Consultation on UN Framework: KP govt priorities for next five years enlisted

Bureau report

PESHAWAR: – A meeting on Sunday discussed the challenges, opportunities and priorities of the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the next five years.

The United Nations in Pakistan, in collaboration with the Economic Affairs Division of the Government of Pakistan, is holding these consultative sessions in every region with relevant provincial government departments, as well as civil society representatives, academia, youth, and marginalized groups to learn more about their needs and priorities which will then feed into the new UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) for 2023-2027.

Taimoor Saleem Khan Jhagra, Minister for Finance and Health led session. He urged the participants to ensure that the plans and priorities being set were real and implementable. The minister hoped that this would take the country much closer to the destination on the path towards the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Altaf Shaikh, Chief IDS, P &DD, talked of the challenges and opportunities for the province, along with recommendations for the new framework. Ameer Sultan Tareen, Secretary, P&D, appreciated the interactive and consultative nature of the provincial dialogues being held.

It gave different stakeholders an opportunity to voice opinions and resulted in planning a more comprehensive roadmap. Some of the key priorities identified by the KP government included reduction in poverty through social protection; job creation and economic growth; provision of basic services including water, sanitation, energy, education and health for all; domestic resource mobilization and transparent and accountable governance at all levels.

Enhanced agriculture productivity; increase in renewable energy production and consumption; climate change, including sustainable tourism; gender equality and reduced inequalities across the board were other priorities

Neelofur Hafeez, JS UN-EAD, government of Pakistan, welcomed the participants to the session, while Ms. Tanya Rzehak, Chair, UN Provincial Programme Team for KP and Head of Sub-Office UNDP KP, talked about UN programmes and performance in the region.

Shah Nasir Khan, Senior Strategic Planner & Head of UN Resident Coordinator’s Office explained the process for setting the new 5-year UN Framework in Pakistan. Arif Ahmadzai, Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Mines & Minerals and Convener of Task Force on SDGs while delivering his closing remarks acknowledged UN’s approach towards the involvement at sub-national level for developing next five years cooperation framework.

He believed holding such discussions were exemplary and requested United Nations to hold these dialogues at the sub-national level in future as well. Ahmadzai said the UN had showcased a very positive trend while adopting a bottom-up approach. He hoped the approach would pave the way for the UN to support people efficiently and effectively in Pakistan, including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Earlier in the week, bilateral meetings were held with various stakeholders, including teachers and students from University of Peshawar, representatives of organizations working with youth, gender and disabilities, as well as government departments.

Provincial consultations have already been held in Punjab, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan, while those for Sindh and Azad Jammu & Kashmir are planned next. The consultation phase will conclude with a National Consultation Workshop next month in Islamabad.