KP, FATA: $6m grant approved for capacity building

Project aimed at improving services in K-P, FATA and Balochistan.

ISLAMABAD: The Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), administered by the World Bank with an objective to support reconstruction, has approved a $6 million grant to finance capacity and programme development and urgent governance interventions for improved services to citizens of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Balochistan.

According to an announcement made on Friday, the MDTF-funded project activities will strengthen institutional capacity, provide technical assistance and support government-led and selected governance activities and reforms.

“Technical capacity is imperative for government departments to ensure effective service delivery,” said Abdul Wajid Rana, the Economic Affairs Division Secretary. “By providing this technical assistance to line departments and implementing governance reforms, overall performance of these departments can be immensely improved.”

The project consists of an institutional capacity-building component and a rapid response facility, both of which will be implemented by the newly created post-crisis needs assessment (PCNA) implementation support units, at the Planning and Development Department of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Government and Fata Secretariat.

“The project will also help rebuild trust between the government and the communities it serves through participation of citizens in planning, decision-making and monitoring of state-led actions and capacity-building of state institutions,” said Rachid Benmessaoud, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan.

The MDTF, which became operational on August 5, 2010, receives funds from Australia, Denmark, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, UK and US.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st,  2011.