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UN report paints dismal show in social sector
* Pakistani policy makers criticised for improper use of funds
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: Ineffective management, lack of capacity to plan and deliver at micro level, difficulties with bureaucratic structure and weaknesses in the rule of law are main reasons for the dismal performance of successive governments in social sector.
Pakistan received $58 billion in foreign aid from 1950-99, however it systematically underperformed on most of the social and political indicators, this was stated in a recently published United Nations report: UN reforms and civil society engagements.
The report said, Pakistan was the third largest recipient of official development assistance (ODA) after India and Egypt during 1960-98.
Funds use: Criticising policy makers for improper use of funds it said: If Pakistan had invested all the ODA during this period at a real rate of 6 percent, it would have a stock of assets equal to $239 billion in 1998, many times the current external debt.
Talking to Daily Times, Fayyaz Baqir, Senior Adviser on Civil Society of United Nations Office of Resident Coordinator, and writer of the UN report, said, Almost all National Building Departments are at district level, whereas the unit of most of the rural population of the country is local police station, or maximum tehsil. This gap hinders execution of most of the projects and policies, which doesnt bear any fruit even after spending generous funds.
Disorganised communities: He held disorganised communities responsible for the failure of policies and projects launched by the government. Due to inefficiency of mechanism to reach communities at local level, most of the money goes to the pockets of the officials and an artificial helplessness is created. This artificial crisis leads policy makers to seek refuge in looking towards international donors for more donations, he added.
He said there were 56,219 civil society organisations and 65,000 registered and over 100,000 non-registered community organisations in Pakistan.
Baqir said, Contribution of these organisations towards poverty eleviation, health and environment is almost zero because these are responsibilities of the state. The mandate of NGOs is only capacity building.
* Pakistani policy makers criticised for improper use of funds
By Atif Khan
ISLAMABAD: Ineffective management, lack of capacity to plan and deliver at micro level, difficulties with bureaucratic structure and weaknesses in the rule of law are main reasons for the dismal performance of successive governments in social sector.
Pakistan received $58 billion in foreign aid from 1950-99, however it systematically underperformed on most of the social and political indicators, this was stated in a recently published United Nations report: UN reforms and civil society engagements.
The report said, Pakistan was the third largest recipient of official development assistance (ODA) after India and Egypt during 1960-98.
Funds use: Criticising policy makers for improper use of funds it said: If Pakistan had invested all the ODA during this period at a real rate of 6 percent, it would have a stock of assets equal to $239 billion in 1998, many times the current external debt.
Talking to Daily Times, Fayyaz Baqir, Senior Adviser on Civil Society of United Nations Office of Resident Coordinator, and writer of the UN report, said, Almost all National Building Departments are at district level, whereas the unit of most of the rural population of the country is local police station, or maximum tehsil. This gap hinders execution of most of the projects and policies, which doesnt bear any fruit even after spending generous funds.
Disorganised communities: He held disorganised communities responsible for the failure of policies and projects launched by the government. Due to inefficiency of mechanism to reach communities at local level, most of the money goes to the pockets of the officials and an artificial helplessness is created. This artificial crisis leads policy makers to seek refuge in looking towards international donors for more donations, he added.
He said there were 56,219 civil society organisations and 65,000 registered and over 100,000 non-registered community organisations in Pakistan.
Baqir said, Contribution of these organisations towards poverty eleviation, health and environment is almost zero because these are responsibilities of the state. The mandate of NGOs is only capacity building.
