Pakistan, UNDP sign Second Phase of Area Development Programme
Pakistan Times National News Desk

ISLAMABAD: Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Ministry of Economic Affairs and Statistics, Government of Pakistan has approved and signed “Area Development Programme Baluchistan, Phase II” , which is a joint initiative of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Government of Balochistan.

On behalf of UNDP Pakistan, Mr. Haoliang Xu, Country Director, signed the project document. Recognizing the tremendous success achieved in the first phase, which benefited 130,000 people in 9 districts of Baluchistan, UNDP and the Government felt it beneficial to extend and expand this project as a second phase.

Through this initiative, UNDP in collaboration with the Government of Balochistan and World Food Programme (WFP) aims to target poverty alleviation through a variety of activities.

Focus areas include community mobilization and capacity building, local capital generation, improvements in agricultural and livestock productivity, creating income generation activities and improving access to markets and services. In addition, facilitation for access to social sector services will be provided and women’s role in development will be strengthened.

Mr. Haoliang Xu, Country Director UNDP, was encouraged by the first phase of the project and said that “the success of Phase I is a great achievement of the Government and UNDP.

We are confident that in the second phase we will attain greater triumph and help even more lives break the chains of poverty.”

Phase I of this project succeeded in development of 492 Community Organizations with memberships adding up to 8,369 individuals, covering 12,701 households.

Furthermore, these communities saved Rs. 3.58 million, constructing 26 drinking and recharge water ponds and rehabilitated 26 “karazes”.

Realizing the problems of water shortages in the area, 10 diversion dams and valley dikes of 1.12 million cubic feet were also set up to harvest rain water. Hence, a total of 1,744 acres of rangeland was rehabilitated.

This project also focused on building capacity, training 8,726 people in various skills including natural resource management, livestock production and other income generation activities.

Phase II of the project will provide similar support to a larger community in the area. It will have a life of 4 years with a total budget amounting to US$ 14,329,800.

Owing to the success of the previous phase, the Government of Balochistan has committed US$ 4.27 million, along with funding by UNDP of US$ 2.6 million, WFP of US$ 700,000 and the communities’ share (cash / kind) of US$ 1.0 Million. The financing gap of US$ 5,929,800 will be mobilized from other donors.●