§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking(a) to encourage democratic reform and (b) to assist in institution-building in Pakistan. [188365]
Mr. Gareth ThomasDFID is working to support improvements to the democratic process in Pakistan, including through initiatives to improve grassroots democracy, the embedding of the recently introduced devolution reforms and extensive capacity-building support for the strengthening of key representative bodies. As part of this, DFID is supporting federal and provincial level programmes of Civil Service Reform and Public Sector Development, as well as targeted support for the Ministries of Finance, Education, and Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Women's Development, Social Welfare and Special Education, Comptroller General of Accounts, National Accountability Bureau, Election Commission of Pakistan and others. DFID is also supporting the Faisalabad District Government to evolve and strengthen district governance systems. DFID is also considering some capacity-building support through civil society to small political parties across the political spectrum.
Efforts are also being made through civil society to secure greater representation and accountability of the state to its citizens by enhanced awareness of their entitlements and the participation, particularly of women, in decision-making at all levels of devolved government. In the 2001–02 Local government elections, for example, 32,222 women were elected into union councils and 3,827 women to tehsil/town and district councils. In addition, through contesting open elections, 16 women were elected as union council, tehsil or district nazims (mayors).
1782W