Likewise, I have played a key role in supporting parliamentary governance and operationalization staff to strengthen the capacities of key parts of the Parliamentary Service to assist their Members to discharge their mandates, in particular: committee secretariat staff who assist committees to do their work and who work with MPs and within the Secretariat to more effectively engage the public in the work of the Federal and Provincial Parliaments.
Similarly, the extensive engagements with the Prime Minister Secretariat and the Presidency have been the hallmark of my career. In many instances, I provided my technical advice for the prime minister’s talking points/speeches at global forums i.e. UNGA, COPs, etc. Consecutively arranged meetings of IRW leadership with the Prime Minister, the President of Pakistan, and Federal Ministers. The Prime Minister\'s Office, the President of Pakistan Secretariat, federal and provincial ministries
· Establish and maintain close liaison with the Prime Minister\'s Office, multiple Ministries, and parliamentary & senate committees on Climate Change to lobby for and collaborate on SDGs, climate change policy, NDCs, National adaptation plan (NAP) design, sectoral integration, and implementation, etc.
· Arrange Country and Global Leadership lobbying meetings with the Prime Minister, President of Pakistan, Ministers, Senators, High Commissioners/Diplomats, and other stakeholders.
· Engage with the National Assembly of Pakistan and parliamentary committees for moving parliamentary resolutions concerning sustainable development themes, and SDGs. Hold policy dialogues with parliamentary committees at the national assembly secretariat.
· I am consistently engaged with the Prime Minister’ office to technically backstop on Pakistan’s Loss and Damage case, on exploring avenues of climate finance for the country, debt moratorium climate change policy, and for PM briefings/speeches of PM on SCO, UNGA, etc.
· Coordinate with the Ministry of Climate Change, UNFCCC, and other UN agencies, foreign diplomatic missions/diplomats, national and international climate change networks, and Global Climate Change scholars/academia to hold collaborative nation-wide Pre-COP and international events i.e. at COP26- COP27 (Upcoming).
· Conceptualize and supervise multiple research studies and policy papers on Climate Change impacts i.e. Climate-Induced Migration, Youth Role in NDCs, Climate Change Governance, Urban Resilience, Climate Vulnerability Capacity Assessment, Youth empowerment, etc. Conceptualized around 8 research studies on different climate change themes in the wake of catastrophic floods in Pakistan and presently sharing and negotiating the required funds for those knowledge pieces to be created and shared with the global humanitarian and development community including governments and the UN agencies.
· Ensured effective planning, earmarking roles, implementation and follow-up of advocacy actions designed within the project to be implemented at the area & field level, alongside the team of specialists and area management exploring country and provincial level partnerships with the chamber of commences, especially women chambers, NGOs, Academia, universities, think tanks, and government entities leading towards joint/collaborative programming and knowledge creation/researches on climate change themes.
·Supervise the development of newsletters, media coverage, and press releases and ensure the editorial quality of all publications and outreach material.
· Supervise the development of a clear advocacy and communication M&E framework: setting baselines against which results are regularly monitored; conducting analysis to continuously improve the effectiveness of the strategy, approach, and activities; and overseeing the production and dissemination of MEAL results and ensuring the inputs.
· Support advocacy and programme team in managing compliance with all IRW and donor regulations by helping them develop and write timely, concise and professionally periodic and final narrative and financial reports that reflect the commitments (objectives and indicators) in the proposals for the activities, projects or programmes in Pakistan as well as reviewing all technical reports prepared.
Country Leader, Pakistan (Volunteer)
Citizens’ Climate Lobby August 2020 to date
Volunteering for CCL to influence Climate Change policy. Conducting meetings to lobby with government ministers, provincial and national parliamentarians in order to advocate for carbon pricing and taxing the polluters. Conduct awareness sessions on Climate Change and Organize volunteers, build capacity on Climate Change issues and solutions. Attend monthly, quarterly regional and global calls and submit progress reports to Global Director in Canada.
Provide leadership, project planning, management, implementation and technical support to projects Teams. Coordinate with stakeholder i.e. Health, Social Welfare, Education, Labour department, tannery owners and donors, USAID and diplomatic grant funding on project milestone achievements/reporting. Develop project timelines/work plans.
Core Responsibilities;
Assisted CEO in developing Organizational strategy and policy documents.
Lead organizational strategic planning and Business development efforts for organization.
Also responsible to work closely with the CEO and Management Team to ensure overall programme operations are aligned to the organizations’ strategy. Lead the efforts to development and design and implementation of programmes and advocacy campaigns.
Ensure updated working children data from tanning, shoe making and brick kiln industries and ensure maximum enrolment at Drop-In-Centers (Educational centers).
Continued field and desk Monitoring and tracking the progress align with KPIs and conduct periodic reviews and evaluations.
Design training modules on Child Protection and teaching methodologies and activity plans in accordance with the School Education Departments curriculum.
Provided support to Country Communication Manager in devising and implementation of massive scale advocacy and awareness campaign for the 48million Euro Food Fortification Programme (FFP) funded by DFID to transform the nutritional status of people across the country.
Core Responsibilities:
Provided technical support to partner organizations (IPs) in effective implementation of the program interventions and organized capacity building workshops for IP’s staff.
Performed desk & field appraisals of partner organizations to ensure compliance of contract agreement; review SOEs to ensure transparency in disbursement of funds as per Financing Agreement.
Developed coordination at 35 districts and provincial level among diverse stakeholders of the Department of Health, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) Program; Nutrition Cell and civil society partners for improved program performance.
Engaged key policy makers at province and district levels for timely sharing of program related information highlighting gaps and challenges. Engaged relevant provincial authorities to create an enabling environment in the province.
Developed multiple and multi-language IEC/BCC & promotional materials; issued monthly and quarterly newsletter and compiled case studies/success stories.
Developed systems to maintain backup of Communications and Media items both in soft (MIS) and hard forms.
Successfully concluded the provincial campaign with optimal standards of donor compliance while utilizing my activity monitoring expertise during implementation.
Ensured that all printing materials and social media outreach contents comply with the DFID requirements as well as FFPs communication strategy.
Drafted press releases and supported partner communication and outreach teams in collecting and compiling success stories and successfully organized mega advocacy events.
As provincial lead of programme advocacy and communication in line with Plan Pakistan’s Child Centered Community Development Strategy, I was responsible for Advocacy and Communication Strategy development, planning as well as Implementation of WASH and MNHN advocacy programs across the identified districts in Punjab Province. The responsibility included synergizing work with Public Health Engineering Department, Health Department, IRMNCH and Nutrition Cell to implement integrated MNHN programme.
Core Responsibilities;
Designed and implemented a Advocacy & Communication Strategy in line with Plan Pakistan’s Child Protection guideline and Child being outcomes.
Developed Child Protection Mechanism in lines with Plan International Child Wellbeing outcomes and Child Centered Community Development (CCCD) Strategy.
Developed strong professional linkages with journalists and other media personnel and wrote press releases.
Develop and review Communication/IEC material/Promotional Materials on Public Health & WASH themes e.g. Cleanliness in and sanitation in schools, Safe Drinking Water, ODF, Menstrual Hygiene Management in girl schools etc.
Developed systems to maintain backup of Communications and Media items both in soft and hard forms.
Organized and facilitated trainings for the LHWs, LHVs, and Health & Nutrition cell, IRMNCH on WASH, Supplementation and Fortification.
Carried out Provincial/National Advocacy (Lobbying with government high officials, parliamentarians, policy makers, development partners etc.) to ensure that a strong and effective relationship of Plan International with government departments is maintained.
Built coalitions of like-minded organizations to Influence WASH, IRMNCH, Child health and Nutrition legislation, policy, practices, and service delivery to highlight issues around waterborne disease.
I was responsible for the development and implementation of Advocacy and Communication strategy as well as to get engaged with the policy makers, key departments and partners on relevant and emerging topics linked to gender equality and women’s’ empowerment.
Core Responsibilities;
Developed Advocacy, Media & Communication Strategy for the project “Rural Women Economic Empowerment through dairy sector Gender Policy Reforms.”
Maintained strong and cordial coordination with Livestock & Dairy Development Department, Cooperative Department, Women Development Department, School Education Department and the IRMNCH, Nutrition cell in Punjab.
Supported Child Protection team in establishing Child Protection framework and helpline at district to HQ level.
Organized public events, training workshops, seminars, press conferences and MoU signing ceremonies.
Conducted policy dialogues with parliamentarian for prioritization and implementation of policies related to livestock & dairy sector.
Developed relationships with print and electronic media for the promotion of project donor Global Affairs Canada and its achievements.
Responsible for monthly, quarterly and annual reports as per Plan Canada and GAC approved formats and requirement.
Developed multiple IEC/BCC & promotional materials in accordance with Plan Pakistan and GACs Child Protection and Gender policies; issued monthly newsletter and compiled case studies/success stories.
Education in Emergencies with Child Centered Disaster Risk Management (EiE/CCDRM) was a flagship DRM programme by Plan International which was implemented by a wider consortium of partners across six districts of South Punjab & Sindh.
Also performed as Advocacy and Communication Focal for Programme Area South (South Punjab and Sindh).
As lead of the project, I managed a large project team alongside 27 partner organizations across the programme districts. The project supported School Education department built flood resistant new infrastructures i.e. schools buildings, washrooms, embankments, roads leading to schools or renovate existing infrastructures of the schools.
Engaged with Provincial to District level government departments i.e. School Education Department, Department of Staff Development and built excellent working-relationship with multiple government departments.
Aligned national and international stragies with programme are strategy by incorporating advocacy outcomes into project documents.
Successfully advocated with Provincial School Education Department, Department of Staff Development, Punjab Curriculum, Text Book Board, Women Development Department etc. for ECE adoption and scale-up in the province. Reviewed and gave inputs in Quarterly, Bi-Annual and Annual Reports and on assessments/surveys conducted by IP.
Conducted trainings for partner organizations and government officials on Child Protection in Emergencies themes i.e. Child Sexual Abuse, Peace, Girl rights etc. Managed multiple national, provincial level events, seminars and study tours.Successfully advocated with the government for the establishment of Provincial ECE Steering Committee in Punjab.
Got Plan Pakistan's membership in Provincial DRR/School Safety Working Group, Strategically linking the advocacy initiatives with DRR, WASH, Eduction and Livelihoods policies.
Provide technical input to Business and programme development teams in concepts development, proposal development and itegrations of advocacy outcomes to contribute to overall objectives of Plan’s country programme.
Lead the advocacy campaign of WVI’s flagship Child Protection Programme , Pehla Qadam, at district level. Supported partner organizations ‘(CSO) staff in conducting in depth understanding of project documents (SLA, LFA, budget, proposal) as well as business process / DIP for planning & implementation of project activities.
Lead advocacy campaign through establishing alliances and coalition networks with likeminded civil society organizations (CSOs) at district and provincial level to put Child and Women Development agenda of WVI forward.
At the heart of the endeavor, it was people focused advocacy approach; ‘Community Voice and Action (CVA)’. Integrated social mobilization with advocacy through this community driven advocacy approach. While adopting the approach:
New 15 active civil Society groups/CBOs organized got registered with social welfare department and established consortium as District Support Group (DSG).
Lead on organizing a comprehensive capacity building plan on multiple themes i.e. Research and Policy Advocacy, Concept Note, Proposal writing, Project Cycle management, Financial management etc.
Success of the overall endeavour yielded results and these CBOs initiated their own initiatives of funds raising (Business Development) and advocating on their issues by holding policy dialogues with the government departments to address core issues of Child Protection, Child Labour, Peace building, Education, Health & WASH. Environmental polution, Launched FM radio campaign.
The premier CP agency of the Province, Child Protection and Welfare Bureue (CPWB) was taken on board for the welfare of street children and child labourers at Kasur tanning and shoe making industries.
A comprehensive Child Protection complaint mechanism was developed with Helpline Drop In Centers (DIC) in place that helped reduced CP issues in Kasur. Played a significant role in the establishment of Lahore Chapter of Child Rights Movement as a pioneer member.
Provided support to Networks and working groups i.e. CRM to Strengthen capacity of member organizations advocacy teams to support organization's advocacy agenda.
Honored to have served with pakistan’s premier human development government initiative - NCHD. Develop, lead and manage the district literacy and UPE teams comprising of 54 coordinators. Supported the team to make Detailed Implementation Plan (DIP) and conduct continues monitoring for literacy and UPE programme.
I was responsible for effective & efficient implementation of NCHD Literacy and UPE program in the district and manage financial & administrative control of NCHD Literacy, Technical & Vocational Institues and Education department.
Liaison with government officials, elected representatives and community based organizations.
Set specific objectives for staff, documentations and conduct appraisals line with performance management systems/frameworks. Conduct monitoring, receive reports, feedback, grievance handling and other day to day affairs.
Established district level strategic partnerships with government institutions, entities and international organizations. Raise funds for district level events i.e. Women day, Literacy day etc.
Assisted the district management, DGM and DPM, in implementing UPE campaign at educational cluster (Markaz). Worked in close coordination of district education department while giving assistance and facilitation to the Assistant Education Officer AEO in implementation of Universal Primary Education Programme.
I organized capacity building workshops for govt. teachers on UPE and conducted continuous monitoring of Universal Primary Education Program.
Ensured Out of School Children/ beneficiarys data collection & screening and conducted social mobilization in communities and worked for reformation of school councils.
I organized capacity building workshops for school councils and education department officials as well as teachers on school council manual and developing School Development Plans (SDP).
Ensured filling of information in formats as per guidelines and standards.
Supported MEAL/MIS staff in conducting monitoring and evaluations of the project in line with the learning outcomes.
Conducted a comprehensive grass root level ‘Social Mobilization’ activity for mobilizing and then organizing community to implement a flagship literacy/Education program at UC level. Held Broad Based Community Meetings and Identfied volunteer teachers at Union Council level. Held training of Teachers on adult literacy and no cost/low cost materials as well as SRMs. Established and succesfully concluded 100 Adult Women Literacy centeres where around 500 women graduated succefully.
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