Citizens participation in their affairs and government accountability for quality and timeliness service delivery increases proportionately the frequency and level of interaction between the two. This was the recurrent refrain during a development dialogue seminar on the 'Decentralisation and Local Government - Reform Challenges, Lessons, and Policy Choices for Pakistan,' held here on Thursday.
This development dialogue is part of the on-going effort by the World Bank to facilitate global knowledge sharing on key economic issues and how these affect development work in Pakistan. The seminar was chaired by the Federal Minister for Infer-provincial Co-ordination, Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani.
Bijarani said that the 18th Constitutional Amendment is the bed rock on which the edifice of decentralisation and local governance is being constructed in Pakistan. He said that the government believes in delivering the benefits of responsive governance in an accountable and transparent manner down to the grassroots level. This, he said, can best be ensured through a robust and functioning, three tier system where the federal, provincial and local governments perform their mandated functions for the betterment of citizens.
Decentralisation is an important process for establishing a participatory model of governance, said Rachid Benmossaoud, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan. "Global experience shows that decentralisation can lead to significant improvement in overall governance, and can enhance the quantity and quality of public services delivered to the people, as it establishes a higher level of accountability to the stakeholders."
Professor Roy Bahi of Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University, USA, compared various decentralisation models under implementation globally. He said that decentralisation moves government closer to the citizens and improves revenue mobilization. George Mathew, Chairman Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi shared the Indian experience in local government and how it has evolved over the decades. 'Decentralisation is not delegation, but devolution of functions, functionaries, finance and freedom of discussion," is how he defined decentralisation.
Representatives from the provincial governments of Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Punjab briefed the participants about the recent changes in their respective local government laws and systems. District Co-ordination Officers (DCOs) from all four provinces shared their perspectives on implementation of decentralisation and real life experiences underlined the importance of constant monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the local governance system continues to evolve with the needs and aspirations of the citizens. A large number of development partners and representatives of donor community also attended the seminar.-PR
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