ISLAMABAD, July 29: The Asian Development Bank has pledged to release a $7 million technical assistance package for gender reform plans.
The package aims at supporting the government's PRSP commitments to gender reforms and the national and provincial gender reform action plans (GRAPs), and governance mainstreaming.
This assistance complements the ongoing $300 million decentralization support programme approved late in 2002. The GRAPs were prepared by federal and provincial governments during the last 14 months under an ADB assisted gender reform programme which supported local experts to prepare action plans for gender equality.
The draft GRAPs were cleared for cabinet submission by the provincial and national steering committees, comprising parliamentarians from major political parties, cabinet members, representatives of federal and provincial governments and NGOs.
The GRAPs consist of major administrative, political and fiscal reforms that will mainstream gender concerns at all levels of government. The plans also aim to reform the core policies and practices within the executive arm of the state and bring the women's empowerment agenda to the centre of governance.
Thus reforms will focus on refinement of planning, budgeting and public expenditure mechanisms; enhancement of women's employment in public sector organizations; and increased women's political participation.
It is for the first time that a sizable portion, close to US $1 billion, of ADB assistance to Pakistan has been linked to implementation of gender reforms, the ADB sources said.
Approval of federal and four provincial GRAPs by the respective cabinets and their implementation are integral to ADB supported governance programmes such as decentralization support programme, Punjab Public Resource Management Programme, Sindh and Punjab Devolved Social Services Programme, and the forthcoming Balochistan Resource Management Programme.
The bank noted that the Punjab GRAP was approved by the cabinet on May 20, 2004, and launched by the Minister Women Development and Minister Finance on July 13, 2004. Balochistan GRAP was also approved on July 18, 2004 with considerable budget allocation. The remaining two provincial GRAPs are under review by cabinets.
