KARACHI: Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (R) Maqbool Baqar and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative Samuel Rizk, in their meeting at CM House, decided to mark one year of the “Resilient Sindh: From Pledges to Reconstruction” conference.
The Sindh government, in partnership with UNDP, convened the “Resilient Sindh: From Pledges to Reconstruction” conference in Karachi to garner international and local support for the people of Sindh. The meeting was also attended by Chairman of Planning and Development (P&D) Shakil Mangnejo.
The Chief Minister lauded UNDP’s support to the province’s people through the Flood Recovery Programme, which focuses on housing and community infrastructure, livelihoods recovery, restoring government services, disaster resilience, environmental protection, gender equality, and climate resilience. The CM and UNDP representatives also discussed the “Risk Governance Framework” project.
#UNDPinPakistan RR Samuel Rizk, ARR @ammaradurrani & @SindhSDGsUnit met Caretaker @SindhCMHouse Retd. Justice Maqbool Baqar, to reiterate & deepen partnership pathways with the @SindhGov1 on flood response, risk governance integration, #Agenda2030, and the SDGs Plus Programme. pic.twitter.com/lTwBFAYHc8
— UNDP Pakistan (@UNDP_Pakistan) November 7, 2023
UNDP’s Risk Governance Pilot Project
UNDP has initiated a pilot project for the Risk Governance Framework. One provincial consultant and three district consultants have been engaged for a four-month assignment to provide implementation support. The pilot interventions are being carried out in three districts: Naushehroferoze, Jamshoro, and Thatta, as informed by Chairman P&D Shakil Mangejo to the CM.
The UNDP Representative explained that the pilot districts were chosen based on their housing damage, geographical distribution, and urban-rural representation, with the aim of generating credible evidence for effectiveness before scaling up the program to the entire province, especially in disaster-affected districts.
The CM and the UNDP country chief discussed the progress of ongoing projects, which include support for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) implementation, youth education, employment, empowerment projects, stabilization, and inclusive development programs.
The CM emphasized the severe impact of the 2022 floods on Sindh and the significant resource gap for meeting SDGs. He noted the need for substantial grant financing from development partners and trust funds. The visiting UNDP Representative assured the chief minister of his organization’s support for the rehabilitation efforts in Sindh.
