United Nation UNDP and SALU Khairpur Join Hands to Promote Electoral Participation and Combat Misinformation.
United Nation UNDP and SALU Khairpur Join Hands to Promote Electoral Participation and Combat Misinformation.
Press Release
Dated 1-7-2025
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Shah Abdul Latif University (SALU), Khairpur Mir's, have agreed to collaborate on an initiative aimed at enhancing political engagement among students, women, and marginalized communities in Sindh. The partnership was announced during a high-level consultative meeting at SALU’s Vice Chancellor Secretariat. The joint effort will focus on increasing voter participation, countering electoral misinformation & disinformation, and ensuring inclusive representation in democratic processes across the region.
Dr. Ali Al-Bayati, Chief Technical Advisor of UNDP, outlined the program’s key objectives, supported by European Union funding. The initiative prioritizes four critical areas: empowering women through leadership training and awareness campaigns, countering fake news by educating students on identifying and debunking social media misinformation, closing voter gender gaps by addressing disparities in electoral rolls, and mobilizing youth through cross-district dialogues on electoral transparency and civic responsibility. These measures aim to foster greater political participation and accountability.
The program will initially cover five districts in Sindh including Khairpur, Ghotki, Sanghar, and Karachi, with plans to expand to other provinces for wider impact. By strengthening democratic engagement and promoting inclusivity, the initiative seeks to build a more informed and active electorate in Pakistan.
SALU Vice Chancellor, Meritorious Professor Dr. Yousuf Khushk pledged the university’s full support, highlighting its extensive network of over 7,000 students on the main campus and a large number of students on both campuses and in affiliated colleges. The university plans to integrate electoral awareness into its curriculum by offering specialized courses on media literacy and misinformation & disinformation.
Furthermore, incentives such as scholarships should be introduced for students engaged in voter registration drives and awareness campaigns.
"We aim to transform our students into proactive citizens who contribute to transparent and inclusive elections," Dr. Khushk stated. The university will also leverage its campus radio, seminars, and faculty-led workshops to sustain long-term engagement.
Mr. Adnan Bashir, Regional Election Commissioner expressed appreciation for SALU’s enthusiastic engagement, stating, "The collaborative spirit demonstrated today lays a solid foundation for our shared goal of promoting electoral integrity through education." Both institutions have agreed to finalize course approvals in the upcoming semester, ensuring the sustainability of this initiative.
This partnership represents a crucial effort to empower Pakistan’s youth with the knowledge and tools needed to participate meaningfully in the democratic process. By combining UNDP’s expertise with SALU’s academic reach, the program aims to foster a more informed and engaged electorate, he explained.
Faculty members at SALU have welcomed the initiative, following a productive meeting where they discussed strategies to integrate electoral awareness into academic activities. The university has pledged to institutionalize the program through various channels, such as campus radio broadcasts, faculty newsletters on media literacy, seminar series, and research publications.
In a major step toward long-term impact, SALU is preparing to incorporate electoral misinformation awareness into its formal curriculum. The university will submit proposals to its Board of Studies for approval, with plans to introduce credit-based courses on information verification and establish cross-disciplinary committees to oversee implementation, they added.
Mr. Adnan Bashir, Regional Election Commissioner, Sukkur, Mr. Naeem-ur-Rehman, District Election Commissioner, Khairpur, Dr. Ali Al-Bayati, Chief Technical Advisor UNDP and Mr. Muhammad Qasim Janjua. Program Advisor UNDP and SALU faculty members: PVC Professor Dr Wahid Bux Jatoi, Dean Faculty of Social Science, Professor Dr Naveed Ahmed Shaikh, Professor Dr Agha Nadia, Professor Dr Tasleem Abro, Professor Dr Santosh Kumar, Professor Dr Liaquat Ali Chandio, Dr Ali Raza Lashariand Dr Zulfiqar Ali Shaikh, Registrar SALU were present on the occasion.
Dr Sahib Oad
Media Studies
SALU Khairpur Mir's
