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The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is exploring innovative ways to channel development funds through Pakistani government agencies and public, private and non-governmental institutions. Mission Director Bob Wilson said that USAID has no plans to suspend any existing projects.
In the coming weeks, a high level US government strategic planning team assembled in Islamabad will make recommendations on the structure of future projects to be funded by the US government. "We are evaluating how best to deliver our assistance and exploring avenues to channel more funds directly through Pakistani institutions," Wilson said. "This emerging strategy will apply to programs funded by recent and future appropriations by Congress.
The new strategy will focus in part on strengthening governance capacity at the provincial and local levels to improve service delivery while adhering to strict monitoring and reporting requirements of the US Congress on development assistance." Other envisaged programs will assist the government in priority areas such as energy, job creation, and strengthening democratic and judicial institutions.
All the programs will be designed in close consultation with, and in many cases directly administered by, the Pakistani government and non-governmental institutions. "We are aiming to align our programs behind Pakistani development efforts in a way that has not been the practice in recent years. It's not about merely using Pakistani implementers.
Rather it is more to substantially support Pakistani initiatives having strong potential for sustainability." Wilson affirmed that no wholesale suspension of projects or termination of staff on current programs is expected as part of the strategic evaluation, and that USAID will honour all its existing contractual commitments.
Humanitarian assistance including food aid will continue for populations displaced by conflict and natural disasters as needs arise. While speculation is a natural by-product of planning exercises, any recent staff changes among USAID-supported activities are part of a USAID portfolio's natural evolution and not indicative of more to come, he said.
Current activities will continue their scheduled termination dates. "Big changes in US assistance to Pakistan are imminent, but not at the expense of the important work that our partners are now doing," Wilson said. "We believe that future assistance through various institutions with an emphasis on local capacity will ensure services are delivered efficiently and sustainably for the long term benefit of the Pakistani people," he said.

Copyright Associated Press of Pakistan, 2009

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