LAHORE: The Punjab government in collaboration with the UNDP Pakistan has launched a second-generation Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Plus project to embark on resilient and sustainable economic growth in the province.

The project has been anchored by an integrated framework comprising three key areas based on the provincial priorities – including internalizing SDGs, financing for development and climate resilience, and evidence-based social protection, innovation, and inclusive development in Punjab.

Over the years, the Punjab government and the UNDP Pakistan have undertaken several initiatives but some of the gains were adversely impacted by the 2022 floods and Covid-19, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable districts the hardest. Punjab, eventually, needed a comprehensive “SDG Push” of high-intensity economic reforms and accelerator pathways in priority policy areas.

In line with the need, Planning and Development Board, Punjab, chairman Iftikhar Ali Sahoo and UNDP Pakistan’s Resident Representative Dr Samuel Rizk signed a financing agreement for the 2nd Generation Punjab SDGs Plus project at an event at the board’s AKS auditorium on Thursday. Board’s economic adviser Dr Amanullah moderated the signing ceremony.

P&D secretary Muzaffar Khan, senior adviser Dr Hafiz Pasha, UNDP DRR Van Nguyen and board members were present.

The project aims to take sustainable growth and frameworks for SDGs further by providing technical support in deepening integration of SDGs into key policy frameworks like medium-term budgetary framework and the Annual Development Programme in alignment with provincial growth strategies and social protection policies, addressing vulnerabilities and regional equalization, and creating downstream loops to district level in priority districts.

The project will look to strengthen data ecosystem at provincial and district levels for policy-focused data collection and improved SDGs monitoring and reporting while leveraging provincial spatial mapping capacity, and digital technologies. It will also facilitate citizens’ engagement through open citizen-facing data portal, capacity building exercises on community monitoring, citizen perception surveys, advocacy, and communication. It will also steer capacity building of stakeholders including lawmakers, local government, line departments, technical committees and others in SDGs aligned inclusive development planning, legislation, financing, budgeting, expenditure tracking, data collection, monitoring, and reporting at all levels.

Financing for Development and Climate Resilience:

Punjab has suffered from 173 extreme weather events from 1998 to 2020 resulting in 10,000 deaths, damage to 3.45 million houses, and displacement of 38 million people. This has been supplemented with economic losses to the tune of $75 billion including $18 billion losses in the agriculture sector alone.

It has been estimated that Pakistan needed climate financing from $7 billion to $14 billion for climate adaptation and mitigation. Green investments in power, transport, digital access, and clean water and sanitation have the potential of $96.2 billion. Moreover, Punjab needs to mobilize private sector finance through innovative climate financing tools, develop pipelines for bankable projects, strengthen environmental laws and policies, build implementation capacities, and leverage the adaptation and mitigation projects of the province to develop disaster resilience and preparedness.

Under this objective, the project will focus on providing technical support to strengthen public sector financing for SDGs including implementation plan of the Punjab Integrated Financing Strategy, costing of relevant SDGs, defining NDC contributions for Punjab, strengthening environmental laws and policies.

In order to mobilise private sector finance, the project will look to develop tools and guidelines, create an enabling environment for its implementation through rules, regulations, policies, and procedures, and develop an expenditure tracking system for the same. It will also offer technical support in green financing framework, green industrial policy supporting green investments, and designing products that leverage green financing.

It will also become instrumental in convening strategic partnership forums to develop partnerships with the private sector, UN Agencies, development Partners, INGOs, CSOs, academia, think tanks, and start-ups to support institutional processes, and leverage local and regional opportunities.

Evidence-Based Social Protection:

Despite higher per capita income than the national average, poverty incidence in Punjab has considerable disparities between the urban and rural areas, hitting the Southern districts of Punjab the hardest. According to the Punjab Growth Strategy 2023, the incidence of poverty in South Punjab is 2.5 times that of the rest of Punjab, while the HDI of South Punjab is 32 per cent lower.

Since longstanding regional disparities are at odds with Punjab’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, the project will focus on the lagging districts for inclusive economic growth and equitable development in Punjab and meet agenda’s central pledge “Leaving No One Behind”.

Though social protection in Punjab has been a central pillar to reach out to the most vulnerable and deprived segments of society to bridge inequalities, it is still a nascent area of governance in Pakistan.

The project, under this objective, will generate demand-driven local and relevant evidence to inform upcoming social protection, social health protection and poverty-reduction policies in Punjab.

P&D Board chairman Mr Sahoo said the SDGs Plus project would pave the way for a Punjab that thrives economically, socially, environmentally and serve as an inspiring model for other regions to emulate.

UNDP representative Dr Rizk said the UN programme was committed to strengthening its partnership with the Punjab government and advancing its core priorities as defined by its document.

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2024