Secretary planning and development urges donors to invest in ‘priority sectors’. PHOTO: FILE
The government plans to focus on health, education and economic development in the tribal belt, and development partners should step up and invest in these sectors.
This was said by Secretary Planning and Development Fata Secretariat Shahzad Khan Bangash during the third Donors Coordination Steering Committee (DCSC) meeting held in Islamabad on Saturday.
He lauded international development partners, and the “very active” role the donors had played in supporting Pakistan, especially the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). Donor representatives and government officials were present at the DCSC meeting.
However, “mapping the investment made in Fata during 2010-13 explicitly shows the gap between what the Post Crisis Needs Assessment (PCNA) recommends for Fata and the investment made during the last three years,” a press release quoted Bangash as saying.
Donors should now come forward and spend on the sectors where investment was really needed, stressed the secretary. “Investment mapping has given a clearer picture of gaps and priorities and now the donors should look into this analysis and invest in the priority sectors.”
Partners of the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) appreciated the mapping exercise carried out by the PCNA-Implementation Support Unit. They agreed impact assessment of investments made since 2009 in Fata should be made. The MDTF is a pool of international donors administered by the World Bank.
The meeting also agreed sub-working groups would be formed for the purpose and DCSC will be informed of the discussions held.
“We have put the real picture before the donors and now donors should come up with their own recommendations,” Bangash expressed.
Earlier Coordinator PCNA-Implementation Support Unit Fata Muhammad Zahoor, who presented the investment mapping, informed the MDTF partners of the investment made in governance, health, education, infrastructure, agriculture and natural resources, and strategic communication.
According to Zahoor, Fata’s share in the Multi Donor Trust Fund was $1.5 billion whereas the investment made by donors and the government was $761.77 million, resulting in a shortfall of $786.8 million.
Director General Projects Fata Secretariat Yousaf Rahim made a presentation on the issuance of no-objection certificates to the development partners intending to work in Fata and elaborated on the process and mechanism.
Secretary Planning and Development of Fata Secretariat Shahzad Khan Bangash, Coordinator PCNA-ISU Fata, Director General Project, Yousaf Rahim, Director General Fata Disaster Management Authority (FDMA) Arshad Khan and sector specialists from PCNA-ISU Fata on this occasion answered various questions raised by the development partners.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 9th, 2013.
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