ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development have announced further support for Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
The Fata government has signed a new agreement with the UNDP and the UK’s Department for International Development, at a high-profile event organised at the Governor’s House, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.
This new partnership aims to support the Government of Fata’s reform programme and includes the launch of the Governor’s Strategic Support Unit, said a press release here. Since March 2015, more than 115,000 families (38 percent of those displaced) have returned to their homes in Fata, where they are faced with damaged infrastructure and minimal access to basic services.
The United Kingdom has contributed over GBP 10.25 million GBP 6.25 million through UNDP – to improve governance of the recovery process, provide direct support to returning families to rebuild basic services and livelihoods, and to plan for longer term reform.
An essential element of this support is the establishment of the Governor’s Strategic Support Unit, which will provide additional capacity within the Government to help deliver some of the most important aspects of its reform agenda.
This Unit, launched today, will help the Fata Secretariat and other Fata departments deliver major reform in at least four key sectors of government including education, health, economic development and Fata reforms through additional problem solving and analytical capacity.
With support from the UK, UNDP will also provide technical assistance to Fata Secretariat to develop concrete roadmaps for reform in the complex area of rule of law and justice, including specific reforms in local governance, law enforcement, municipal services, judicial services and land settlements.
In addition, about 300 communities will be engaged in government-led rehabilitation efforts, with 25 community spaces rehabilitated for recreational and other productive activities with active participation by Fata’s youth. Over 6,000 men and women will receive short and medium term employment opportunities.
Tracy Vienings, the UNDP Pakistan Deputy Country Director, said:”After years of fighting and displacement, communities in Fata need all the help we can offer to rebuild. Guided by the Government’s Fata Sustainable Return and Rehabilitation Strategy and with generous assistance from the United Kingdom, UNDP is proud to help them lay the foundations for a prosperous and peaceful future for Fata.
The work of the Governors’ Strategic Support Unit will be essential to achieving this objective.” Joanna Reid, Head of DFID Pakistan, said:”As families from the Fata region return to their homes, and try to rebuild their lives, livelihoods and communities, we understand that they need all the support that they can get.
That’s why the British High Commission through our development programs are working together with the Government of Fata and UNDP to support the return and rehabilitation of IDPs so they can rebuild their lives and have better access to education, health and economic opportunities.
“The setting up of the Governor’s Strategic Support Unit is an important step, providing technical assistance to help implement Government led reforms in key priority areas, and ensure faster service delivery to where it matters most – the people of Fata.”
Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan, the Governor of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, said: “As Fata’s people return to their homes, we are presented with an unprecedented opportunity to plan and implement reforms which will strengthen confidence between communities and governance structures.
“I am proud to launch today the Governor’s Strategic Support Unit which will allow me to monitor the progress of service delivery across Fata, identify the hurdles and propose corrective measures to ensure that all children of Fata have access to quality education, that everyone has access to basic health services and that the people of Fata are given the opportunity to earn a decent living.
The work to be carried out in partnership with UNDP and the United Kingdom is an essential contribution to my legacy of increasing transparency and accountability in Fata.”
