ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Pakistan, have signed an agreement under which Norway will provide Norwegian Kroner 8.9 million for “Women’s Political Participation and Gender-Sensitive Poverty Alleviation Strategy.”

This would be implemented within the framework of an ongoing Gender Equality Umbrella Project of UNDP.

Mr Tore Toreng, Norway’s Ambassador and Ms Lena Lindberg, Acting Resident Representative UNDP, signed the agreement the other day at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Islamabad.

The objective of this project is to deliver a need-based capacity-building programme for the recently elected women councillors.

It also aims to link enhanced political participation for women in decision-making and in developing a gender-sensitive economic strategy to address problems of poverty alleviation at the local level.

It is being implemented keeping in view the unprecedented number of women elected to district and union councils in the recent local bodies elections that provided a strategic opportunity for women to make a difference in shaping and implementing the agenda for the local governments.

The project will be implemented within the framework of the activities of the ministry of women development, ministry of local government and National Reconstruction Bureau.

It is a two-year project which would be undertaken in all of Pakistan’s districts.—APP