Pakistan has in recent years made good progress towards improving human resource development and reducing poverty but there is no room for complacency. Many challenges still loom large.
For example, only half of Pakistan's adult population is literate and poor health services and high fertility remain as major obstacles to poverty alleviation, said Yusupha B. Crookes, World Bank Country Director for Pakistan in quarterly e-newsletter.
He said that this quarterly e-newsletter is an endeavour to keep people informed of what the World Bank is doing to support Pakistan. The WB wants Pakistan to achieve and maintain high rates of economic growth, build the capacity of all of its people. "We will use this newsletter to share news and information on our programmes and projects and the insights and results from our research and analytical work on various aspects and sectors of the Pakistan economy". Continuing he said, "Most importantly, we will be sharing the outcome of the World Bank's development partnership with Pakistan.
In the earthquake devastated northern region of Pakistan, Yusupha said, constituting nine districts of the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and the State of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), a culture of seismic resistant construction is taking root. Owner-driven reconstruction of nearly 300,000 of nearly 575,000 houses destroyed/ damaged in the earthquake affected rural areas has begun and is at various stages of completion.
This reconstruction is supported through housing reconstruction grants from the Pakistan Government - a program partly financed by the World Bank through the Emergency Recovery Project (ERP), he added. Yusupha said that the World Bank approved $350 million credit to support the Government of Pakistan's medium-term reform programme. It will also support the privatisation programme, improve the regulatory framework for competition, and enhance female labour force's participation and labour market flexibility, he added.
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