ISLAMABAD, June 25: The Netherlands embassy will provide Rs183 million for Strengthening Participatory Organization (SPO) programme in Balochistan over the period 2004-08.

The amount is being provided for capacity building and strengthening civil society in the region, said the embassy's first secretary development, Neils Veenis, while talking to Dawn at the launching ceremony of SPO programme 2004- 08 for Balochistan, here on Friday. The programme is being supported by the Netherlands embassy.

An agreement to launch the second phase of SPO programme in Balochistan was signed by the ambassador of the Netherlands to Pakistan, Marcel Kupershoek, and SPO chief executive Harris Khalique.

Balochistan is one of Pakistan's least developed areas with high incidence of poverty. The Netherlands embassy looks forward to working in the region in collaboration with the government of Pakistan and local NGOs, Mr Veenis said.

The embassy wants to execute bigger projects, focusing on two main themes, governance and environment in Balochistan, he stressed.

Mr Veenis said his embassy renewed its cooperation programme with the SPO after witnessing positive achievements in the previous phase of SPO activities in Balochistan (1999-2003), for which the embassy had provided Rs60 million.

"I have seen success and great changes in the form of small dams constructed in the region, besides small irrigation facilities, schools for girls and reforestation. We have helped community based organization."

The first secretary development said: "The Netherlands embassy wants to enable communities help themselves by empowering them with skills needed to design, plan, finance, implement and monitor development projects at a local level and at a local scale."

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Marcel Kupershoek said the objective of programme was capacity building of local community for undertaking development projects.

"The Netherlands embassy, with the support of the SPO, has witnessed the growth of more than 200 community-based organizations to undertake their own development priorities, contributing significantly towards poverty reduction at the local level," the ambassador said.

SPO chief executive Harris Khalique told Dawn that to empower people, it was necessary to provide them managerial and technical knowledge.

"By building the capacities of development institutions for good governance, providing social sector funding and strengthening civil society networks, we see a liberation of minds and establishment of a knowledge-based society," Mr Khalique said.