ISLAMABAD: Aid agency Oxfam has called for transparency and accountability of international aid directed towards improving lives of millions of deserving Pakistanis, terming it crucial for all aid operations in the country.

Oxfam called upon the development community, the government, donors and other stakeholders to ensure maximum transparency in forwarding aid to the marginalised women and men.

At the end of a three-day workshop on 'accountability and transparency', Oxfam, its partners and donors pledged to strictly advocate and implement the Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) principles.

Oxfam Country Director Neva Khan, while speaking at the workshop, said: "It is crucial that organisations keep a stringent check on their accountability mechanisms because it allows us to get feedback on what works, what is not doing so well and what people are thinking about us. That feedback acts as a stimulus to challenge ourselves to do better and adjust to better suit the need of the communities we work with." Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Zafar Iqbal Qadir said the authority is primarily accountable to women and men living in poverty but it takes accountability to all stakeholders.

" We are not only accountable to our people with respect to humanitarian response but are also accountable to the donors as they are the ones who channel the support of the taxpayers to those who deserve it", he said.