Governance reforms: Planning ministry, UNDP sign $11.6m agreement

Modifications proposed for both provincial, federal level governance.

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms signed an $11.6-million agreement on Wednesday with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in a bid to support the implementation of key governance reforms at the federal and provincial levels, according to a statement.

The joint project will develop and expand the capability and accountability of the public sector over a four-year period. It will further improve the effectiveness of the commission to convene, analyse, propose and support the implementation of select key reforms including monitoring and evaluation of development programmes – poverty and inequality monitoring and state structure modernisation.

The Planning Commission will be assisted by UNDP’s technical expertise through its global governance and public administration reform practice, its Center for Public Service Excellence in Singapore and the Bangkok Regional Hub.

The partnership commits both the ministry and UNDP to finance the support.  The project will sustain synergies and work with a range of public institutions, national think tanks, expert groups and universities, other multilateral and bilateral international cooperation institutions.

“Through this initiative with the UNDP, we want to bring transformational changes where the civil servants would have redefined roles in light of national development goals,” said Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal.

Published in The Express Tribune, March  5^th,  2015.

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