BRACE Implementing Partners

Government of Balochistan

BRACE/Footer/Government of Balochistan

The Government of Balochistan is based in the largest province of Pakistan in Quetta. The head of the province is the Governor, who is nominated by the President of Pakistan. The chief executive of the Government of Balochistan is the Chief Minister who is elected by the Balochistan Assembly and the administrative boss of the province is the Chief Secretary of Balochistan who is appointed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

Government Of Balochistan

Introduction

The grant component of the five-year Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment Programme (BRACE) is being implemented by three implementing partners, namely RSPN, NRSP and BRSP in 249 Union Councils of aforementioned eight districts of Balochistan. The programme focuses on empowering citizens and communities and providing them with the means to implement community-driven socio-economic development interventions. It will also amplify their voice and capability to influence public policy decision-making through active engagement with local authorities for quality, inclusive and equitable service delivery, and civic-oversight. The EU has also engaged the services of Hulla & Human Dynamics (H&H), an Austrian company,

to enable the Government of Balochistan to foster an enabling environment for strengthening the capacities of local government/authorities to manage and involve communities in the statutory local public-sector planning, financing, and implementation processes. The Programme also has a Public Finance Management (PFM) component, which will work closely with H&H to assist the Government of Balochistan to cost and fund the community-led development policy framework. Clearly defined fiscal and regulatory frameworks, budgetary processes and commitments will be reflected in a multi-annual budgetary framework and defined institutional arrangements.

Message

Message from the Chief Minister, Government of Balochistan

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.

BRACE Programme Target Districts

The BRACE Programme targets 300,000 households in 211 Union Councils.

The households will be reached through 16,531 Community Organizations (CO), 2,685 Village Organizations (VO), 211 Local Support Organizations (LSO) at Union Council level, and 27 LSO Networks at Tehsil level, and 09 LSOs at district level.

Drawing on 33,062 CO activists/office bearers, 5,370 VO members and 422 LSO office bearers, with 323 Activists workshops/ Manager Conferences planned for 12,920 office bearers of COs/VOs/LSOs.

THE BRACE PROGRAMME AND COVID-19

The novel coronavirus has had a profound public health impact in the developed world and is poised to have an equally if not more devastating effect on developing nations. As travel bans, lockdowns, and stalled trade take an increasing toll, economic spillover effects—and associated social instability—threaten to compound the crisis, especially in some of the world’s more vulnerable and fragile states. The advent of COVID-19 presents developing countries with daunting challenges—all interconnected—from economic, financial, and fiscal shocks to supply chain, agriculture, and food system disruption, to educational paralysis, challenges in the water and sanitation sector, and so on. Because many countries in the developing world lack the social safety nets necessary to underpin physical distancing regimes and protect vulnerable people in times of acute distress, the governments, policy makers, donors, private sector actors, and civil society groups in these countries will have to rally as never before.

Since the outbreak, the EU-funded Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment (BRACE) Programme implementing partners, the RSPN, BRSP, NRSP, and DAI/Human Dynamics, have acted in a responsible manner and adjusted available resources to support the COVID-19 mitigation measures of the Government of Balochistan. The Technical Assistance (TA) staff followed the prescribed COVID-19 Health Protocols and observed Social Distancing, when interacting with their counterparts.

The BRACE RSPs, and the TA Project implemented by DAI Human Dynamics, developed COVID-19 Emergency Plans to support and strengthen the capacity, in the 9 BRACE District, of the District Administrations, to coordinate and implement their COVID-19 response and recovery measures, which range from:

Supervision and reporting of quarantine centers and isolation wards.
Awareness campaigns for precautionary measures to control the spread of the corona virus.
Compilation of data of the PM EECP, Relief activities, supplies and disbursements related to the Pandemic.
Correspondence of District Health Management Committees (DHMCs) and its decisions/follow-up.
Preparation and submission of daily District Situation Reports (DSRs) for Deputy Commissioners (DCs)/Provincial Government.
Performing Control Room duties such as maintenance of daily record of dairies of COVID 19 cases.
Preparation of Situation Analysis Reports (SARs) and its submission to DC’s offices.
Facilitating district administrations in procurement of goods/supplies at district level.
Coordinating with the visiting emergency humanitarian assistance teams from Federal/Provincial Governments.
Facilitate in arranging meetings of the Health Counterparts such as INGOs and NGOs, etc. working in districts.
Coordinating with RSPs/PPHI/LG involved in disinfection spray campaigns at population hub areas

Government of Balochistan

Introduction

Message

Message from the Chief Minister, Government of Balochistan

BRACE Programme Target Districts

Implementing Partners

THE BRACE PROGRAMME AND COVID-19

COVID-19 Support Activities by TA (Assistant) District Coordinators

District Duki

District Zhob

District Kech

District Washuk

District Khuzdar

District Pishin

District Killaabdullah

District Loralai

District Jhal Magsi