50 Years of Partnership an Overview of Norway-Pakistan Development Cooperation (1969-2018)
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50 Years of Partnership An Overview of Norway-Pakistan Development Cooperation (1969-2018) Royal Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad DISCLAIMER This report was completed with the support of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Islamabad. However, the author takes sole responsibility for the authenticity of its contents and no responsibility/liability whatsoever rests with the Royal Norwegian Embassy Islamabad for any omissions or statements made in this report. This report presents a historical account of Norway's development cooperation with Pakistan, from 1969 to 2018. Each sector that Norway has supported in Pakistan during last 50 years has been addressed separately. Within each sector, the description includes an overview of the sector, challenges and a brief overview of projects funded by Norway, and the impacts thereof. Readers are advised not to interpret this report as an evaluation per se, as it has primarily been drawn on secondary reviews and information obtained from a select number of partners through meetings and telephone conversations. Islamabad, 15 April 2019 Abdulaziz Usmani Consultant (For feedback/comments: [email protected]) MESSAGE FROM HIS EXCELLENCY, AMBASSADOR KJELL-GUNNAR ERIKSEN This report presents a historical account of the 50 years of Norway's development cooperation with Pakistan, from 1969 to 2018. During these years, there are numerous areas where Norwegian assistance was extended to Pakistan through federal and provincial government agencies, national and international civil society organisations, the UN system, and multilateral banks. With over one billion human beings living in extreme poverty in the world, we consider it a global responsibility to help people in need, contribute to long-term development and move towards a more equitable world. This is what we aim and stand for and that is why the overall goal of the Norwegian development cooperation covers eradication of extreme poverty, women empowerment, ensuring good governance, respect for human rights and contributing to rights-based implementation of the SDGs. Pakistan is a young and fast-growing nation, eager and impatient to move forward. Its potential is enormous, but there are also challenges where our assistance can contribute in creating a better future for Pakistan. Improving conditions for those in need, consolidating the growing democracy, building robust government institutions, and creating a level-playing field free from corruption, will benefit all of Pakistan. Norway has provided financial assistance to Pakistan in response to the pressing needs in various sectors as identified by the Government of Pakistan. The Norwegian assistance focuses both on immediate results and impacts for contributing to the development for the future of Pakistan, while our work simultaneously supports Pakistan and Norway's shared social development objectives. This report provides an overview of Norway's continuous work over five decades to support social development in Pakistan. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge all those who have contributed in preparing this report. This report could not have been possible without the painstaking efforts and collective wisdom of Mr. Abdulaziz Usmani and our development team. I am grateful to all our collaborators and partners for this collective effort. Islamabad, 15 April 2019 Kjell-Gunnar Eriksen Ambassador Royal Norwegian Embassy Islamabad ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I feel truly honoured to have been assigned the responsibility of documenting the trajectory of Norway's development assistance to Pakistan. It can rightly be termed as a 'farewell assignment', as I take it as a befitting goodbye gesture upon my departure after serving the Royal Norwegian Embassy, in Islamabad for almost 25 years. This assignment has provided me an opportunity to reflect upon the commencement and evolution of Norway's engagement in Pakistan’s socio-economic development, which will mark its 50th year in 2019. This report is the product of a team effort, including by staff at the Norwegian Embassy and by Norway's development partners. I am, therefore, grateful to everyone who has contributed in any way to finalizing this report. I am particularly indebted to the former Norwegian Ambassador, H.E. Tore Nedrebø, as it was his idea to consolidate and document the Norway-Pakistan development partnership – to look at how Norway's development assistance has touched peoples' lives across Pakistan. I am personally indebted to him for trusting me to undertake this important assignment and for his thoughtful guidance and encouragement during the course of its completion. I also take this opportunity to thank the incumbent Norwegian ambassador, H.E. Kjell-Gunnar Eriksen, for his stewardship and steering this important assignment towards its orderly completion. I thank Mr Arne Haug (Head of Development) for his guidance and support. I am also grateful to Mr Jørn Wichne Pedersen (First Secretary) for acting as the focal point for this assignment, providing continued guidance and critical inputs to the report, and kindly taking responsibility for final editing and formatting of the report. Many thanks to Ms Silje Kotte for providing access to the Embassy archives; and hearty thanks to members of the Embassy's development team, Mr Naufil Naseer and Mr Tanweer Sheikh, for their timely facilitation and support. I also thank the representatives of Norway's development partners who very kindly took time out of their busy schedules to provide the information requested of them. It was indeed a challenging, yet enriching experience, to undertake this assignment. It gave me a different perspective of the work of Norway's development partners, coupled with an opportunity to objectively assess the impact of their work. On a personal level, this assignment added to my confidence and enabled deeper reflection on the Embassy's development partnerships with the Government of Pakistan, the UN system, multilateral banks, and civil society organisations. Islamabad, 15 April 2019 Abdulaziz Usmani Consultant/Former Programme Advisor Royal Norwegian Embassy Islamabad TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................. 2 1 BACKGROUND ...................................................................................................................... 5 1.1 SECTOR-WISE IMPACTS/KEY RESULTS .................................................................................... 6 2 PROGRAMMES AND PROJECTS ............................................................................................ 16 2.1 COMMODITY/TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ................................................................................. 16 2.2 ENERGY SECTOR .................................................................................................................... 17 2.3 EDUCATION SECTOR ............................................................................................................. 20 2.4 GOOD GOVERNANCE SECTOR ............................................................................................... 30 2.5 HUMAN RIGHTS SECTOR ....................................................................................................... 39 2.6 HEALTH SECTOR .................................................................................................................... 52 2.7 CULTURE SECTOR .................................................................................................................. 54 2.8 ENVIRONMENT SECTOR ........................................................................................................ 62 2.9 PEACE AND RECONCILIATION SECTOR .................................................................................. 67 2.10 DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (DRR)/DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT (DRM) SECTOR ............. 71 2.11 MISCELLANEOUS PROJECTS .................................................................................................. 76 3 CONCLUSION / FINDINGS .................................................................................................... 79 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As we mark 50 years of development cooperation between Norway and Pakistan, this report charts the trajectory of their partnership, from its beginning in 1969 to 2018. The central aim of this report is to understand more clearly Norway’s impressive contribution to socio-economic progress in Pakistan, and to highlight how Norway's assistance has touched peoples' lives across Pakistan. Norwegian development assistance to Pakistan began with the provision of commodity and technical assistance, before evolving to project and, ultimately, to programme support. Over the years, Norway’s support has diversified both in terms of the sectors it has supported, and in its portfolio of development partners – from the Government to national/international non- governmental organisations (NGOs), UN agencies and multilateral institutions. According to official statistics, Norway has provided more than NOK 4.9 billion to Pakistan since 1969 (approximately USD 570 million/PKR 80 billion). However, Norway's support to Pakistan through the UN core funds and other international channels – such as co-financing projects with other donors – is over and above this bilateral assistance. As of the 1980s, cooperation evolved from commodity assistance to project support, before evolving still further into programme support from the early 1990s onward. Throughout this period, Norway placed greater emphasis