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Human
Development
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Human Development Commission
As many of you know that the president of Pakistan had appointed the "Task
Force on Human Development", this past summer. The Task Force (TF) was
given the responsibility to develop a blue print for a human development program
to be implemented in the country. Dr. Nasim Ashraf was the chairperson and the
president of Pakistan was the "Patron in Chief" for this TF. Two other
officers of HDF, Drs. Khalid Riaz and Musadik Malik were also appointed to the
TF. Also, almost a dozen young Pakistani Americans put their studies and careers
on hold and went to Pakistan to work as analysts and program assisstants in
the Task Force.
The Task Force presented it's action plan to the President of Pakistan in January
who accepted the recommendations and
appointed a National Commission on
Human Development under the chairmanship
of Dr. Nasim Ashraf. The commission
will be an "autonomous"
body whose chairman will report directly
to the President (who will be the
Patron in Chief), and will be the
top agency in the country to guide
the human development activities.
It will not only make policy recommendations
but also develop thirteen model districts
in the country. The commission expects
to receive funding for these activities
from the Ministry of Education and
many international institutional donors.
It is uncertain at this time how the
commission will be structured and
governed but the President of Pakistan
has assured transparency in structure
and functions. It is also not very
clear yet which parts of the programs
the commission will implement itself
and which parts it will outsource
to other NGOs, though it is believed
that it will have to work through
existing NGOs if it is to keep up
with the scope and pace of work it
has set for itself.
We believe this is a moment of great pride for the workers of HDF. The activists
of HDF, started a movement for positive social change when the concept of human
development was not well known in our community, and there was no glamour or
proximity to power(ful individuals) associated with it. Through their hard work
the concept of human development has now come to the forefront of the national
policy debate, and echoes of our mission statement are being heard at places
where decisions are made about the future of the people of Pakistan. We facilitated
this change by:
a) Developing an infrastructure of volunteers and donors who were willing to
give time and financial resources for this cause
b) Lobbying by our officers
c) Commitment and selfless work of our staff in Pakistan
d) And last but not the least by providing a forum where many of these ideas
were initially developed, debated and crystallized.
The appointment of the commission has the potential of opening many new doors
of opportunity for HDF:
a) We hope that HDF is one of the NGOs selected to do the fieldwork for the
commission on a contractual basis. This will give us an opportunity to refine
and expand the scope of our services.
b) This will also enable us as a community to set an example of collaboration
between civil society and government, something in which we have always believed
in.
However the potential opportunity will also bring in many new challenges:
a) Competition for resources, since some of our activists may be working full
time for the comission, and the commission intends to raise funds from the Diaspors,
including North American Expatriates.
b) A need for clear articulation on the relationship between the commission
and HDF, so we can maintain and strengthen our independent identityas an autonomous
civil society organization.
c) Clear and frequest communication between the leadership and the activists
of HDF to avoid the kind of misunderstandings that crept up in relationship
to the Task Force.
d) Enhance the transparency in the working of HDF to avoid misunderstanding.
The establishment of this commission under the patronage of the President of
Pakistan has provided us with a unique opportunity for collaboration between
the government and civil society organizations for the benefit of the masses,
without either side compromising its identity and responsibility.
Date/Time Last Modified: 6/17/2002 4:34:07 PM
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