Paris Peace Forum: KP govt delegation leaves for France today

PESHAWAR: A delegation of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is leaving for France today (Sunday) to present the first-ever Right to Information (RTI) Assessment Methodology Project at the Paris Peace Forum scheduled for November 11 to 13.

A press release said the delegation was being led by Minster for Information Shaukat Yousafzai and Minister for Finance Taimur Saleem Jhagra.

The provincial team heading for the peace forum also included secretaries of Information, Home Department, Local Government and Managing Director of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) and Commissioner Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Commission (KPIC) Riaz Khan Daudzai.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is the only province that is attending the Paris Peace Forum to present its project designed to assess the quality of implementation of the RTI law in the province.

The forum has received more than 700 projects from 115 countries and organisations seeking to expand their impact.

About 100 projects chosen by the Selection Committee reflect a truly global perspective, representing all regions of the world.

These projects revolve around the major themes of peace and security, development, environment, new technologies, inclusive economy and culture as well as education. The Paris Peace Forum has chosen Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s project from among the provinces and the country to assess the implementation and evolution of the Right to Information Act 2013 in the province.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the technical support of the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD), a Canada-based organization, and other stakeholders including German Development Cooperation and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, has already developed the first-ever methodology to assess and evaluate the implementation of the Right to Information (RTI) law in the country. Shaukat Yousafzai and Taimur Jhagra would represent Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the forum. They will hand over the methodology to the head of the UNESCO at the event which will then be replicated across the world to assess the implementation of the RTI laws.

The selection of the project “Evaluation of Right to Information Implementation inKhyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan” came as part of the initiative of the forum to advance governance solutions across the world.

The pilot assessment, based on the methodology, was carried out in 12 public bodies including Revenue and Estate Department, Elementary and Secondary Education, Police Department, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Information Department, Local Government, Elections, and Rural Development Department, Home and Tribal Affairs Department, Finance Department, Public

Health Engineering Department, Water Supply and Sanitation Company Peshawar, University of Peshawar and Health Department.

The findings of the assessment would be presented to the Paris Peace Forum, which is a landmark event in the history of the strife-shattered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The provincial ministers will also face a diverse audience at panel discussion at the forum where they will respond to questions about the RTI practice both in Pakistan and global context.