ISLAMABAD, Nov 17: The United Nations Development Programme will provide $168 million to Pakistan during 2001-2002 to support various development programmes, including poverty alleviation.
“The UNDP has doubled its annual development assistance for Pakistan and will extend this year $168 million,” said Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz.
Speaking at a joint news conference with Dr Hafiz Pasha, UN Assistant Secretary General, he said here on Saturday that the government of Pakistan hailed the decision of the UN to double its annual assistance.
He said the new aid will be in the shape of grant and utilized in various spheres but priority will be given to poverty alleviation in the provinces.
“During my visit to Pakistan, I have observed firm commitment at the highest levels to pursue the long-term reform process, despite the present crisis in Afghanistan and impact of downturn in global trade and investment climate. In this context, the UN System in Pakistan is making special efforts to expand its current commitments and launch new programmes to meet the most dire needs, particularly in the areas most affected by the crisis,” Dr Hafiz Pasha said.
He said during meetings with federal and provincial government officials, there was an agreement on upscaling the UNDP programme in Pakistan in the areas of poverty alleviation, governance, environment, disaster management and gender. Over the past five years, the UNDP has given grants for programmes totalling $84 million.
“For the next three years, we plan to more than double this allocation, using UNDP core funds, global thematic trust funds, Global Environment Facility funds, and cost-sharing with government and donors.”
A good number of ongoing projects provide excellent ground for upscaling, for example through replication of successful initiatives in poverty alleviation through community empowerment in the NWFP and Punjab; through agriculture skills and infrastructure development in Balochistan, AJK and Northern Areas and through small-scale grants in Sindh, he said.
Tens of thousands of Community Organisations have been established and hundreds of thousands of people trained in income generation activities, he added.
The poor communities in the mountain areas of northern Pakistan have been empowered to manage their natural resources of which they are custodians, and thereby improve their livelihoods.
Keeping in view the poverty-health-pollution link, a model Central Effluent Treatment Plant is now operational in Kasur for treating tannery effluent, and would help reduce the risk of serious health hazards, especially for the poor living in the Kasur area, he said.
Fifteen state-of-the-art tune-up stations are functional in all major cities of Pakistan providing computerised tune-ups for reducing vehicular emissions. Over a thousand mechanics have been trained, he added.
“This effort is aimed at reducing health risk from air pollution, especially for young children”.
“As we all know, a large number of districts have been reeling under punishing drought for nearly four years. The UN System in Pakistan has undertaken drought assessment in years 2000 and 2001 resulting in national response, complemented by international response, in relief support and mitigation efforts, totalling nearly $96 million,” Dr Pasha added.
The UNDP has provided strategic inputs in the reconstruction initiatives of the government of Pakistan, including the devolution plan, through the National Reconstruction Bureau totalling $8 million.
“We are also supporting the implementation of the devolution plan in the NWFP and Balochistan. Another key initiative in governance is our support to democratic electoral process in Pakistan. In this area we have focused on mobilising women in the electoral process. We have partnered with coalition of civil society organizations to mobilise women voters and candidates for the recently held local government elections,” he said.
The UNDP carried out a feasibility study which paved the way for a major government investment for the creation of a virtual IT University. With UNDP support, a national strategic framework on HIV-AIDS has been elaborated through participatory approach.
Policy inputs have been made in the areas of food security, pesticides, clean fuel, and tourism master planning. “We have discussed with the government the establishment of a new trust fund, the Devolution Trust for Citizen Empowerment. We hope to contribute $50 million over the next three years for this Trust,” he said.
The UNDP has offered full support to the election commission of Pakistan in mobilising support for conducting the 2002 general elections. “Through the electoral support project we will again assist in creating a supporting environment for women’s participation and representation in the provincial and national election due in 2002.”