ISLAMABAD: The caretaker Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Muhammad Sami Saeed, directed relevant stakeholders to expedite the development projects for flood-affected areas under the Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction (4RF) framework, which was launched after the 2022 flood.
The minister issued these directives while chairing a meeting to review progress on the implementation status of the 4RF framework. The meeting was attended by the convener of the Rehabilitation Recovery Unity (RRU), chief economist, joint chief economist, member infrastructure, member environment, and other relevant stakeholders.
During the meeting, the minister received a detailed briefing on the implementation status of the 4RF framework, which encompasses various projects aimed at assisting flood-affected areas across the country.
The official of the ministry told the meeting that Pakistan faced unprecedented devastation due to torrential rains and flooding in most parts of the country, affecting 33 million people and resulting in economic losses worth $30 billion.
In response, the government devised the 4RF framework, which proposed effective coordination and participation arrangements among federal and provincial governments, development partners, donors, international and national NGOs, and academic and private sectors, they said.
They said that in October of the same year, the Post-Damage Needs Assessment (PDNA), conducted jointly by the Government of Pakistan and its international development partners, including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Union, and UN relief agencies, estimated the total cost of the calamity at $30 billion.
In January of this year, Pakistan successfully secured pledges of $10 billion from donors during the International Conference on “Climate Resilient Pakistan”, jointly hosted by Pakistan and the UN in Geneva.
During the meeting, a comprehensive briefing was provided to the minister on the implementation status of the 4RF framework and the various projects being executed for the benefit of flood-affected areas in the country. It was further noted that all projects are being closely supervised, and in this regard, a dashboard will be launched at the Planning Ministry to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of the projects.
They said that the 4FR document suggested effective coordination and participation arrangement among the federal and provincial governments, development partners, donors, international and national NGOs, and academic and private sectors.
Officials of the Ministry of Planning said that a rehabilitation and reconstruction unit was established in the Ministry of Planning for the rehabilitation of the affected people and areas so that the damage caused by the flood can be accurately estimated.
In the briefing, it was further informed that obtaining correct information regarding the affected provinces and individuals is a major challenge, it is difficult to get data from the provinces. They said that the work on the dashboard system in the Ministry of Planning is in progress to bring transparency to the rehabilitation process and the release and remittance of aid funds.
They said that friendly countries and multilateral organisations will be able to view the expenditure on relief operations and the recovery process through a dashboard system.
Caretaker Planning Minister Sami Saeed said that Pakistan has faced many difficulties due to environmental change and may face such a situation in the future. He said that development projects will be continued, especially projects that are directly related to the welfare of the people, cannot be compromised.
He asked that 50 percent of the money from the budget should be spent on projects where donors have either invested less or not at all. He gave special instructions to continue the social sector on a priority basis regarding rehabilitation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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