ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Planning, Development and Reforms of Pakistan Wednesday signed an agreement for US$ 11.6 million with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support implementation of key governance reforms at federal and provincial levels.
This joint project between the Planning Commission of Pakistan and UNDP 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, analyze, propose and support the implementation of select key reforms including monitoring and evaluation of development programs; poverty and inequality monitoring and state structure modernization.
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 signed today commits both the Ministry and UNDP to finance the support. The project will sustain synergies and work closely with a range of public institutions, national think tanks, expert groups and universities, other multilateral and bilateral international cooperation institutions.
The Federal Minister of Planning, Development and Reforms, Ahsan Iqbal said, “Through this joint initiative with UNDP, we want to bring a transformational change where the civil servants would redefine their role and mission in light of national development goals and nation’s aspirations. Political leadership and civil service are two wheels of democratic system who have to work in harmony to promote good governance and produce bigger, efficient results for transformational change. This project is an implementation modality for the directives of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to uplift the performance of the public sector through both institutional change and a robust performance management system.”
UNDP Pakistan Country Director, Marc-André Franche said, “Governance reforms in public institutions have received new momentum thanks to a joint initiative launched by the Prime Minister. The partnership with the Planning Commission will support governance reforms in public sector institutions, monitor the implementation of development plans and improve coordination between provinces and departments. UNDP’s global experience and expertise will enable us to utilize a diverse set of communication tools to engage stakeholders and citizens to ensure their ownership for the reform process that will be crucial to prioritize action well.”
INP
