Pakistan has launched a long-term human capital and skills initiative under the Uraan Pakistan framework, with Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal calling for education, healthcare, nutrition, clean drinking water and population growth to be treated as national priorities requiring sustained action over the next decade. Speaking at the first meeting of the Human Capital and Skills Mission on October 7, the minister said Pakistan would need coordinated efforts, policy continuity and stronger implementation to improve social indicators and build the foundations for long-term economic growth.
The Human Capital and Skills Mission is one of 11 national economic missions approved under Uraan Pakistan. Iqbal said the country must look beyond short-term planning and establish a development direction extending toward 2047, when Pakistan will complete 100 years of independence. He stressed that investment in human capital and skills would be central to the country’s future, while political stability and continuity of policies would be necessary to sustain development initiatives over a 10-year period.
A briefing presented during the meeting highlighted several challenges facing Pakistan’s human development indicators. The country ranked 168th among 193 countries on the Human Development Index, while its Human Capital Index score stood at 0.41. This means a child born in Pakistan is estimated to achieve only 41% of the productivity potential they could reach with complete education and full health. The briefing also showed that child stunting affects 40.2% of children, the highest rate in the region, while maternal mortality was recorded at 186 deaths per 100,000 live births, considerably above the Sustainable Development Goal target of 70 deaths per 100,000 live births.
Education was another major area identified for reform. Around 26 million children, representing 28% of the school-age population cited in the briefing, were out of school. The transition through the education system also remains a challenge, with only 46 out of every 100 children entering first grade in public schools reaching grade 10. Literacy rates showed significant differences between provinces, ranging from 68% in Punjab to 49% in Balochistan. These indicators have placed education access, retention and quality among the key areas requiring greater coordination between federal, provincial and local institutions.
The mission also highlighted gaps in employment and workforce participation, particularly among women and young people. Women’s labor force participation stood at 22.7%, compared with 68.7% for men. Around 45.4% of young women were reported to be outside education, employment or training, while only around 11% of the population had received technical and vocational training. With approximately 2 million young people entering the labor market every year, the government has identified skills development and employment creation as important components of its human capital strategy. National immunization coverage, meanwhile, was reported at 81.3%, showing progress in one area of public health.
Iqbal also called for greater devolution of administrative authority to district governments, arguing that the original objective of the 18th Amendment was to strengthen the delivery of social services but that insufficient transfer of authority to the local level had restricted progress. He said provincial secretariats could not effectively respond to the needs of entire provinces and called for empowered district institutions, administrative reforms and stronger governance in sectors such as education and healthcare. Under the proposed structure, the federal government would focus on setting standards, coordinating policies, meeting international commitments, managing fiscal discussions and consolidating data, while provincial governments would lead implementation in areas falling under their jurisdiction.
The Human Capital and Skills Mission has established a set of targets to measure progress over the 10-year period. These include reducing maternal mortality by 35%, cutting child stunting and under-five mortality by 18% each, increasing births attended by skilled personnel to 85%, raising education spending to 4% of gross domestic product and improving literacy by 10%. The plan also targets the creation of 1.5 million jobs annually and a 17% increase in women’s labor force participation. Health spending is targeted at 2% of GDP, while population-related indicators such as total fertility rate and contraceptive prevalence rate are also expected to form part of the monitoring framework.
The government plans to divide national targets into annual, provincial and regional milestones to make progress measurable and identify implementation gaps. A federal and provincial coordination structure linked to the National Population Council, chaired by the prime minister, was also discussed during the meeting. Working groups covering education, health and population, and skills will bring together relevant government departments, planning and development bodies, finance departments and development partners. A separate thematic group will focus on nutrition.
The working groups are expected to meet every two weeks to review progress, address implementation barriers and coordinate federal and provincial development spending with the mission’s priorities. Iqbal said the government must focus on delivering measurable results rather than limiting its efforts to planning documents. He argued that achieving the 11 national economic missions would require sustained commitment and coordinated implementation, with human capital development positioned as a central part of Pakistan’s longer-term development strategy.
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