Actionaid

Layyah May 15 17, 2007: ActionAid Pakistan in consultation with its long term DA partners planned to mobilize communities of its Development Areas to monitor government's initiatives / achievements towards Millennium Development Goals. In this regard three important steps were planned;

To prepare a manual to monitor the achievements towards MDGs by citizens
To prepare Peoples Report on Achievements towards MDGs

Three day workshop for Community teams / DA partners to conduct community level survey for the report

In this regard a three-day workshop was organized in Layyah in collaboration with Pakistan Welfare Society a long term partner in our DA program in Remote Areas of Thal.

The major objective of the workshop was to finalize the research and data collection tool for collecting information / data and analysing the same data to monitor the progress towards the achievement of MDGs and to build the capacity of the civil society especially the ELBAG Group Members for the proper Monitoring of the MDGs at local Level.

Furthermore to prepare a coordination mechanism among participants for Data Collection Process as to avoid biases and errors in the data collection process for Peoples Report and to ensure proper data entry and interpretation / Tabulation.

The participants pointed out that MDGs are not the destination but a minimum target for developing / under developing countries to reduce poverty. They were of the view that Government has no vision and political will to achieve the MDGs while there is a lack of awareness about MDGs among general masses.

They accused that Government is with drawing from health and education instead of spending more and government deal the issue by fake statistics.

Khadim Hussain shared and facilitated the discussion on globalization especially the role of IFIs and debt policies. He said that there is a difference between the loan taken by a common person/ individual or a country. In case of a country, the loan given is never given in real cash transaction. It is always an exchange/ communication of figures and numbers. It is all theoretical money called debt servicing which is nothing but an exchange of figures. So what actually comes to the country? Previously it was machinery and some other material, but this gradually has changed with the changing circumstances. Now the developing countries get hardly plans or consultants. One added lending commodity is now policy, which is policy lending is what has replaced other forms of lending. Once a country is indebted, then they are no more given, only the amount that they have to pay back is being adjusted, again figures and numbers.

He further explained how we return the loan? Either in the form of debts that has been building on us for years, of which we have to pay an episode every year, where the return is adjusted in; or in the form of material. This material is our export goods such as sugar, cotton, wheat, through which the return takes place that too in the form of adjusted figures and numbers. This also takes place through consultants, profit of material or corruption.

Khadim Hussain pointed out that there is a serious misunderstanding lying here with respect to the amount lent to us and returned back in the particular case of concessional loans. The mechanism that works here is devaluation. For instance a cup was worth Rs.10 which was equal to one dollar. Now, the same cup is, supposedly equal to Rs.10 however now it is equal to 1/6 dollars. That means that our currency is devalued now. In 30 years the value of dollar has increased 6 times, and this leads to 20% devaluation per year at an average rate. That is we have to pay 6 times more than we had taken.

Besides, now loan is not just loan, it is policy prescription coming to developing countries. They are fed and so they have to agree to the policies prescribed.

They don't accept the debt before the fixed time. Once Pakistan paid earlier than the deadline and had to pay fine with it.

He further explained that the new liberal model of International Policy has main three pillars:

      1- Liberalization
      2- De-regularization
      3-Privatization

Economic dependence leads to political dependence. All such transactions are directly linked to the structure of the international political structure. The 1960s model of development was investing in factories in developing countries. That was driven by the capitalist designs of helping countries with poverty so that they don get attracted towards communism. This is no more happening.

Mr.Sikander Brohi introduced the MDGs, its targets and indicators very briefly and explained four phases of monitoring MDGs. The four phases are as follows;

Phase 1: Preparing an MDG Baseline and Monitoring Mechanisms

Phase 2: Developing a Local MDG Response Strategy through Local Consultation

Phase 3: Implementing / Advocating for Implementing a Local MDG Response Strategy

Phase 4: Monitoring and Evaluation

He discussed in details the importance and relevance of such phases including necessary steps to be taken to mobilize the communities for monitoring the achievements towards MDGs

Following two-day discussion and field work on methodology for community intervention to monitor the governments achievements towards MDGs; on third day the participants resolved the specific steps and action points. The wok plan also reflects the annual plan of ELBAG Pakistan. The workshop itself is also important component of the annual ELBAG plan.