Pakistan and the United Nations (UN) on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish an “Inclusive Growth Centre” to facilitate the implementation of a new growth strategy that seeks to improve the quality of life through reforming the government.
The MoU, signed by Planning Commission’s Deputy Chairman Dr Nadeem ul Haque and UN’s Assistant Secretary General Ajay Chhibber, also brings an end to the Centre for Poverty Reduction and Social Policy Development, known as CRSPD. The CRSPD, established in 2002, would now be converted into the Inclusive Growth Centre.
It is not yet clear who will now perform the job of measuring poverty and inequality in Pakistan – which was the primary function of the CRSPD. For the last three and a half years, the government has remained unable to determine how many people live below the poverty line. The Poverty Reduction Centre also used to produce Millennium Development Goals reports.
However, both Pakistan and the United Nations could not decide about the location of the Growth Centre, which has also barred the parties to determine the size of the assistance the UNDP would extend. The Planning Commission (PC) wants to establish an independent Centre to keep it noncontroversial while the UNDP insists to put it under the Commission.
“Growth Centre idea is very good but for going forward political will has to be there”, said Chhibber.
The new Inclusive Growth Centre would carry out advocacy and provide policy advice. It would conduct research and undertake monitoring and evaluation job.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 15th, 2011.
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