This conversation is part of a special series by The Diplomatic Insight and our digital platform DiploTV, through which we engage with distinguished leaders from international organizations, government, and the development sector to spotlight individuals and institutions advancing Pakistan’s global engagements and partnerships.
We are pleased to present this exclusive interview with Dr. Luay Shabaneh, UNFPA Country Representative for Pakistan.
TDI: Can you share where and how you began your professional career? Reflecting on that journey, did you envision yourself serving the people of this world through your work?
I started my career as a statistician in Palestine, in the Central Bureau of Statistics, as a junior statistician and Alhamdulillah, in 13 years I became the boss. In 2006, there has been elections there, 2007 the country was split into two, Gaza and West Bank. I couldn’t tolerate the political disagreements, so I decided to move and at that time I remember the executive director of UNFPA met me in Brussels in a workshop and she was inspired by my discussion and she said, I want you. This was in 2006. When I decided to go after one year, I sent her an email, I am ready to move. And she wrote back to me, look, this is the email that I waited for one year.
Your story is truly inspiring for young people, showing that even in times of crisis, opportunities can emerge. With your global experience and now your service in Pakistan, could you share key experiences from your earlier roles and how they compare to your work here?
If I could share one message with young people, it would be; believe in yourself, the hero lies within. I advanced in my career the hard way, relying solely on my own efforts and countless hours of dedication to create space for myself. When you’re technically skilled and communicate well, you can carve out your own path. I began as a statistician, with an academic background in mathematics and statistics fields that are analytical and data-driven before transitioning to the UN.
However, joining UNFPA marked a complete shift in my perspective. We started to talk about people, people with emotions, aspirations, and dreams. For me, this was a profound transformation in how I thought. I was deeply inspired by UNFPA’s mandate because it engages with human beings at two pivotal moments in their lives.
First, we are there for women during pregnancy. As my mother, who had nine children, used to say: “Every pregnancy is a new journey.” She often told me she never knew how it would end whether she would survive or not. Pregnancy brings anxiety and emotional vulnerability.
Second, we are there for young people as they transition from adolescence to adulthood, when they begin discovering themselves and their potential.
UNFPA’s mandate is truly inspirational. I call it the noble mission of UNFPA because we accompany people during some of the most critical and meaningful moments of their life journey.
TDI: How is UNFPA supporting young people and particularly women during these critical moments in their lives? As you’re in leadership position in UNFPA, what values and key skills do you believe are guiding you forward, especially in a context like Pakistan?
To be a leader, one must first be human. A leader’s role is to help each team member perform at their best pushing them to their potential without making it feel forced. A leader must be inspirational, technically strong, fair, and a good listener, as listening brings in diverse ideas.
There are two kinds of leaders: top-down leaders who give instructions and blame others when things go wrong this discourages independent thinking and team leaders who ask questions and invite participation. While the latter may not appear as prestigious, they gain the full intellectual capacity of the team.
A key performance indicator for any leader is how their team comes to work eagerly, passively, or reluctantly and how they leave: energized or disengaged. Leadership, whether in the UN, public, or private sector, has the power to make or break any institution.
TDI: What makes Pakistan a unique destination, a unique place for working, especially when you are leading UNFPA? Especially considering the set of challenges that a country like Pakistan has?
Pakistan is very special in many ways. First of all, the people are wonderful. As a Palestinian, I felt at home from day one.
Any door I knocked on was open.
Whenever people found out I’m Palestinian, they warmly welcomed me. Pakistan is a large country almost a continent in itself. Punjab alone is larger than Egypt. There are accessible ways to reach people and engage with them. Generally speaking, whether it’s government counterparts, civil society, or academia, they are highly appreciative of our work. This keeps me motivated and energized. But honestly, since I arrived, no one has pushed back or restricted me. I truly value the space I’ve been given.
All my critiques are made with good intentions. One major challenge Pakistan faces is the size and pace of its public machinery, it’s like a giant elephant, slow to move. It takes time for ideas to be digested, accepted, and acted upon. But once people are convinced, real progress can happen.
So yes, it’s challenging but also pleasant and deeply rewarding.
Before coming to Pakistan, I served as Regional Director for the Arab States, but my work here has been more rewarding technically, in leadership, and especially on a human level. I’m genuinely happy to be here and grateful for my exceptional team. The Pakistani staff are knowledgeable, committed, and dedicated to advancing the country.
TDI: Thank you for your inspiring words, and for the kind appreciation of the Pakistanis working here. We would like to know more about UNFPA’s work in Pakistan, what are the current priorities the UNFPA is focusing on, and what are the key programs being implemented at the moment?
Look, UNFPA is an organization mandated to work in four areas. The first is population and development, which includes data systems, population policies, and related frameworks. The second is sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health and improvements in health systems. The third is gender-based violence and gender equality. The fourth area is youth development. In each country, we align with national priorities within our mandate. Every five years, we develop a country program document, agreed upon with the government and stakeholders, outlining our focus areas.
Under this document in Pakistan, we work in humanitarian settings, supporting flood response, addressing climate change, and enhancing disaster preparedness. We focus on sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and family planning. We work with youth on soft skills development.
In population and development, we support the formulation of policies, programming, and governance. In gender-based violence, we work on prevention, shifting social norms, and improving the legal framework.
Pakistan faces two major challenges. The first is managing population growth without compromising couples’ rights to decide when and how many children they want. Population and economic planning must be aligned otherwise, progress will stall.
Currently, many decision-makers believe Pakistan’s problems stem solely from its population size. This isn’t true.
The issue lies in the quality of the population; education, skills, technology, access, and investment in youth.
The second challenge is women. Women are a missed opportunity in Pakistan. The space given to them is nearly absent. Despite having role models like Benazir Bhutto and UNFPA’s former Executive Director Nafis Sadik, these examples remain limited to the elite.
There is a need for mainstream support for ordinary women, especially from low-income families, so they can grow. If given space, women can truly transform the nation’s future.
TDI: Given the limited space for women, what key challenges do you face in implementing UNFPA programs in Pakistan?
Bureaucracy is of course, a global phenomenon. But in Pakistan, it is particularly distinct. As a UN organization, I wouldn’t say we face direct challenges, but we would like to see our mandate progressing. The reason, as I mentioned earlier, is that the public machinery and secondly, while there is much discussion around the population agenda, there is no genuine political commitment to it. A functional review is needed on how the health and population departments work together.
There is also a lack of accountability in the government towards its people. Most departments focus on budget utilization; they spend their budgets and often do so properly but what’s missing is a focus on sectoral impact: how these expenditures are truly changing people’s lives. That is what ultimately matters.
UNFPA in Pakistan is blessed with acceptance and strong support from both the government and stakeholders.
We are working happily and with commitment. However, we would like to see more progress. We need greater resource allocation from the government for contraceptives, stronger efforts to change mindsets around women, family planning, polio, and other public health issues that are crucial for people’s well-being. We also need improved efficiency and quality in service delivery.
These, if I may call them so, are the challenges we face, challenges related to seeing tangible progress in improving people’s lives more swiftly.
TDI: How are you addressing these challenges, and how are you working with your partners to overcome them?
This year we are working with 39 partners, some are civil society organizations, others are government institutions. We engage in very frank discussions, addressing issues directly, just as I’m sharing with you now. We identify where the challenges lie and, in my opinion, we are moving in the right direction and bringing positive change to people’s lives.
But if you ask me whether the scale is sufficient, the answer is no. No UN agency, including the well-funded international financial institutions like the World Bank, can replace the government. The government is the leader and the primary driver. Whatever we contribute in terms of technical expertise, resources, or ideas is just a drop in the ocean compared to what the government holds.
I must say, having served in many countries, your senior civil servants, from Director Generals and above are highly educated and fully aware of the key issues. But unfortunately, the system often hinders their ability to deliver effectively.
TDI: What is your vision for UNFPA in Pakistan, particularly in the context of achieving the SDG 2030 goals and targets?
Look, when it comes to the SDGs, no country is fully on track to achieve them. Countries are progressing at different speeds. While the SDGs represent a global development agenda agreed upon by all member states, without proper customization and adaptation to national contexts, they risk becoming artificial targets. In Pakistan’s case, the country is moving in the right direction, but structural challenges remain. One is the disconnect between the federal and provincial levels.
Since the 2018 devolution, authority shifted from one capital to four, but real change requires decentralization down to the district level, where actual needs exist and where meaningful impact can occur.
Pakistan, like many countries in South Asia, is progressing slowly. But as a Palestinian and a Muslim, I believe Pakistan deserves much higher scores on social indicators especially in areas like gender equality, women’s rights, education, and family planning. The country is lagging, and there is a pressing need to review and accelerate its social agenda.
This agenda is critical. Many of the issues in the Global South and Muslim world stem from social inequities. People do not challenge political legitimacy unless they are denied quality education, decent work, dignity, equality, and a sense of belonging. Therefore, in Pakistan, the social agenda must be prioritized. It is essential especially for a country with such a large and youthful population.
TDI: How is UNFPA engaging young people in promoting gender equality, leadership, or other forms of meaningful participation?
UNFPA’s youth engagement is one of its four core pillars, with a focus on developing soft skills. We work closely with government departments, civil society, universities, and academia to ensure young people have access to information, resources, and the ability to plan their futures and contribute positively to their communities.
While we’re making progress, the overall youth agenda is vast and requires greater prioritization. For Pakistan to advance, investing in youth education and technological skills is essential.
TDI: Looking ahead, what is your vision and hope for the long-term impact of UNFPA’s work in Pakistan, particularly in collaboration with national and international partners?
Look, my hope for Pakistan is that we reach a point where the country no longer needs UNFPA, where Pakistan is fully capable of advancing the mandate areas of UNFPA on its own. Our role is to help governments see things through our lens; once they do and are convinced, they take ownership and move forward. I hope to see the women’s agenda fully embraced, with real investment in the skills, opportunities, and potential of women especially young women. I also hope to see strong investment in young people, alignment between population growth and economic development, and a commitment to ensuring that the most vulnerable are not left behind.
TDI: In closing, what is your message on behalf of UNFPA to the people of Pakistan?
My dear Pakistanis, I love you all. I wish this country nothing but the very best.
To the young people: believe in yourselves and never miss an opportunity. Focus on education and building your skills.
To the women and my dear sisters: the future of this nation lies in your hands. No one will grant you your rights, you have to claim them.
You are strong enough, but you must speak up to secure your opportunities. Once you do, the future of this country will be transformed.
God bless you all.
TDI: One message for The Diplomatic Insight platform?
Yes, I think what “The Diplomatic Insight” is doing is truly commendable. Your platform plays an essential role in fostering dialogue, especially in helping Pakistan listen to diverse perspectives. These perspectives often bring fresh ideas and valuable experiences. This platform, in my view, is indispensable. It offers a space to share successes and approaches that Pakistan can learn from and adapt in pursuit of its aspirational vision.
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