Islamabad: A joint consultation amongst the Government, Donors and UN on the next steps toward implementation of the One UN Programme, which was signed on 4 February, 2009 under the leadership of the Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Yousaf Raza Gilani, took place in the morning at the ILO Building. The EAD Secretary Mr. Farrukh Qayyum led the discussion along with the UN Resident Coordinator Mr. Fikret Akcura.
The event was attended by over 35 potential donors including DfID, USAID, AUSAID, SDC, Norway, CIDA, EC, GTZ, JICA, Spain, Sweden among many others. Although the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) took the lead on behalf of the Government of Pakistan, representatives of Ministries of Health, Education, Environment, Population Welfare, Finance & Revenue, Labor, NDMA and Planning Commission were also present along with the Heads of UN Agencies in Pakistan.
The main aim of the consultation was to initiate the formal dialogue on the One UN Programme and present the details of the proposed programme for funding by donors. The One UN Programme covers five thematic areas – agriculture, rural development and poverty reduction, disaster risk management, education, environment, and health and population with four cross-cutting themes of gender, human rights, civil society and refugees.
The overall budget for the One UN programme initiatives is US$ 893.3 million. Some of the programmes and projects are already funded; including the Mother and Neonatal Child Health programme component funded by Government of Norway and the Gender Equality initiative funded by the Government of Spain. The UN is also devoting its core resources towards implementing the programmes.
The donors expressed keen interest in funding the programme and discussed ways to support those efforts matching their priorities.
The Federal Secretary Mr. Farrukh Qayyum, while talking about the national development context, stated that “the One UN Programme has been developed after much deliberation with all development partners to ensure that it is in line with the national priorities – the Medium Term Development Framework, Vision 2030. the two PRSPs, the Millennium Development Goals and has aligned its assistance framework with the Pakistan Development Forum and the Friends of Democratic Pakistan platforms.” He said that the programme “addresses the needs of our people in these very difficult times and I am convinced that when the joint programmes are implemented with the support of the donors, they will make a difference in the lives of Pakistan’s citizens.”
The Resident Coordinator Fikret Akcura urged the donors to rally around the initiatives highlighted in the document. He stressed that the One UN Programme had been formulated in full partnership with the federal and provincial authorities, civil society and other national partners, as well as the donor community.
“Delivering as One” is the central pillar for piloting UN Reform in Pakistan through maximizing its normative and analytical expertise, its operational and coordination capabilities and its advocacy role in a coherent, effective and efficient manner. The UN entities will come together as One Leader, One Program, One Office and One Budget, with the One Program being the central pillar of the Reform. The other three “Ones” will support the formulation and implementation of the One Program.
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Ishrat Rizvi
National Information Officer
United Nations Information Centre
Islamabad
Tel: (92 51)2270610, 2821012 Ext. 14
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