KP Launches Accelerated Program for Merged Areas in Development Partners Summit

The Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has announced the details of its most ambitious interventions in the newly Merged Areas with the launch of the second phase of the Accelerated Implementation Programme (AIP) to chart the course of development in the region for the next three years.

The government specified in a session that it wants to be bolder in resolving the challenges of the underdeveloped region to bring it on par with the rest of the province by presenting its vision to do so at the Merged Areas Development Partners’ Summit organized by the Planning & Development Department, Government of KP in Islamabad.

The session was attended by the Korean Ambassador to Pakistan; diplomats from Japan, Germany, and the Canadian High Commission; and representatives from the European Union Delegation to Pakistan, the United States Aid for International Development (USAID), the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), the INL, the KfW, the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

KP’s Minister for Finance, Taimur Khan Jhagra, opened the session by describing the government’s journey and challenges since the merger of former FATA with KP.

He said, “KP has had little fiscal space but we still overcame the shortfalls in funding for MA with our own resources despite an annual shortfall of more than Rs. 70 billion. We are committed to MA for the long run, and will weather any financial or security challenges to make good on our promises”.

KP’s Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Shahab Ali Shah, presented a detailed presentation on the AIP II, which has been designed with the input of the people of the MA and sector experts with international standing. The AIP II will build on the gains in health, infrastructure, agriculture, education, and the other sectors already worked on.

He also mentioned that the provincial government is working on a mechanism to coordinate with the development partners in high-level meetings and technical working groups to ensure every cent of their donation makes the most impact in the lives of the people of merged areas.

Resident Representative UNDP Pakistan, Knut Ostby, spoke via teleconference from Norway and congratulated the government for the work done and progress made in MA since the merger. He expressed hope that the innovations, solutions laboratory, and Special Emphasis Programmes in AIP II will continue to foster a culture of context-specific and data-driven solutions.

The provincial Minister for Higher Education, Kamran Bangash, described how he had implemented the provision of transport for students and had started Bachelor’s degree programs in the MA.

The provincial Minister for Labour and Culture, Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, thanked the development partners for assisting the provincial government by transforming the lives of the people of the MA.