Justice and Peace:
In order to create a just and humane society, it is crucially important to ensure that people live in a peaceful environment. Peace can’t prevail without an enabling environment for access to justice for all.USWS undertakes extensive researches to provide evidence-based information for the need and relevance of working towards resolving social conflicts and intolerant attitudes. In this regard, USWS focuses on the following:
• Religious and sectarian conflicts
• Inter-religious harmony among various faith background
• Improving understanding, and respect across various cultures, sects and religions in the Pakistani society.
Governance and Rule of Law:
In the absence of an effective, accountable and transparent governance system, the rule of law remains merely an ineffective, inactive, and inoperative justice system, thus a peaceful society will continue to remain an elusive dream. It is therefore, highly important to make meaningful efforts for the stabilization of governance system and respect of rule of law.
Women and Children:
USWS is guided by the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in its continuing efforts to influence public policies in ways that prioritize children's needs, develop and assist programmes benefiting children, and stimulate public dialogue that may benefit children. USWS places a strong emphasis on the need and relevance on how these two human rights instruments, almost universally ratified, can be used as blueprints from which the world can craft a human development agenda that secures the rights of all.
Education (Education for All):
Article 26 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that "everyone has the right to education". Education is not only a right but a passport to human development. It opens doors and expands opportunities and freedoms. It contributes to fostering peace, democracy and economic growth as well as improving health and reducing poverty. The ultimate aim of Education for All (EFA) is sustainable development.
Article 25A of the Constitution of Pakistan states that “the State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to sixteen years in such manner as may be determined by law”.
Health:
Health is a fundamental human right encompassed in all national and international human rights obligations, conventions and treaties ratified by and introduced in Pakistan. Right to health principles, values and elements emphasize availability, accessibility and affordability, acceptability of quality health care for all population groups with a special emphasis on vulnerable and marginalized populations ensuring equity, dignity, respect and non-discrimination.
Labor Rights
In Pakistan, bonded labor is a common social practice in the sectors of brick-kilns, carpet weaving, agriculture etc. Most of these brick-kilns operate almost exclusively on the basis of debt-bondage. 80% of kiln-laborers’ in Punjab work under debt-bondage, whereas, women and children contribute to 50% of these laborers’
Rehabilitation, Livelihood and Disaster Risk Management
In most of the rural areas, particularly in the Punjab province, people, particularly most marginalized communities, continue to survive on the outer most margin of their subsistence. In this backdrop, USWS continues working for the rehabilitation and livelihood of the marginalized people in large number of districts across four provinces of Pakistan. It also makes meaningful intervention in the areas which are highly prone to disaster hit and/or disaster affected areas.
Youth Empowerment
Considering the youth bulge in Pakistan, USWS is working for the youth empowerment socially and economically. It believes that once empowered, youth could become and effective source to advocate for, and start demanding their own rights at institutional and societal levels.
