Gender and Development

Pakistan

Loan 1938-PAK: Decentralization Support Program, 2002¹

Background:

PAK-Decentralization Support Program (DSP) Loan seeks to create an enabling environment with systems, procedures and fiscal arrangements that will result in local governments more efficiently and effectively mobilizing and managing resources, thus facilitating improved public access to basic services and entitlements, particularly impacting on the poor and marginalized. This program loan was designed with a gender and development theme as it aims to implement the Government's commitments on gender reform and social development.

Top

Objectives and Scope:

DSP's goal is improved local government representation, accountability, service delivery and poverty reduction. The policy objectives are:

1. sufficient federal support for devolution and related reforms
2. effective local-province intergovernmental relations
3. sustainable local government planning and fiscal management systems resulting in efficient and equitable delivery of services

These policy objectives will be achieved through reforms and associated actions in three areas:

1. policies, laws and regulations
2. institutional strengthening and capacity building
3. fiscal restructuring and budgetary measures

Implementation of the reform agenda is supported by two Technical Assistance (TA) loans: TA1: Local Government Performance Enhancement; and, TA2: Gender and Governance Mainstreaming to support implementation of the Gender Reform Action Plans (GRAPs).

Top

Framework for GAD Activities:

The economic, social and political status of women in Pakistan is one of the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. Despite improvements over the last 30 years, Pakistan ranks 135th out of 174 countries under the Gender and Development Index based on life expectancy, educational attainment and income measures. In terms of the Gender Empowerment Measurement, which measures gender inequality in economic and political participation and decision-making, Pakistan ranks 100th out of 102 countries. Women face limited representation in public sector institutions and access to administrative and judicial powers.

The Government's initiatives to address gender inequality have been largely ineffective due to weak political, administrative and fiscal support. A Women's Development Ministry (MOWD) at the federal level and Women's Development Departments (WDDs) at the provincial levels have been established. The Ministry, however, faces considerable resource constraints and as yet lacks a comprehensive policy framework and institutional capacity to mainstream gender across sectors and at different levels of Government. There are almost no formal administrative linkages between the Ministry, WDD, and other key ministries and departments. Focal points in line ministries lack relevant training. The WDD operates limited welfare services for women and there is no office at the district level specifically dealing with issues of women's rights, welfare and development in a comprehensive and cohesive manner.

To address these associated problems, the ADTA: Gender Reform Program was designed prior to the DSP Loan to help the Government revise its gender policy framework as well as strengthen its institutional capacity and mechanisms dealing with gender issues.² To ensure sustainability of the Gender Reform Program, the ADTA had two components:

1. technical support to MOWD, National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the WDDs for the formulation, approval and implementation of Gender Reform Action Plans (GRAPs
2. capacity building of MOWD and WDDs to initiate and institutionalize the process of reform through the establishment of institutional reform cells (IRCs) and training of permanent professional staff of MOWD and WDDs and other relevant ministries and departments

Through extensive consultation and background studies, one national and four provincial (Baluchistan, Punjab, Sindh and Northwest Frontier) GRAPs have been developed based on the National Plan of Action (1998) and the National Policy for Development and Empowerment of Women (2002).

The GRAPs promote four central policy reform areas in gender and governance:

1. improved women's representation and participation in political and administrative structures
2. a policy shift from social welfare to social development, and from women's development to gender equality
3. restructuring of institutions and procedures dealing with gender and social development issues including the MOWD, NCSW and WDDs
4. planning and budgetary processes that narrow the gender gap in public expenditure and service provision

Top

Gender Inclusive Design:

While the Gender and Governance Mainstreaming technical assistance loan associated with the DSP specifically focuses on women's political participation and development, all parts of the DSP loan have significant gender dimensions. As gender is an integral component of the DSP, there is no specific gender strategy prepared in the loan documents. The entry points for gender mainstreaming across DSP are outlined below:

1. Main Program Loan:

The overall Program Loan is released under policy-based conditions attached for the release of its two tranches, worth $120 million and $150 million respectively. One of the conditions for loan effectiveness and tranche one release include promulgation of the Local Government Ordinance which stipulates 33% seats reserved for women by all provinces.The Government of Pakistan has fulfilled this policy action condition.

Tranche two conditions include:

1. Cabinet approval of Federal and Provincial GRAPs
2. Establishment of performance-based grants and matching grants in each province for implementation of priority policies concerning poverty, gender and local revenue mobilization


2. TA1: Local Government Performance Enhancement

This component of DSP addresses the capacity and systems development needs of all those in local government - elected representatives, the administration, civil society - and of the provincial and federal bodies/departments associated with local government. The MOWD is one of the four federal implementing agencies, eligible to sponsor projects under TA1 to ensure gender is mainstreamed into the local government reform process.

TA1 is a demand-driven program that responds to Technical Investment Proposals (TIPs) designed by stakeholders at all levels. The TIPs are used to address DSP's gender-related objectives under two broad categories:

1. Those directly impacting women's political participation and development such as a TIP sponsored by the MOWD to study women's participation in the local government system
2. Those indirectly impacting women and gender equality such as the Policy Dialogue Strategy and orientation of local government reforms

Future TA1 investments include plans to reach out more directly to women (e.g. councilors, civil society organizations) to strengthen their capacity to generate TIPs to meet their specific needs.

3. TA2: Gender and Governance Mainstreaming

A key purpose of the DSP is to support mainstreaming of gender and social development considerations in all aspects of local government affairs. TA2 is designed to provide funds for implementation of GRAP activities by MOWD and WDDs after approval by Federal Cabinet of the provincial and national GRAPs. To date, concurrences have been received from all levels of government to participate in the program. GRAPs have been formulated and have been approved by the national and three out of four provincial governments with the exception of Northwest Frontier Province. Federal Cabinet approved national and provincial GRAPs in May 2005.

4. ADTA: Support for Gender and Governance Reform Implementation

An additional ADTA is under preparation for Support to Gender and Governance Reform Implementation to mainstream gender across all DSP and other governance loans that are cross linked to DSP such as the Access to Justice Program. The ADTA will comprise of four components: a) Gender Reform Program Management; b) Gender and Governance Resource Pool; c) Performance Monitoring and Evaluation and d) Policy Dialogue and Public Communications. One of the areas that the ADTA team will be focusing on for policy development is women's political participation.

Top

Guidance on GAD Activities:

The Pakistan GS's initiative to launch a national level gender reform action program as an integral part of a major Decentralization Support Program Loan has been a unique example of a policy level gender intervention in the governance sector. GRAPs aim to introduce systemic and institutional level reforms to raise the status of women within the state and society, reorient objectives of assistance to women from welfare to development so that women are increasingly empowered with access to education and training, health services, employment opportunities as well as participation in decision-making positions and the political process.

Given the fragile political structure with frequent dissolution of cabinets and weak coalition governments, limited political will, un-conducive policy environment for gender reforms, centralized fiscal and administrative system, and limited gender capacity of the Executing Agency (Ministry of Finance), the implementation of GRAPs can still run into major obstacles. Nevertheless, the GRAP formulation and approval process up to this point in itself has generated effective dialogue on and ownership of gender reforms in the country and that is already a remarkable achievement. The Pakistan GS will continue to provide technical and policy level support to MOWD and WDDs throughout the implementation process of the GRAPs.