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'New era of cooperation': details of US-funded projects released
MUSHTAQ GHUMMAN
ISLAMABAD (August 17 2010): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released the details of dozens of projects to be funded by the United States as new era of co-operation recently launched by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Official sources told Business Recorder that US Department of State, (office of the spokesman), has issued a series of fact sheets containing details of the projects starts from information technology to export of Pakistani mangoes to the US.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dispatched the details of projects to be funded by Washington. The projects are as follows:
COMMUNICATIONS and PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: The projects include: (i) Information Systems Data Centre: The US will work in partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology to deploy tier IV data storage and information systems service delivery platform for the Government of Pakistan - enabling common e-mail, word processing, standard data exchange and other business process applications.
The project will enable, for the first time, a Pakistan government-exclusive e-mail domain and will enable centralised hosting of all government web sites. The adoption of common applications will enable paperless working, enhanced government accountability and audit capability and government-to-business and government-to-citizen services.
ii) Electronic Citizen Services: The US will work in partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology to launch a set of electronic citizen services to enable Pakistani citizens to engage their government for common public services using broadband and mobile phones messages. The initial group of four or five services will bring government-citizen interaction into the electronic era, yield both cost and time saving.
iii) Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation - Historic Archives Preservation: In partnership with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the US will support the digitisation and professional archiving of Radio Pakistan's music library.
The Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation's sound archives is a repository of priceless recordings documenting the nation's history and culture. Two million minutes of archives currently held on degrading magnetic tape will be digitised for access, with materials including the recorded speeches of Pakistan's founder, M A Jinnah, former Presidents and Prime Ministers and pioneers of the Independence Movement as well as interviews with celebrities, historians, scientists, intellectuals and music from all regions of Pakistan.
iv) Historic Preservation - Sheikhupura Fort, Southern Punjab: The US ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation has agreed to support a three-year project with the Ministry of Culture to restore, conserve and protect the Sheikhupura Fort in Punjab. The site incorporates architectural and cultural elements from both the Mughal and the Sikh eras and dates back to the early 17th century. In addition to highlighting Mughal architecture, the Fort also houses prime examples of Sikh fresco work in the Punjab.
Foreign Service Scholarship Program: In partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US will contribute to strengthen mutual understanding between diplomats and provide advanced professional training for Pakistan's Foreign Service officers in the United States. The United States and Pakistan will support four scholarships for Pakistan's Foreign Service officers to attend American university programs in international relations and diplomacy for one year in a program managed by bilateral Fulbright Commission, the US Educational Foundation in Pakistan. Pakistan's entry-level Foreign Service officers will also participate in a US study tour.
WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT: Secretary Clinton announced a new five-year, $40 million Gender Equity Program to be funded by USAID aimed at advancing women's rights and empowerment in Pakistan by expanding women's access to justice; helping women exercise their rights in the workplace, community and home; combating gender-based violence; and, strengthening the capacity of Pakistani organisations that advocate for gender equality, women's empowerment and the elimination of gender-based violence.
The US has already committed $12.5 million for this program and nation-wide grant-making is expected to begin in August. Grantees will include non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations, policy think tanks, academic research and training institutions, professional and business associations, media, civic advocacy organisations, civil society coalitions, as well as partnerships with relevant government or quasi-government entities addressing women's equality and empowerment.
AGRICULTURE: $21 million in USAID-supported projects to boost Pakistan's agricultural productivity and to open new market opportunities:
Rural Development Dairy Project: The US will support a public-private partnership designed to improve the status and ability of women to manage agricultural business. The program will focus on providing technical training for Pakistani women to manage dairy-related enterprises and do business both domestically and internationally. Although located in southern Punjab, the program is expected to have as many as 16,000 beneficiaries throughout the country.
Mango Export Project: To promote export by sea of Pakistan's world famous mangoes, the US will support a three-year infrastructure program in partnership with leading mango farms in southern Punjab and northern Sindh to jointly finance infrastructure such as hot water treatment facilities, sorting and grading machines, blast chiller, and cold storage facilities. On June 15, the US began the process that will allow for trial shipments of Pakistani mangos to the US later this year.
SIGNATURE WATER PROGRAM FOR PAKISTAN: A multi-year Signature Water Program for Pakistan was announced to improve Pakistan's ability to increase efficient management and use of its scarce water resources and improve water distribution. The first phase of the program will cover seven projects costing over $270 million:
Jacobabad and Peshawar Municipal Water Projects: The US will work with the two cities over five years to rehabilitate or construct water storage, supply, distribution, and metering systems and improve the water services delivery management capacity of the Northern Sindh Utility Services Corporation and the Government of Khyber-Pukhtoonkhwa.
Municipal Services Delivery: The US will conduct a five-year national program to improve the capacity of local authorities to manage public services, including the provision of potable safe water, sanitation and solid waste collection and disposal, as well as other basic municipal services. Scheduled to begin in August in southern Punjab, the program will target 42 vulnerable districts and 139 municipalities that have a combined population of over 50 million.
Gomal Zam Dam Irrigation Project: When completed, this project connected to the new energy-producing dam will store water to irrigate 190,000 acres in South Waziristan, Tank, and Dera Ismail Khan to control flooding, preventing an estimated $2.6 million annually in damages, and enhance agricultural opportunities for approximately 30,000 farming families.
Satpara Dam irrigation Project: This project, located in Skardu. Gilgit-Baltistan, connected to the new energy-producing dam, will help improve irrigation for 15,500 acres of land and provide 3.1 million gallons of clean drinking water daily for Skardu's 280,000 local residents.
High Efficiency Irrigation Project: This three-year project will introduce improved irrigation technologies on over 250,000 acres of land mall four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). In each location, the project will substantially reduce water use - increasing crop yields 30-100 percent and reducing fertiliser and pesticide use.
Balochistan Water Storage Dams: This project will support plans by the Government of Balochistan to create a series of water storage clams and will enhance existing programs for irrigation water storage and distribution while also pro/noting watershed management and integrated crop management.
Expert Consultations: The United States will fund a professional exchange visit by Pakistani experts in water management to the US to meet with counterparts and to examine cost recovery and policy mechanisms that incentivize private sector investment in the water sector.
SIGNATURE HEALTH PROGRAM: The first phase of a three-year, $28 million Signature Health Program for Pakistan was announced. The US and Pakistan have consulted closely on the shared objectives of addressing Pakistan's National Health Policy, which outlines the priorities for the nation, which include family planning, maternal and child health, workforce development, and combating infectious diseases to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Under the new Signature Health Program, the US will undertake three projects for the renovation and construction of medical facilities:
Karachi Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre: The US will finance the design and construction of a 60-bed obstetrics and gynaecology surgical and fistula ward and a training institute for up to 150 under- and post-graduate medical students. The hospital handles more than 18,000 inpatients, 31,000 outpatients, more than 5,000 operations and 17,000 annual deliveries.
Lahore Lady Willingdon Hospital: This facility, which is the largest maternity hospital in Pakistan, is currently operating well over capacity with on average roughly three women to a bed. The renovated facilities will include new wards, a midwifery school and doctor/nursing hostels.
Jacobabad Civil Hospital: The US will provide technical management assistance and renovations to the Jacobabad Civil Hospital, a 162-bed facility which serves a population of approximately 1 million people in Northern Sindh and Balochistan. The hospital serves about 700 outpatients per day with about 4500 surgeries and more than 2000 deliveries per year.
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