Introduction

In wake of Dakkar conference 1999 it was pointed out that Pakistan has enormous challenges with a ranking of 144 on the UNDP’s Human Development Index, out of a total of 178 countries. Poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to universal primary education, inadequate healthcare facilities and a continuously soaring population have for long hampered the scope of generating improved social sector outcomes for the millions of Pakistanis living at the grassroots.

Considering the situation, the Government of Pakistan established a Task Force on Human Development in 2001 to contribute new perspectives and resources to development discourse in Pakistan. Following were the key finding of the Task Force:

  • Inadequate capacity, competency and managerial efficiencies within: Line Departments, Elected Representatives, Private sector delivery system (NGOs, CBOs)
  • Lack of community participation and decision making rights
  • Gaps in service delivery, quality, and financing

The Task Force recommended;

  • An integrated approach to improve quality and access in the three key areas;
  • Primary education and Literacy
  • Primary health care
  •  Economic empowerment.
  • Increased presence of private sector in the delivery of social services. Building Public Private Partnership model to meet the development needs leading to a coordinated movement towards development covering the following:
  • Community Participation
  • Capacity and Competency Building
  • Communications/Social Marketing Regime (Awareness raising)

To ensure the aforementioned gap filling, the Government of Pakistan established National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), through Presidential Ordinance No. XXIX of 19th July 2002 as a Federal Government statutory autonomous body, mandated with the role to support and augment human development efforts in Pakistan. The President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan is the Patron-in-Chief of the Commission. The Commission consists of its Chairman, four representatives from the Provinces with gender equality and representatives from M/o Finance and Federal Education. The ordinance of NCHD has been protected under Article 270 AA of the constitution of Islamic republic of Pakistan in 18th Constitutional amendment. Initially NCHD was attached with the Cabinet Division and on 29th July, 2011, the NCHD was placed through administrative control of Ministry of Federal Education & Professional Training, Islamabad.

Initially, NCHD started its functions in 05 Districts of Pakistan and till 2006 NCHD expanded its functions to 143 Districts (out of 145) in the country in the field of Primary Eductaion, Literacy, Basic Health care, VCD, Micro interprises and Capacity building of line Department. 

The Ordinance of NCHD under section-7 defines its functions as;

Functions of the Commission.—The functions of the Commission shall be to–

  1. formulate, approve, manage, promote, enhance, implement, execute, monitor and organize its support programmes and projects for assistance of the line Ministries, Departments and agencies concerned, inter alia, for—
  1. capacity building, training, and enhancement of competency of Government functionaries and line departments, and nongovernmental organizations working in the social sectors, specially under District Governments;
  2. literacy and non-formal basic education programmes supported by skills training programmes for income generating activities;
  3. programmes to assist in universal primary education;
  4. programmes to assist in primary health-care;
  5. programmes to assist in alleviation of poverty;
  1. national volunteer programme to assist in the social sectors.
  1. undertake research, studies and surveys to assess the needs and requirements of an area for extending scope of its activities and disseminate information in respect thereof;
  2. keep informed the Federal Government and respective Provincial Government and their District Administration of its programmes and projects being carried out by it in performance its functions;
  3. global resource mobilization including finances, intellectual expertise and talent to assist in the social sectors; and
  4. perform such other functions as may be incidental or ancillary to the execution of its programmes and projects.

Currently, NCHD is working in 128 Districts of the country including AJK, FANA and ICT in the field of Education, Literacy including functional and computer literacy, Disaster Management, Basic Healthcare in collaboration with the Government of Pakistan and National/International Organizations.