New York, September 24, 2009 ─ The Government of Pakistan and the World Bank announced today the establishment of a Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF), designed to restore infrastructure, services and livelihoods in the country’s conflict-affected areas of Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP), Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and parts of Balochistan.
The conflict in the NWFP and FATA led to one of the worst security crises in Pakistan’s history, displacing 2.7 million people and severely disrupting the lives, livelihoods, and provision of normal public services.
“Today, three months after the military campaign in the Swat Valley began, security is improving and schools have reopened in most places,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “It is critical now to reach the millions of people touched by this massive disruption with quick and effective assistance. I am delighted to announce that the World Bank has agreed, at the request of Pakistan and its partners, to create and manage this trust fund which will provide a coordinated financing mechanism for investments to support reconstruction and peace building.”
The MDTF, which was announced at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Summit today, will support a comprehensive reconstruction and development strategy. This will be guided by a post-conflict needs assessment currently being prepared by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations, and European Commission. It will assess damage and reconstruction needs and provide a strategy for addressing the underlying grievances fueling the conflict such as social inequities, endemic poverty, and weak governance.
Zoellick said a strong international response is needed to help Pakistan overcome these and other development challenges. The international community’s determination to help Pakistan cope with its conflict and its consequences was highlighted at the Tokyo Conference where over $5 billion was pledged.
“We hope to see a strong support from Pakistan’s development partners to this important trust fund,” said Zoellick. “Our experience with the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and other such mechanisms has demonstrated again and again the value of pooling financial assistance under the overall leadership of a government. We should apply this experience in Pakistan.”
The conflict in the NWFP and FATA led to one of the worst security crises in Pakistan’s history, displacing 2.7 million people and severely disrupting the lives, livelihoods, and provision of normal public services.
“Today, three months after the military campaign in the Swat Valley began, security is improving and schools have reopened in most places,” said World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick. “It is critical now to reach the millions of people touched by this massive disruption with quick and effective assistance. I am delighted to announce that the World Bank has agreed, at the request of Pakistan and its partners, to create and manage this trust fund which will provide a coordinated financing mechanism for investments to support reconstruction and peace building.”
The MDTF, which was announced at the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Summit today, will support a comprehensive reconstruction and development strategy. This will be guided by a post-conflict needs assessment currently being prepared by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, United Nations, and European Commission. It will assess damage and reconstruction needs and provide a strategy for addressing the underlying grievances fueling the conflict such as social inequities, endemic poverty, and weak governance.
Zoellick said a strong international response is needed to help Pakistan overcome these and other development challenges. The international community’s determination to help Pakistan cope with its conflict and its consequences was highlighted at the Tokyo Conference where over $5 billion was pledged.
“We hope to see a strong support from Pakistan’s development partners to this important trust fund,” said Zoellick. “Our experience with the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund and other such mechanisms has demonstrated again and again the value of pooling financial assistance under the overall leadership of a government. We should apply this experience in Pakistan.”
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