Daily Times

PESHAWAR: United Nation Assistant Secretary General and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Director for Asia and Pacific in his visit met with Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra to reiterate their patronage for community resilience, rule of law, dignified return of displaced persons of FATA and others.

In this correlation, Mr Mr Haoliang Xu, UN Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific held separate meetings with key officials of KP and others to seek relevant authorities support for restoring long lasting peace and to carry out developmental activities in KP and FATA.

A news release issued by UNDP saying that KP province is a key partner for UNDP in the national initiative to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the context of KP’s high poverty rate, low literacy and vulnerability to natural and human-made disasters, this collaboration has led to key partnerships to enhance rule of law, youth engagement, economic development, disaster preparedness and recovery, and local governance, it added.

As part of this ongoing partnership, UNDP and the KP government agreed to support ecotourism and procurement to develop campsites in the province’s most scenic locations. This project will promote ecotourism and employ local youth by establishing camping villages in KP with a total outlay of Rs 300 million. With procurement, technical and training support from UNDP, ‘camping pods’ will be procured from international suppliers, camping villages established and basic facilities provided, the release informed.

However, it will not only promote tourism but would also create jobs for local youth, build local economies and foster social cohesion and ecological awareness. UNDP will provide technical support and contribute US$ 50,000 to provide business management training to 500 youth. The Government of KP will contribute the remainder through a cost-sharing agreement, it added.

In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), UNDP is providing holistic support to 200,000 returning households through livelihoods support, basic healthcare, water and sanitation, nutrition, primary education, and child protection activities through the “Community Resilience and Recovery Support to FATA’s Returning TDPs” project funded by the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and focused primarily on Khyber and South Waziristan agencies.

Mr. Xu’s who visits to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province also took part in inauguration ceremony of Command and Control Centre (CCC) at Peshawar’s Central Police Office together with Salah-ud-Din Khan Mehsud, Inspector General of Police, KP.

UNDP supported the installation of a European Union-funded Data Analysis Centre (DAC) at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Central Police Office. The DAC consists of two halls and the one serves as an operations room for quick collection, processing and dissemination of crime and public safety-related data for informed decision making. The other is a CCC that monitors security planning and operations, he added.

“UNDP reiterates its commitment to partnering with KP province to help build a future of sustainable development and peace for its entire people,” said Mr Xu’s.The United Nations Resident Coordinator Mr Neil Buhne and UNDP Country Director Mr Ignacio Artaza were also present at the meeting.