ISLAMABAD, March 27: Pakistan will get $615 million under the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for the period 2004-08, says a press release issued here on Thursday.

After an extensive review process by federal, provincial and district governments, the United Nations System and the government of Pakistan have launched the UNDAF for further discussion and consultations with civil society and the donor community.

The UNDAF is a vital component of the UN system reform initiated by the secretary-general in 1997. It is a collective response to national challenges as identified in the Common Country Assessment (CCA) and is focused on political, economic and social development. The UNDAF, which covers the period 2004-08, is anchored in national priorities and aims at reaching directly to the communities.

Through improved sharing of institutional knowledge, enhanced cooperation and complementing of resources, the UNDAF intends to give rise to better decision-making and greater synergy in action. Thus, the UNDAF is the centrepiece of the UN reforms at the country level in Pakistan as elsewhere.

Under the UNDAF, the UN System will encourage civil society participation, particularly for the poor, women and marginalized groups. Four priority areas of cooperation have been chosen. These are participatory governance, poverty alleviation, health and education. To assist the Government of Pakistan in meeting the global targets of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for 2015, the UN System will better coordinate its efforts at the country level and will seek platforms for enhanced joint and collaborative programming through support to resource-poor regions, national programmes and institutions.

Participatory governance emerges as an important platform for enabling development. Under the devolution plan, elected district-level authorities and local councils have been empowered to undertake development at the local level, through participation of the people.

Areas of cooperation aim to support institutional capacity building for improved governance, particularly at the local level and to strengthen community-led initiatives for empowerment and development of civil society. Restoring economic growth and improving access to basic needs will be essential for poverty alleviation. The UN System will concentrate its poverty reduction efforts in resource-poor areas of Pakistan.

All UN agencies in Pakistan will contribute to employment and income generation with special emphasis on women, the disadvantaged and youth and will create social assets for the poor.

Nayyar Agha, the additional secretary, Ministry of Finance, praised the efforts of the government and the UN in the formulation of the UNDAF.

Onder Yucer, the UN resident coordinator, said on the occasion that the mission of the UN in Pakistan in 2003-2008 was to help “Pakistanis achieve their full potential through expanding choices and enlarging opportunities, especially for the poor, women and vulnerable and realize the mission of the UN to offer development results.”