waraich66
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Pakistan
Government Primary School, Bogharmang Union Council, Siran Valley, Mansehra district, North West Frontier Province. The objective, through co-curricula activities, such as sports and other play activities, is to engage children and increase the retention rate at schools (drop-out rate in Pakistan is 50 per cent). These activities contribute to the teaching of values such as discipline, team work and individual performance. Photo: Giacomo Pirozzi.
* Aid activities in Pakistan
* AusAID Islamabad office
* Publications
Australian assistance to Pakistan focuses on health (particularly maternal and child health) and basic education, aligning with key Millennium Development Goals 4 (child mortality), MDG 5 (maternal health) and MDG 2 (universal education). The program also seeks to build human capital through Australian Development Scholarships and in future will include enhanced assistance to the rural development sector and to improving governance.
Australia has responded quickly to humanitarian needs providing relief and reconstruction support following the devastating earthquake in 2005 and more recently in response to the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan's North West.
Country overview
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with a population of over 170 million, is a complex mix of indigenous peoples and successive waves of migrations. The national language is Urdu. English is widely spoken by educated Pakistanis. Regional languages—Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Balochi—are widely used.
Pakistan's land area of 796,096 km2 is divided into four provinces and four territories. The most populous province is Punjab, followed by Sindh, then North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Balochistan. The four territories, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are administered from Islamabad, the national capital.
Pakistan lies in the Indus Valley and is bordered by India to the east, China to the north, Afghanistan to the north and northwest, Iran to the west and the Arabian Sea to the south. Both the boundaries with China and with northern Afghanistan are in very high mountainous terrain. The Karakoram Highway, constructed under Chinese supervision, provides the major link between Pakistan and China along the Indus Valley.
Economy
Pakistan's economy has slowed significantly in the wake of high international commodities prices, record-high inflation, a worsening external position and a slowdown in foreign investment. This will have a significant and potentially long-term impact on the country's efforts to reduce poverty, as development spending in the social sectors is likely to be further squeezed by the parlous state of government finances. With rising food and fuel prices placing increasing pressure on the livelihoods of the poor, and Pakistan's economy under growing strain due to political instability and external shocks, the challenge is to maintain high growth rates and ensure the benefits are broadly spread.
The Government of Pakistan's economic policy is focussed on 'crisis management'. Overall, the government is anticipating a fiscal deficit of 4.9 per cent of GDP with real GDP growth forecast to slow to 2.7 per cent per cent in 2009-10 (from 3.7 per cent in 2008-09). Year-on-year consumer price inflation reached a record high of 25.3 per centin August 2008 before declining to 11.2 per cent in July 2009. At 29.9 per cent in September 2008, food price inflation was in its 13th consecutive month of double-digit increases. Unemployment in 2009 is estimated at 7.5 per cent, due to slowing consumption growth and power cuts impacting on industrial outputs.
In November 2008 the Government was forced to accept a US$7.6 billion loan from the IMF, which was augmented to US$11.3 billion in August 2009. The conditions of the loan require an ending of electricity subsidies (causing further price rises), an increase in official interest rates to curb inflation, the ending of government borrowing from the central bank and a sharp reduction in the fiscal deficit through spending cuts and efforts to increase revenue collection.
While the government has made good progress in the last 12 months, significant challenges remain. At the Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan and Donors Conference in April 2009, Foreign Minister Smith reiterated Australia's commitment to assist Pakistan in tackling its internal challenges, announcing a doubling of the aid program to $120 million over the next two years. The program will continue to support the government's efforts to strengthen the economy and provide for the security of IDPs and the reconstruction of their communities.
Development challenges
Almost one third of Pakistan's 170 million people live below the official poverty line, an increase of almost 13 per cent since the early 1990s. Key challenges facing Pakistan include a poorly targeted social safety net, an infrastructure deficit—particularly in energy, transport and irrigation, and poor delivery of social services. Inadequate access to basic services and financial and other resources; disempowered communities, particularly the exclusion of women from the public sphere and the development process; low social capital; ethnic and religious strife; and a spate of natural calamities in recent years have all contributed towards the persistence of poverty in the country.
National health and education systems in Pakistan are under-resourced, with the government spending less than $18 per person each year in these sectors. Progress towards the achievement of the education and health-related Millennium Development Goals has been slow. Social indicators are poor, even by comparison with other countries in South Asia. Women and girls are particularly disadvantaged.
Pakistan's health outcomes lag behind other South Asian countries. Despite improvements, skilled personnel attend only one third of all births. According to 2000 estimates the maternal mortality rate is 320 per 100,000 live births. A woman in Pakistan faces a one in 50 chance of dying from a pregnancy-related complication during her reproductive life. Infant mortality rates remain amongst the highest in the region. One in ten children dies before age five and rates of childhood malnutrition, at 38 per cent, are higher than those in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV/AIDS rates are broadly low but surveys identify worrying levels of incidence in high-risk groups. Poor access for disadvantaged groups, and poor quality of care are issues undermining effective health services delivery.
National education indicators in Pakistan are amongst the lowest in South Asia. Self-reported adult literacy rates in 2005 yielded a national average of 50 per cent (64 per cent male and 35 per cent female). This average masks significant provincial variations (lowest in Balochistan at 38 per cent) and still greater disparities between urban and rural areas and between men and women. One third of females in rural areas are literate, falling to a mere 3 per cent in the FATA. Primary school enrolment rates (62 per cent) are below the average for low income countries (76 per cent). Up to a third of children who do enrol in school drop out by Grade 2 and only 57 per cent complete primary school, reflecting critical deficiencies in the quality of education provided. 1
The Government of Pakistan's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which lays out a comprehensive development agenda, gives priority to accelerating economic growth, improving governance, investing in human capital and targeting the poor and the vulnerable.
Pakistan remains publicly committed to increasing pro-poor spending, including in education and health for attaining the Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015. Widening disparities in social indicators, spiked inflation and increased public account liabilities 2 suggest, however, that Pakistan is not likely to achieve its poverty-reduction goals within this time-frame.
1 World Bank website
2 MDG Monitor, Pakistan MDG Profile, September 2008
Government Primary School, Bogharmang Union Council, Siran Valley, Mansehra district, North West Frontier Province. The objective, through co-curricula activities, such as sports and other play activities, is to engage children and increase the retention rate at schools (drop-out rate in Pakistan is 50 per cent). These activities contribute to the teaching of values such as discipline, team work and individual performance. Photo: Giacomo Pirozzi.
* Aid activities in Pakistan
* AusAID Islamabad office
* Publications
Australian assistance to Pakistan focuses on health (particularly maternal and child health) and basic education, aligning with key Millennium Development Goals 4 (child mortality), MDG 5 (maternal health) and MDG 2 (universal education). The program also seeks to build human capital through Australian Development Scholarships and in future will include enhanced assistance to the rural development sector and to improving governance.
Australia has responded quickly to humanitarian needs providing relief and reconstruction support following the devastating earthquake in 2005 and more recently in response to the humanitarian crisis in Pakistan's North West.
Country overview
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with a population of over 170 million, is a complex mix of indigenous peoples and successive waves of migrations. The national language is Urdu. English is widely spoken by educated Pakistanis. Regional languages—Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi and Balochi—are widely used.
Pakistan's land area of 796,096 km2 is divided into four provinces and four territories. The most populous province is Punjab, followed by Sindh, then North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Balochistan. The four territories, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Federally Administered Northern Areas (FANA), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) are administered from Islamabad, the national capital.
Pakistan lies in the Indus Valley and is bordered by India to the east, China to the north, Afghanistan to the north and northwest, Iran to the west and the Arabian Sea to the south. Both the boundaries with China and with northern Afghanistan are in very high mountainous terrain. The Karakoram Highway, constructed under Chinese supervision, provides the major link between Pakistan and China along the Indus Valley.
Economy
Pakistan's economy has slowed significantly in the wake of high international commodities prices, record-high inflation, a worsening external position and a slowdown in foreign investment. This will have a significant and potentially long-term impact on the country's efforts to reduce poverty, as development spending in the social sectors is likely to be further squeezed by the parlous state of government finances. With rising food and fuel prices placing increasing pressure on the livelihoods of the poor, and Pakistan's economy under growing strain due to political instability and external shocks, the challenge is to maintain high growth rates and ensure the benefits are broadly spread.
The Government of Pakistan's economic policy is focussed on 'crisis management'. Overall, the government is anticipating a fiscal deficit of 4.9 per cent of GDP with real GDP growth forecast to slow to 2.7 per cent per cent in 2009-10 (from 3.7 per cent in 2008-09). Year-on-year consumer price inflation reached a record high of 25.3 per centin August 2008 before declining to 11.2 per cent in July 2009. At 29.9 per cent in September 2008, food price inflation was in its 13th consecutive month of double-digit increases. Unemployment in 2009 is estimated at 7.5 per cent, due to slowing consumption growth and power cuts impacting on industrial outputs.
In November 2008 the Government was forced to accept a US$7.6 billion loan from the IMF, which was augmented to US$11.3 billion in August 2009. The conditions of the loan require an ending of electricity subsidies (causing further price rises), an increase in official interest rates to curb inflation, the ending of government borrowing from the central bank and a sharp reduction in the fiscal deficit through spending cuts and efforts to increase revenue collection.
While the government has made good progress in the last 12 months, significant challenges remain. At the Ministerial Meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan and Donors Conference in April 2009, Foreign Minister Smith reiterated Australia's commitment to assist Pakistan in tackling its internal challenges, announcing a doubling of the aid program to $120 million over the next two years. The program will continue to support the government's efforts to strengthen the economy and provide for the security of IDPs and the reconstruction of their communities.
Development challenges
Almost one third of Pakistan's 170 million people live below the official poverty line, an increase of almost 13 per cent since the early 1990s. Key challenges facing Pakistan include a poorly targeted social safety net, an infrastructure deficit—particularly in energy, transport and irrigation, and poor delivery of social services. Inadequate access to basic services and financial and other resources; disempowered communities, particularly the exclusion of women from the public sphere and the development process; low social capital; ethnic and religious strife; and a spate of natural calamities in recent years have all contributed towards the persistence of poverty in the country.
National health and education systems in Pakistan are under-resourced, with the government spending less than $18 per person each year in these sectors. Progress towards the achievement of the education and health-related Millennium Development Goals has been slow. Social indicators are poor, even by comparison with other countries in South Asia. Women and girls are particularly disadvantaged.
Pakistan's health outcomes lag behind other South Asian countries. Despite improvements, skilled personnel attend only one third of all births. According to 2000 estimates the maternal mortality rate is 320 per 100,000 live births. A woman in Pakistan faces a one in 50 chance of dying from a pregnancy-related complication during her reproductive life. Infant mortality rates remain amongst the highest in the region. One in ten children dies before age five and rates of childhood malnutrition, at 38 per cent, are higher than those in sub-Saharan Africa. HIV/AIDS rates are broadly low but surveys identify worrying levels of incidence in high-risk groups. Poor access for disadvantaged groups, and poor quality of care are issues undermining effective health services delivery.
National education indicators in Pakistan are amongst the lowest in South Asia. Self-reported adult literacy rates in 2005 yielded a national average of 50 per cent (64 per cent male and 35 per cent female). This average masks significant provincial variations (lowest in Balochistan at 38 per cent) and still greater disparities between urban and rural areas and between men and women. One third of females in rural areas are literate, falling to a mere 3 per cent in the FATA. Primary school enrolment rates (62 per cent) are below the average for low income countries (76 per cent). Up to a third of children who do enrol in school drop out by Grade 2 and only 57 per cent complete primary school, reflecting critical deficiencies in the quality of education provided. 1
The Government of Pakistan's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper, which lays out a comprehensive development agenda, gives priority to accelerating economic growth, improving governance, investing in human capital and targeting the poor and the vulnerable.
Pakistan remains publicly committed to increasing pro-poor spending, including in education and health for attaining the Millennium Development Goal targets by 2015. Widening disparities in social indicators, spiked inflation and increased public account liabilities 2 suggest, however, that Pakistan is not likely to achieve its poverty-reduction goals within this time-frame.
1 World Bank website
2 MDG Monitor, Pakistan MDG Profile, September 2008
