Thematic Areas of Focus
| Gender | Governance | Sustainable Livelihoods | Programme Support |

Summary
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UNDP Pakistan addresses the issue of poverty eradication and SHD through three programme areas: (a) governance; (b) gender; and (c) sustainable livelihoods. Each of these thematic programmes have four elements: (a) capacity-building; (b) alliance-building; (c) resource mobilization; and (d) support to advocacy activities. Several programme management and support facilities have been established to underpin this programme structure.

The entire programme, with each of its sub-programmes, is viewed as strategic in nature. This implies that substantial impact, particularly in such a large and complex country as Pakistan, will be achieved only over time. Nonetheless, programme design ensure achievable targets within the six-year time frame of the CCF. Intermediate, three-year targets are also defined in each case to facilitate an impact evaluation at this juncture.

Poverty eradication

Poverty eradication is the over arching objective of the CCF. Each programme is directed towards improving the living standards of the poorest segments of society and to take account of the increasing incidence of urban poverty. It also includes an urban dimension. Individual and community empowerment is a common thread throughout the CCF. Another common thread is to support the Social Action Programme, on the premise that basic education and health are essential pre-requisites for poverty eradication, SHD and, indeed, for economic growth and employment-creation. Finally, close links are maintained with the UNDP regional poverty programme, undertaken under the aegis of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
 
 

 

Governance

 

Gender

 

Sustainable livelihoods

 

Objectives. The issue of poverty and the environment must be addressed in Pakistan at two levels: (a) interventions that address the poverty/environment nexus in a given geographical area of Pakistan, defined principally by the needs of the local community, especially its disadvantaged members; and (b) interventions that address global environmental concerns in the context of Pakistan. UNDP efforts will be directed to adding the human dimension to environmental issues, as well as in contributing to Pakistan’s technical capacity.

Strategies. Taking its lead from the National Conservation Strategy the programme will advance environmental policy-making and capacity-building of national institutions.

The principal downstream thrust of its nationally driven sub-programmes will be to refine further the area-based programmes that represent the pillars of UNDP practical poverty eradication efforts. The programme will also include interventions in several urban centres, building on the experience already gained on a micro-scale with the local initiative facility for urban development (LIFE) programme. In each area, the UNDP-supported programmes will seek to match integrated planning and resource management with community empowerment.

Taking global environmental concerns as its starting point, the Sustainable Livelihoods Programme will also provide the framework within which resources such as the Multilateral Fund of the Montreal Protocol and the Global Environmental Facility will continue to be mobilized for Pakistan. This will build on an already quite successful range of activities funded from these sources, in areas such as biodiversity and vehicular pollution. Wherever possible, however, the accent will be on assisting poor communities, consistent with the emphasis of the programme as a whole.

Being by their nature decentralized in terms of management, comprehensive in scope and geographically delimited in ambit, each of the sub-programmes will include specific local collaborative arrangements with other donors as well as locally active NGOs and CBOs. It will also expand the close links between UNDP and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), which has agreed to fund the capital requirements for several of the programmes.

Expected outcomes. The main outcomes of the programme will include: (a) specific policy and programme recommendations for national debate, based on analysis of environmental issues; (b) quantifiable poverty reduction through a series of targeted programmes, addressing the poverty/environment nexus in some of the poorest communities in the country, in an integrated, multisectoral manner; (c) a similar programme in three poor urban areas, building upon the experience of the LIFE programme; (d) a quantifiable reduction in industrial pollution and consequent ill health in the tannery area of Kasur; and (e) a quantifiable reduction in vehicular pollution throughout the country.