Balochistan is the biggest Province covering 44% of the total Pakistan area, but it has less than 5% of the total population, spread over 33 districts, 725 UCs, and 7,480 villages. of the total population in Balochistan of more than 12 million, 85% is living in the rural areas. Thus, the Government is keenly focusing on Rural Development, but the Province is facing huge logistics- and fiscal-resource-challenges, and the rural people are often facing hardship when basic social services cannot be provided. Our aim is to respond to the rural needs, through reforms in our Local government Act that will result in devolution of power to grassroots level, and empowerment of municipalities and local councils, financially and administratively.

The GoB appreciates the European Union support, as the EU-funded BRACE Programme is fully aligned with our focus on Rural development. BRACE targets 9 districts and directly supports and invest in sustained socio-economic benefits through social mobilization of 300,000 Rural Households. The BRACE Technical Assistance supports the GoB to develop a Community-Driven Local Government and Rural Development Sector Policy & Fiscal Framework, that will enable institutional and fiscal empowerment of the (Sub)-District Authorities, to work hand-in-hand with the mobilized and empowered local Communities.

The EU-funded BRACE Programme supports the Government of Balochistan in reducing the negative impact of economic deprivation, poverty and social inequality, environmental degradation and climate change, and to turn this into opportunities to build and empower resilient communities participating actively in identifying and implementing socioeconomic development activities on a sustainable basis in partnership with local authorities. We will endeavour to build on the positive experiences and impact of the BRACE Programme, and to scale up this type of Rural Development throughout the Province. These reforms will then contribute to provincial, national and even regional stability.