Pakistan: Community Voice in Planning, 1996-1999

The Community Voice in Planning initiative, a collaboration between United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and CIET to support government planners in their decision-taking, took place between 1996 and 1999. Three topics were chosen, following government priorities in its Social Action Programme: the gender gap in primary education, community responses to water and sanitation risks, and the bond of care between mother and child and its effect on child nutrition.

Work was carried out in three of the country’s four provinces: Balochistan, North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Sindh. Since provincial planning requires one set of facts and solutions and district planning another, “focus districts” were selected within each province to demonstrate the process at both levels. Rawalpindi district in Punjab province also participated in the initiative.

Each annual fact-finding cycle collected views and experiences from around 25,000 households. Each topic was also discussed in 2-300 gender-stratified focus groups. Communities and planners considered local solutions for identified problems, and how planners could collaborate with communities to achieve more for the same or lower cost. Their conclusions were formulated as district and provincial plans of action. Findings were widely communicated through the media, adding transparency and political incentive for change.

For details of each cycle please select from the list below.

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