Workshop on Human Opportunity and Decentralisation of Social Services held

World Bank Country Director Rachid Benmessaoud has said that importance of instituting political accountability along with enhanced capacity building are the two most important features that have emanated during research carried out by World Bank on Human Opportunity Index (HOI) across several countries.
He was addressing the workshop on Human Opportunity and Decentralisation of Social Services in Pakistan, jointly organised by World Bank and Institute of Public Policy Beaconhouse National University here on Saturday. Federal Minister for Professional and Technical Training Riaz Hussain Pirzada, vice-chancellor BNU Sartaj Aziz, Secretary Planning and Development Board Punjab Ali Tahir, Dean BNU Dr Hafiz. A. Pasha, Former Advisor to CM Sindh Dr Kaiser Bengali also spoke on the occasion.
Rachid said Human Opportunity Index (HOI) developed by World Bank will be helpful in addressing the human development challenges. He said good decentralisation should in principle improve technical efficiency in health and education. He further said decentralisation plans should be designed by demonstrating cultural sensitivity to local hierarchies and social structures.
Secretary P&D Board Punjab Ali Tahir said that department has made HOI report on Punjab, which will be expected to launch in the second half of this year adding that major work on this report had been done. He also said that Punjab has adopted all the projects devolved by the federal government. Regarding vertical projects Ali Tahir said that federal government would continue to finance these projects till the next NFC Award.
Dr Kaiser Bangali said that it is not necessary that growth should reduce inequality. He also said that without political will no change is possible and decentralisation should be according with the ground realities. He also said that decentralisation of Pervez Musharraf fractured the system and this system created war lords especially in Sindh who create hurdles during the flood for the provincial administration. He said that Shaukat Aziz was master in the art of misquoting the data.
Dr Hafiz Pasha and Director Research Lahore School of Economics Naved Hamid said that it is good that bank is now focusing on inequality besides working on the growth strategy. They also said that this instrument would be helpful for the researchers. They suggested that this instrument will be helpful for the P&D board and they can use this instrument in Provincial Finance Commission Award adding that with the help of this instrument it will be easy to them to know that which district needs more funds and in which sector. They suggested that bank should involve local researcher and local researchers should be given a chance to work with international experts. Economists during the discussion brought to surface the findings on Pakistan's progress in coverage and equitable access to basic health and education opportunities both at the provincial and local level by developing HOI. The discussion widened the understanding of the prospects offered after 18th amendment to the constitution by throwing light on increasing difficulties, current challenges to the government and hard policy choices available to the decision makers.
Discussion also revolved around several critical issues in the context of 18th amendment. A number of issues like lack of linkage between taxation and benefits at sub-national level, more fiscal equalisation in transfers to local governments, and need to focus on mobilisation of more resources from AIT, Sales Tax on Services and taxes on real estate were identified as some of the most emerging issues visa-viz recent decentralisation experience in Pakistan.
The discussion, which took place in the back drop of the recent World Bank report on HOI in twenty countries across South Asia, Africa and Latin America. The report looks in to the equality of the opportunities for children that could improve the "likelihood of a child to maximise his or her human potential"; it delineates the fact that in period between 1988 and 1999 and 2007 and 2008, the level of HOI for education is still low in Pakistan relative to all Latin American countries and many African countries. Although there has been progress between 1988 and 1999 and 2007 and 2008 in HOI in education, health and infrastructure, health opportunities related to birth (parental care) have still been relatively low across Pakistan, except Karachi. Similarly, equality of opportunity has been faster in primary then in secondary education.