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ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
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PAKISTAN1
Objectives
1. The thematic evaluation study aims to assess Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) support for
gender and development (GAD) by examining (i) the relevance of ADB’s gender and development (GAD)
policy and its strategic priorities in promoting gender equity in the region, (ii) the responsiveness of ADB’s
country partnership strategies (CPS) and operations to promoting gender equity and women’s
empowerment, and (iii) the results of ADB’s operations in realizing gender equity outcomes and targets.
The evaluation covers 2005–2015. The country portfolio assessment of Pakistan adopts the same
objectives and examines the relevance of ADB’s GAD objectives and strategic priorities to the country
context, the responsiveness of the CPS and ADB operations to the gender challenges facing Pakistan, and
the results of ADB operations in Pakistan on gender equity.
Methodology for the Country Portfolio Assessment
2. The country portfolio assessments utilized an evaluation framework developed by the
Independent Evaluation Department (IED)2 to assess the adoption and implementation of ADB’s GAD
policy and operational guidelines in the CPS, portfolio, and technical assistance (TA) program to answer
the key evaluation questions specified in the Evaluation Approach Paper:
How relevant are ADB’s corporate policies and strategies in promoting gender and
development in Asia and the Pacific?
How responsive are ADB’s country strategies and operations to the existing corporate policies
and strategies, and new challenges relating to gender equity?
How effective are ADB’s operations in achieving gender equity outcomes and targets?
How can ADB improve the delivery of its gender equity agenda?
3. The Pakistan assessment relied on a combination of data collection methods, including (i) desk
reviews of all relevant documents, project reports and data; (ii) a country mission3 from 15–27 August
2016 to solicit feedback from counterpart agencies, development partners, and other stakeholders on
ADB’s strategy and overall support for gender and development, and more targeted feedback on selected
projects with gender mainstreaming or gender equity objectives; (iii) in-country fieldwork involving site
visits to two ADB projects, and feedback from beneficiaries and field level implementing personnel to get
a first-hand overview of the challenges faced and progress achieved in realizing intended gender
outcomes; and (iv) focus group discussions with beneficiaries of two ADB projects.
4. The desk review covered CPSs 2009–2013 and 2015–2019; 2008 country gender assessments
(CGAs)4 for 2008 and 2013–2014 CGA
5; portfolio analysis and review of project documentation and
assessment reports for 2005–2015; and self-assessments or related reports produced by government
agencies, implementing agencies, think tanks, and other development partners. This assessment did not
repeat the gender diagnostics undertaken by the recent Pakistan CGA. It focused instead on the
assistance provided by ADB to promote GAD in Pakistan to assess its relevance, responsiveness, and
1 This assessment was authored by Anis Dani (Consultant). Asian Development Bank Central and West Asia Department’s comments
during interdepartmental circulation were considered in finalizing the same.
2 The framework for country portfolio assessments was finalized during a preparatory workshop held at ADB headquarters in June
2016.
3 The country mission to Pakistan was led by Hyun Son, Principal Evaluation Specialist, and included Anis Dani, Country/Gender
Specialist, and Alexis Garcia, Research Analyst/Consultant.
4 ADB. 2008. Releasing Women’s Potential Contribution to Inclusive Economic Growth: Country Gender Assessment—Pakistan.
Manila.
5 ADB. 2014. Promoting Gender Inclusive Growth in Central and West Asia. PAK: Country Gender Assessment. Manila (prepared in
collaboration with the World Bank; Australian Government; Canada Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade, and Development;
and Islamic Development Bank).
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effectiveness. In addition to projects approved during the review period, the assessment also drew on
findings from project validation reports (PVR) completed during the review period for projects approved
earlier which had significant gender objectives, as they enabled a more complete picture of ADB’s country
strategy and assistance for Pakistan.
5. Based on the desk review of the portfolio, the mission selected a set of projects to examine more
deeply during the mission. Most of these were gender equity and mainstreaming (GEM) projects from
public sector management (PSM) which includes social protection, agriculture, natural resources and
rural development sector, health sector, and disaster risk management. In addition, the mission also held
discussions with government representatives and development partners on the transport sector, which
alone constitutes 18% of the portfolio by number of projects (second to the energy sector which is 26%
of the portfolio). Transport has the largest share of projects with some gender elements (SGE).
6. At the operational level, the evaluation team focused on the following projects more intensively
during the country mission:
Access to Justice Program (2001)
Decentralization Support Program (2002)
Sustainable Livelihoods in Barani Areas Project (2004)
National Highway Development Sector Investment Program, Project 1 (2006), (findings are
relevant to the remaining tranches of the multitranche financing facility [MFF], and the National
Trade Corridor Highway Investment Program [2014] being implemented by the National Highway
Authority)
Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood Assistance Restoration Program (2007)
Sindh Coastal Community Development Project (2007)
Punjab Millenium Development Goals Program (2008/2010) (2 subprograms)
Social Protection Development Project (2013)
7. The field visits were more selective and focused on two projects classified as having gender equity
theme (GEN) objectives: the Social Protection Development Project, which is financing the government’s
safety net—Benazir Income Support Program (BISP)—and the completed Earthquake-Displaced People
Livelihood Assistance Restoration Program. Field visits were carried out in two of the nine districts where
these two programs overlapped—Bagh District (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) and Mansehra District (Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa Province). This enabled the team to meet with more than 60 people, including beneficiaries
and implementing agency staff, The field visit was also used to pretest the focus group evaluation
instrument and to train the two teams of national researchers who were to undertake the focus group
discussions (FGDs) subsequent to the mission. The field visit was thus followed by additional FGDs6 with
115 beneficiaries, undertaken by the two teams to provide additional coverage of beneficiaries from each
of those districts.
I. Country Context
8. Pakistan’s development trajectory has been replete with contradictions and has suffered from
several episodes of policy reversals and weak follow-through in implementation. As a result, the country
remains a development conundrum.
9. While poverty ratios have declined in Pakistan, human development indicators perform poorly
and gender inequality remains pervasive. Pakistan is a lower middle income country with a population of
188 million and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $1,429 in 2015.7 The poverty headcount
ratio at $190 per day (2011 purchasing power parity [PPP]) as a percentage of the population went down
6 The methodology and consolidated district-level findings from the FGDs are attached as Appendix 4 of this report.
7 World Bank. World Development Indicators. http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators
ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
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from 28.7% in 2001 to 6.1% in 2013 but the GINI Index grew marginally from 30.4 to 30.7 over the same
period.8 The national poverty headcount was redefined in 2016 using a consumption-based model to
estimate poverty at 29.5% using the 2013 household income and expenditure survey. Pakistan’s
performance on human development lags significantly behind most of its peers9 and, with a ranking of
147 out of 188, it is the only South Asian country other than Afghanistan (ranked 171) classified as
having low human development. Performance on human development is further exacerbated by gender
disparity in human development indicators. Consequently, Pakistan is ranked poorly on the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP) gender development index10
(GDI) where its ratio of 0.726 also
lags behind all comparators except for Afghanistan.
10. On UNDP’s gender inequality index (GII), Pakistan lags most South Asian countries too. Pakistan
received a score 0.536 on the GII in 2014 and ranked 121 out of 155 countries, ahead only of India (130)
and Afghanistan (152) in South Asia. Pakistan’s efforts to foster gender inequality are hindered by slow
progress in improving literacy, slow adoption of safe health practices, obstacles to female mobility, and
women’s limited access to economic opportunities. Gender parity varies across provinces but there are
even vast differences across districts within provinces.11
The impact of these challenges is manifested in
the low labor force participation rate of females, estimated by UNDP to be 25% compared to 83% for
males in 2013. In practice, some 75% of women work on the land as informal agricultural workers or
domestic workers but this is not captured by labor statistics, and remains undervalued in the economy.
This tendency is further reinforced by the relatively slow transformation from agriculture to industry in
the Pakistan economy. Informal agricultural work and domestic work offer low returns and by keeping
women trapped in traditional economic roles, often within household economies, hinders women’s
ability to overcome gender inequality constraints.
11. Lack of alternate economic opportunities is further aggravated by the pervasiveness of gender-
based violence (GBV), which remains one of the grievous manifestations of a patriarchal and culturally
conservative society, common to Pakistan and some of its neighboring countries. More than 7,000 cases
of GBV have been recorded each year between 2008 and 2012 in Pakistan. GBV in Pakistan includes
honor killing, domestic violence, human trafficking, sexual violence, and other harmful practices such as
bonded labor which render women vulnerable. GBV affects women across class, religion, and ethnic lines
but is even more acute among women from traditional tribal or feudal cultures where GBV is further
reinforced by informal legal systems.
12. GBV has also become an instrument of terrorism in Pakistan. Islamic militants have frequently
bombed girls’ schools and targeted female schoolteachers and health workers in a deliberate attempt to
discourage female education and social transformation. The most well-known of these cases is the
assassination attempt on Malala Yousufzai, who was grievously wounded in one such attack in Swat but
was repatriated and recovered to continue her studies and her campaign for female education overseas.
At 17, she become the youngest winner of the Nobel Prize for her advocacy of female education. Not
everyone is so fortunate, and many women and girls have paid for their aspirations with their lives.
13. Responsibility for provision of basic services and the distribution of revenues among different
levels of government has remained in flux over the years. Although envisaged as a federation in the 1973
Constitution, most powers were initially retained by the federal government. Three attempts were made
to introduce and strengthen local government organizations, unfortunately all three were by military
rulers whose legitimacy did not outlast their tenure. The last of these was in 2001, when the 17th
amendment provided greater autonomy to local governments and devolved key functions like education
and health to the local government level and supported them by fiscal transfers. Two elections were held
8 World Bank estimates based on individual consumption data.
9 Comparative data are presented in the tables in Appendix 1.
10 The GDI is the ratio of the Human Development Index (HDI) for females compared to males.
11 Punjab Commission on the Status of Women. 2016. Punjab Gender Parity Report. Lahore.
ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
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in 2001 and 2005 under that system but these powers lapsed in 2009 and the amendment was officially
repealed and replaced by the 18th amendment in April 2010.
14. The 18th amendment to the Constitution resulted in the elimination of 17 federal ministries and
departments, including the ministries of education, health, social welfare, labor and manpower, and
women’s development. Their responsibilities were devolved to the provinces along with transfer of the
budgets for providing these services to citizens. The National Finance Commission constituted under the
Constitution determines the distribution of the net proceeds of all taxes between the federation and the
provinces. While decentralization of authority to the provinces has brought benefits and greater
ownership among provincial governments, it increased the challenges of implementing reforms which
are now dependent on multiple decision-making bodies with varying capacities and governance systems.
Progress in many areas mandated by the Constitution has therefore become even more uneven.
Diagnostic Studies
15. Since 2000 there has been a plethora of studies on gender issues in Pakistan. Multilateral and
bilateral aid agencies have invested in comprehensive diagnostic studies, and women’s activists and
advocacy organizations within Pakistan have tended to focus largely on current issues and on analysis
and advocacy for legislative and institutional reform. Clearly knowledge gaps are not to blame for lack
of progress on gender equality in Pakistan.
16. The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) has produced several studies on legal
systems in Pakistan, including A Policy Framework for Women’s Equal Rights: Issues, Concerns, and
Recommendations for Gendered Policy;12
A Study of Formal & Informal Legal Systems Prevalent in
Pakistan;13
Review of Muslim Family Laws;14
and Litigation Related to Women under Nizam-e-Adl,
Malakand Division.15
These studies have been consistent with the mandate of NCSW to advise the
government on gender policy and legislation, and have been aimed at advocacy and policy dialogue on
pro-gender legislation. Such efforts have contributed to the approval of several key laws between 2010–
2014 to protect women and strengthen their role, which will be discussed in the next section of the
report.
17. A more substantive diagnostic report is the Punjab Gender Parity Report 2016 produced by the
Punjab Commission on the Status of Women (footnote 10). This is a useful reference document which
provides data at the provincial and district level on a wide range of indicators including demographic
trends, female participation in political activities and governance, health, education, economic
participation and opportunities, legal and judicial protection, violence against women, and special
initiatives to promote gender equity. The data show that despite relative progress in education, health,
and access to economic opportunities in Punjab Province during the past decade, the gender gap remains
large and there has been an increase in the reported cases of violence against women. The report reveals
that although the 69% male literacy rate in Punjab Province is slightly lower than the national average of
71% for males, the gender parity index (GPI) for adult literacy for Punjab Province (0.7246) is better than
Pakistan’s GPI on adult literacy (0.65). Yet there is huge disparity on gender within Punjab: literacy rates
are lowest, especially female literacy in the southwestern districts Rajanpur (19%) and Dera Ghazi Khan
(26%), and Rajanpur has by far the lowest GPI (0.42) on adult literacy. Even Punjab needs to pay special
attention to gender equity. The report recommends continued focus on (i) improving policy and
12
Afiya S. Zia. 2010. A Policy Framework for Women’s Equal Rights: Issues, Concerns and Recommendations for Gendered Policy.
Study for the National Commission on the Status of Women, Pakistan. Islamabad.
13 NCSW. 2011. A Study of Formal and Informal Legal Systems Prevalent in Pakistan. Islamabad.
14 NCSW. 2011. Review of Muslim Family Laws. Islamabad.
15 Provincial Commission on the Status of Women, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. 2014. Litigation Related to Women under Nizam-e-Adl,
Malakand Division. Islamabad.
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legislation and implementation, (ii) capacity building and institutional strengthening of public agencies
and service providers, (iii) social advocacy to change attitudes towards women’s role in public life, and
(iv) strengthening data collection and research.
18. Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) like Shirkat Gah and Aurat Foundation are activist
organizations that also undertake gender research. Shirkat Gah tends to focus on policy research while
Aurat Foundation engages directly in development process and conducts applied research. For instance,
Aurat Foundation played a very active role in capacity building of local councilors, with a particular focus
on women elected to local councils in local government elections in 2001 and 2005.16
They produced
comprehensive reports of the citizen’s campaigns to enhance the representation and role of women in
local government. Those decentralization efforts received substantial support from ADB during those
years, which predate the evaluation period.
19. Gender studies is integrated within two universities in Pakistan. The University of Karachi has a
Center for Excellence on Women’s Studies which offers Bachelors and Masters degrees in Gender Studies.
Since 2008 it has been publishing the Pakistan Journal of Gender Studies annually to provide an outlet
for related research. Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad also established a Centre of Excellence in Gender
Studies in 2004, which offers an M.Sc. degree in Gender Studies and supports gender equality through
advocacy and policy dialogue with the government due to its proximity to the capital. But they have not
produced any diagnostic studies.
20. On health and demographic issues, the Population Council has been the most consistent in
undertaking relevant research. The Population Council focuses on issues that are most relevant to family
planning and maternal health, which are among the key constraints to gender equality in Pakistan. Their
research is however not directly amenable to the kind of development interventions that ADB supports.
21. The World Bank last undertook a comprehensive CGA in 2005.17
This was informed by data from
the Pakistan Rural Household Survey (2004) and a series of background papers, including a 2005
background paper on “Gender and Poverty in Pakistan” by Khawar Mumtaz.18
The CGA presented new
evidence collected by the Pakistan Institute for Development Economics to discuss the policy implications
to improve gender inequality, girls’ schooling, health outcomes for women and children, and
participation of women in the work force. Since then gender issues have been integrated within the
poverty assessment and the socioeconomic survey to improve poverty means-tested targeting of the
safety net but the CGA has not been updated by the World Bank.
22. Three more gender assessments are worth mentioning—a 2008 study by the Sustainable
Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan: A Country Gender Profile;19
a 2012 study sponsored by
United Nations (UN) Women which focused on rural and urban gender differences across provinces by
wealth quintiles;20
and a comparative study of gender indicators sponsored by U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID).21
16
Aurat Foundation is also one of the implementing partners of the BISP with financing from USAID. BISP is cofinanced by the
World Bank and the Department for International Development and receives parallel funding from ADB.
17 World Bank. 2005. Pakistan: Country Gender Assessment, Bridging the Gender Gap, Opportunities and Challenges. Washington
https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/8453
18 Khawar Mumtaz was the most recent chairperson of the NCSW. Her term ended in December 2015, and the appointment of her
successor is still awaited.
19 SDPI. 2008. Pakistan: Country Gender Profile. Islamabad.
20 Zaidi, Yasmin. 2013. Baseline Study on the Status of Women and Men in Pakistan, 2012. Islamabad: Center of Gender and
Policy Studies, Management Development Institute.
21 Spevacek, Anne Marie, Esther Kim, and Nawal Mustafa. Pakistan Gender Overview. Arlington, VA: USAID Knowledge Services
Center.
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23. ADB too has been proactive in undertaking gender diagnostics in Pakistan. ADB undertook CGAs
in Pakistan in 2000 and 2008, and drew on a regional TA to support another CGA, finalized in July 2015.
These CGAs and their policy and operational recommendations are discussed under ADB support for
gender equality later in this report. Thus even before the most recent CGA, a considerable body of
diagnostic studies was available to inform country strategy formulation. The real measure of success will
be whether the recommendations were relevant and appropriately designed and supported to achieve
gender equality results.
II. Government Strategy on Gender Equality
24. The Constitution of Pakistan clearly states that: “Steps shall be taken to ensure full participation
of women in all spheres of national life” (Article 34). The devolution of authority to the provinces under
the 18th Constitutional amendment has increased the challenge of implementing reforms, such as those
promoting gender equality. Devolution has increased the number of decision-making bodies, and
support for gender reforms, which by definition challenge patriarchal norms and values, remains uneven
across provinces. Capacity for implementation also varies across provinces. In that sense, the 18th
amendment has created further hurdles in achieving gender objectives.
25. The government’s medium-term strategy document, Vision 2025 approved in 2014, makes a
commitment to support gender equality and women’s development. In terms of committed actions this
is listed as one of 25 goals of the country’s development vision under Pillar I: Putting People First–
Developing Human and Social Capital. The goal aims to improve primary and secondary GPI to 1, and
increase female labor force participation rate from 24% to 45%. If achieved, this would indeed be a
remarkable achievement given the weak track record of the country in terms of gender and human
development outcomes.
26. Historically, the government’s strategy has been more focused on promoting gender equality in
a top-down manner. While some of the fundamental actions to support human development capacity
of girls and empower women have lacked strong ownership and sustained support, in other areas such
as enacting quotas in political office and approving legislation to protect women, and in promoting
certain sectors, such as microfinance, where gender targeting was feasible, the government has been
more effective. In formulating the 2001 and 2010 Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, the government
committed itself to supporting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which included education,
health, and gender targets and empowering women to increase their participation in the work force.
Inadequate budget allocations and insufficient attention to implementation quality and demand-side
factors prevented the government from achieving most of its MDG goals, especially for females. Together
with slower economic growth since 2007, this has further impeded the strategic objective of enhancing
the labor force participation rate for females.
27. At the political level, however, efforts were more successful, although even here some gains have
been reversed. Female representation in parliament has reached 20%, which is the highest proportion in
South Asia. The devolution program launched in 2001 included reservation of 33% seats for women in
all local councils, with direct elections for women at the lowest tier of local government, the union council
level. The first election in 2001 was held on non-party basis and resulted in the emergence of new
leadership among males and females. Over 32,000 women were elected to these union councils. NGOs
like the Aurat Foundation and South Asia Partnership played an active role in building capacity of newly
elected councilors to participate more effectively in local council meetings and decision-making. The
second round of elections in 2005 faced some setbacks as provincial governments reasserted themselves
and political parties tried to influence elections behind the scenes. Resultant violence and disruption of
voting in some constituencies discouraged weaker segments of society, including women from openly
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confronting these pressures.22
The local government system suffered a further setback when national
elections were held in 2008 and political parties reasserted themselves, effectively reversing the local
government system established by the 2001 devolution program. Local government elections have been
held in two provinces but power and budget resources remain in the hands of the provincial
governments.
28. The Constitution also requires the State to provide “maternity benefits for women in
employment” (Article 37) and promote social and economic well-being by “secure[ing] the well-being of
the people, irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, by raising their standard of living,” and “provide basic
necessities of life, such as food, clothing, housing, education and medical relief, for all citizens,
irrespective of sex, caste, creed or race, as are permanently or temporarily unable to earn their livelihood
on account of infirmity, sickness or unemployment” (Article 38).
29. In 2007, the government adopted a policy of reserving 10% of positions in the government for
women. Unfilled vacancies are left vacant until a suitable female candidate is found. In practice, however,
the government has only been able to implement this quota at more senior levels in government
employment where it exceeded this target. In terms of total government employment, however, the
pressure to employ male breadwinners seems to prevail and the aggregate ratio remains under 6%.
30. GBV has become a growing menace with an increasing frequency reported in the media. Over
the past 10 years, GBV has grown from domestic violence and female victims of informal legal practices
to criminal violence and attacks on women by Islamic fundamentalists. Recognizing the need to confront
GBV directly, the civilian government which took over in 2008 enacted several important laws designed
to discourage some manifestations of GBV:
The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010
The Criminal Law Act (Second Amendment, 2011), referred to as the Acid Control and Acid Crime
Prevention Act
The Criminal Law Act (Third Amendment, 2011), referred to as Prevention of Anti-Women
Practices Act
Women in Distress and Detention Fund Bill 2011
National Commission on the Status of Women Act 2012
Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2013
Punjab Fair Representation of Women Act 2014
31. Passing a law is however only the first step. Implementation and monitoring challenges remain,
and are some of the reasons for the approval of the 2012 Act upgrading the NCSW as a statutory body
with a Board that includes representatives from all the provinces and other administrative units in
Pakistan. At the provincial level, NCSW is complemented by Provincial Commissions on the Status of
Women and Women’s Development Departments. However, none of these have responsibility for
implementation.
32. The NCSW was declared an autonomous special commission by the Parliamentary Act of 2012,
with a chairperson reporting to the Parliament and the Prime Minister. Its mandate includes “review and
assessment of laws, government policies, programmes and measures and their implementation, and
make recommendations to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment and eliminate
discrimination”23
(emphasis added). NCSW was administratively placed under the Ministry of Human
Rights (MOHR)24
and expected to formulate its own rules of business and staffing. But the Ministry was
22
Aurat Publication and Information Service Foundation. n.d. Citizens’ Campaign for Women’s Representation in Local Government
in Pakistan, 2001 and 2005: Backdrop, Glimpses of the Campaigns, Overall Results. Lahore.
23 NCSW. 2013. Annual Report 2013. Islamabad.
24 MOHR was merged with the Ministry of Law and Justice under the previous government but has recently been declared a separate
ministry. NCSW remains administratively under MOHR.
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not supportive of the autonomy of NCSW and effectively prevented it from recruiting its own staff and
managing its own budget, thereby limiting its effectiveness.
33. NCSW was also given the responsibility to track and report on compliance with international
commitments on gender equality, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). Pakistan ratified CEDAW in 1996, with a declaration making
the compliance subject to its Constitution and a reservation under Article 29, para 1. There is lack of
public awareness about CEDAW and civil society organizations have not been involved in implementation
of its provisions. So far Pakistan has submitted four reports to CEDAW, the fourth report was adopted
by the committee at its 54th session held on 11 February–1 March 2013. The Committee welcomed the
adoption of legislation aimed at eliminating discrimination against women and acknowledged the
challenges faced by the country due to natural disasters, the devolution of powers under the 18th
Constitutional amendment which limits powers of the federal government, and to increased violence and
attacks by non-state actors. But the committee expressed concern that with the transfer of responsibility
for integration and coordination of policies aimed at the advancement of women to the provinces, the
government lacks the capacity to put in place an efficient mechanism to ensure that the provincial
governments establish legal and other measures to fully implement the Convention in a coherent and
consistent manner. The Committee communicated a long list of actions to be taken by the State party,
i.e. government of Pakistan, to comply with the various provisions of CEDAW.
34. The term of the chairperson NCSW ended in December 2015, and the Board members ended in
April. Replacements have not yet been appointed. NCSW is being run by a Secretary who cannot exercise
the financial powers that were vested in the chairperson, so activities have slowed down even further.
35. While the gender benefits of decentralization have not been sustained, civilian governments have
undertaken several strategic initiatives since 2008 to empower women. The BISP is an important vehicle
for cash transfers to women and is now covering 4.8 million households. The Sindh Government’s
Landless Haris Project providing land titles to the landless awarded 70.6% of land titles to women
beneficiaries. The Prime Minister also announced a Youth Business Loan Scheme which earmarked 50%
of loans for females, and the Punjab Government has also made budget allocations for a women’s
empowerment package. It is too soon to know the results of the most recent initiatives.
III. ADB Support for Gender Equality
36. The evaluation period spans across three CPS cycles governed by the later part of the country
strategy for 2002–2006, which was extended by updates up to 2008; the span of CPS 2009–2013; and
the early part of CPS 2015–2019. The CPSs treated gender equality as an integral part of inclusive growth,
one of the essential pillars of ADB’s corporate strategy.
37. The objectives of the country strategy in 2002 originally had three main objectives: the promotion
of good governance, sustainable pro-poor growth, and inclusive human development. These led to
support for agriculture and natural resources, health and education, water supply and municipal services,
transport, energy, and finance sector development. Later this was expanded to include PSM and
governance, including judicial and police reform, decentralization of government to local levels and
devolution of social services, and public resource management programs, including budget support and
TA for Punjab and Baluchistan provinces.
38. The 2002–2006 strategy targeted gender issues by focusing on (i) targeting the specific needs of
women through devolved social service delivery programs, water supply and sanitation projects,
integrated rural development interventions, and support for microfinance; (ii) mainstreaming gender
across all projects; and (iii) promoting policy and institutional reforms for awareness and enforcement of
women’s rights and representation in all aspects of economic and social development. The 2013 Country
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Assistance Program Evaluation (CAPE) found that the Country Strategy Program (CSP) listed several
gender indicators, but lacked targets and milestones.
39. CSP updates between 2004 and 2008 shifted the emphasis to the pursuit of higher sustained
growth, rather than human development. Higher priority was given to improving economic infrastructure
in power, large-scale irrigation, national highways and corridors, as well as in urban development. The
2005 earthquake also led to an emergency assistance program followed by a 2007 program aimed at
restoring livelihoods of earthquake-affected people. Economic growth was sustained until 2007 but the
portfolio performed poorly especially in the later part of the CSP, when the country went through a
tumultuous period leading to the ousting of the serving general as head of state and restoration of
civilian rule.
40. CPS, 2009–2013 narrowed ADB support to four main areas: (i) energy and infrastructure, (ii)
institutional reform and private sector development, (iii) development of basic urban services, and (iv)
more effective implementation and capacity building. The CPS included a gender assessment which
reported that the most significant results under ADB’s previous country strategy were achieved through
the policy and institutional reforms linked to the ADB Decentralization Support Program (which promoted
gender equity by reserving 33% seats for women), and the implementation of the Gender Reform Action
Plans (GRAPs)25
within that framework. Mainstreaming gender concerns in rural development and
agriculture projects also produced results for women. The CSP also described shortcomings in achieving
gender equality. It reiterated the need for gender mainstreaming in all ADB operations in Pakistan,
integrating gender in the design of projects and specifying provisions for women’s participation in and
benefits from a project in a Gender Action Plan (GAP), including a gender specialist in all project
assessments, and enhancing links to outcomes. The CPS also indicated that Pakistan should benefit from
regional TA programs on gender mainstreaming and proposed that the results framework of projects
should include gender-disaggregated data.
41. CPS, 2015–2019 was informed by ADB’s 2013–2014 CGA, which was cofinanced by the
Government of Australia, and conducted in collaboration with the governments of Australia and Canada,
and the Islamic Development Bank. The Gender Analysis in the CPS highlights Pakistan’s poor
performance on gender parity on human development and labor force participation, and the prevalence
of GBV as acute challenges, despite progress in political representation, the only indicator where
Pakistan’s performance is better than other countries in the region. The gender assessment reported that
rural development projects with targeted interventions have been quite successful in promoting women’s
empowerment, and emergency response projects provided tangible benefits to women. Projects from
both categories were identified for further investigation by this assessment.
42. CPS, 2015–2019 pledges to continue its focus on infrastructure with gender mainstreaming as
the primary strategy of ADB support. The CPS intends to provide the highest share of lending in support
of the energy sector, followed by transport; natural resources and irrigation; urban services; PSM
including public–private partnerships; and public administration and finance. In most of them the
strategy seems to be satisfied with a gender mainstreaming approach, which has not borne good results
in Pakistan so far.
43. In energy, the CPS promises to maximize women’s access to energy benefits but other than
gender-sensitive recruitment programs and improving contact with female consumers, the only actions
proposed are studies and documentation of energy use to “promote evidence-based policy making.” In
transport, the CPS recommends development of gender-sensitive roadside facilities, developing gender-
responsive resettlement and land acquisition plans, and encourage women’s employment and capacity
building. In natural resources and irrigation, ADB intends to improve women’s access to water and
25
GRAPs were prepared for the federal and all provincial governments with TA from ADB approved in 2002 for the Gender Reform
Program.
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livelihood opportunities by engaging women in water-related decision-making bodies, linking women
farmers to livelihood opportunities, and documenting gender impacts. In water supply and sanitation,
ADB will enhance women’s representation in water and sanitation boards and steering committees,
establish gender-responsive customer care systems and a sex-disaggregated complaint mechanism.
44. Of all the sectors, only two—urban transport and social protection—appear to have a deliberate
strategy of identifying and responding to the special needs of women. In urban transport, ADB intends
to improve women’s ridership by identifying women’s needs and mobility concerns, and integrating
gender design features in projects. In social protection (classified under PSM), ADB intends to continue
support for the government’s safety net program which provides cash transfers to women and is
designed to have a direct impact on their empowerment and wellbeing. It is too soon to assess the results
of the urban transport projects but this assessment has undertaken an in-depth assessment of the social
protection project’s support for BISP.
45. The review of these three CPSs indicates that in terms of strategy, ADB’s ambition to promote
gender equality has become much more modest as it sought to restructure a poorly performing portfolio.
ADB has fallen back on infrastructure sectors where it believes it has a comparative advantage. In most
of them its efforts to mainstream gender are very modest as shown by the gender categories in the
operations approved in 2005–2015 (Figure 1).
IV. Assessment of ADB Support for Gender Equality
A. Relevance of the CPSs
46. ADB’s lending activities approved during 2005–2015 consisted of 66 loan and grant operations
with a total commitment amount of $12.4 billion in ADB financing out of total project financing of $16.6
billion. The largest sectors of operations were energy (32.7% of total loan amounts approved) and
transport (22.5%), followed by PSM (19%), and finance (12.4%). Eight operations were classified as
projects with a GEN and 11 as projects with Effective Gender Mainstreaming (EGM). Over the review
period, the operations designed with GEM objectives constituted 29% of new approvals by number of
projects, and 25% of ADB financing (Appendix 2, Table 2.2). The portfolio was distributed across a wide
range of sectors but energy and transport sectors, which consisted of 47% of the projects and 55% of
the financing volume, and the finance sector, whose operations were the largest in financing volume26
,
were the least likely to have significant gender elements (Figure 1). Human development was
underrepresented in the Pakistan portfolio but both health and the lone education project were classified
as GEN projects, and the social protection project is classified under PSM.
47. ADB also approved $21 million for 28 TA activities during 2010–2015. Of these, one for the Social
Protection Development Project, was classified as GEN and designed to provide TA to BISP’s health
insurance program. Four TAs were classified as EGM—two for urban transport in Karachi and Peshawar,
one for urban water and sanitation in Punjab intermediate cities, and one for renewable energy. TA for
operations classified as gender equity and mainstreaming thus amounted to 18% of the number of TAs
and 29% of the financial commitment for TAs during this period. (Appendix 2, Tables 2.3 and 2.4). At
the same time, 13 of the TAs were classified as having no gender elements (NGE), and three were not
classified. Consequently, 64% of the TAs by number and 60% of the financial commitment for TA had no
relevance for gender objectives. Among TA activities approved prior to 2010, two TAs for the
Decentralization Support Program and Gender Reform Program (approved in 2002 and kept open until
2009), and one project preparatory TA for the Punjab Millennium Development Goals Program and Access
to Justice Program (approved in 2008) had GEN objectives.
26
The five operations from finance sector averaged $307 million each compared to an average size of $188 million.
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Figure 1: Number of Approved Sovereign Loans & Grants in Pakistan, by Sector and Gender Equity and
Mainstreaming (GEM) classification, 2005–2015
ANR = agriculture and natural resources, EDU = education, EGM = effective gender mainstreaming, ENE = energy, FIN = finance,
GEN = gender equity as theme, HLT = health, IND = industry and trade, NC = not categorized, NGE = no gender elements, PSM
= public sector management, SGE = some gender elements, TRA = transport, WUS = water and other urban infrastructure and
services.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
48. This aggregate description, which treats the entire evaluation period (2005–2015) as one block,
masks the trend towards infrastructure projects that have been further removed from the goal of gender
equality. The 2002–2006 country strategy had emphasized human development, decentralization and
rural development projects that had stronger gender targeting potential. As the country strategy evolved
towards infrastructure, private sector, and urban services in CPS 2009–2013, gender mainstreaming in
these sectors was considered an acceptable strategy. The main exception was ADB support for the
government’s safety net program (BISP), whose primary beneficiaries were women who met specified
criteria to be deemed eligible for cash transfers. This trend appears to have continued into the latest CPS,
2014–2019 dominated by highways and energy projects that tend to have little substantive gender
impact.
49. Among the cohort of 2005–2010 approvals that have been completed, only two closed projects
(18%) were rated successful on gender impacts: one was a rural development project (Sindh Coastal
Community Development Project) and the other was the Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood
Restoration Project. In comparison, when the portfolio is expanded to include projects approved since
2001 which closed during the evaluation period, we find four more projects—two rural community
development and two PSM projects for access to justice and decentralization rated successful on gender
impacts, bringing the gender success rate to 29%. Not only have the CPSs become less relevant to gender
objective in recent years, the aggregate performance of the portfolio on gender has also deteriorated.
The projects being supported by the two most recent CPSs have an established record of being less
ambitious in terms of supporting gender equality and are less likely to achieve their gender objectives.
As such, the CPSs as a whole have become noticeably less relevant in terms of their support for gender
equality in Pakistan.
B. Complementarity of ADB Gender Strategy with Other Development Partners
50. It could be argued that ADB’s lending strategy complements other development partners, and
that ADB has pulled back from human development sectors where the World Bank and bilateral agencies
are more active. However, that justification does not extend to local governance and community
development where ADB was more proactive than other partners, and has not been replaced by others.
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ADB has simply chosen to move away from those sectors which are arguably more difficult and need
greater attention to institutional design. ADB appears to have a preference for projects with large lending
volumes—highways and economic corridors, energy projects, disaster relief, safety nets. Even in some of
those sectors, ADB appears to be missing opportunities to collaborate with other partners to increase its
relevance and effectiveness, as illustrated by the following projects which were investigated in greater
detail than the rest of the portfolio both through interviews with development partners and on-site
fieldwork to get feedback from beneficiaries and implementing agency staff:
Following a $385 million Emergency Earthquake Assistance Project (2005), ADB supported the
Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood Restoration Program (2007) with $400 million financing
to the Earthquake Reconstruction and Relief Agency (ERRA). ERRA received parallel financing of
$638 million during the same period from three World Bank projects but there is little evidence
of collaboration with the World Bank. Even more relevant, the Canadian International
Development Agency (CIDA) provided two gender specialists to work closely with ERRA to help
it adopt a gender-sensitive approach to disaster relief. Other than preparation of a Gender and
Vulnerability Action Plan, there is no evidence of collaboration between ADB and CIDA in
implementation of the gender aspect of the program.
ADB approved $430 million in financing in 2013 to expand coverage of BISP’s safety net program.
The program was established by the government in 2008 and received $150 million in financing
from the World Bank, and GBP 300 million in cofinancing from the Department of International
Development (DFID) and substantial TA from both of those agencies and USAID who are
collaborating closely with each other. The World Bank and DFID share a common program
framework with disbursement-linked indicators (DLIs) for tranche releases, undertake joint
supervision missions, and collaborate with USAID in implementation and program monitoring.
ADB has opted out of formal collaboration with these partners, although it is supporting the
same implementing agency, BISP. As a result, ADB is unable to contribute meaningfully to the
technical design of the program and is unable to benefit from the joint missions to the detriment
of the ADB project.
51. Interviews with the World Bank team leaders of both projects revealed considerable tension with
their ADB counterparts. Some of the challenges faced by ADB projects could perhaps have been overcome
by a more collaborative approach, which might also have helped to increase their gender results.
C. Responsiveness of ADB Operations
52. To derive a more grounded picture of the relevance, responsiveness, and results of ADB’s
assistance to gender, we undertook a more in-depth review of eight projects from the portfolio under
implementation during the evaluation period. Feedback on these projects was obtained from
government counterparts, ADB staff, and in-country stakeholders. For two projects—one earthquake
rehabilitation project, and one social protection project—this was supplemented by on-site visits
including interviews and FGDs with beneficiaries, and feedback from staff of implementing agencies.
53. Access to Justice Program (AJP) (2001). The AJP focused on judicial (including reforms relating to
administrative justice institutions) and police reforms. The program was expected to deliver benefits in
three components—policy, institutions, and budget and expenditure management. The key development
objective was to assist the government in improving access to justice by: (i) providing a legal basis for
judicial, policy, and administrative reforms; (ii) improving the efficiency, timeliness, and effectiveness of
judicial and police services; (iii) supporting greater equity and accessibility to justice services to the
vulnerable and poor; (iv) improving predictability and consistency between fiscal and human resource
allocations and the mandates of reformed judicial and police institutions at the federal, provincial, and
local levels; and (v)ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the performance of justice sector
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agencies. The program was approved in December 2001, and comprised two loans in the amount of
$330 million to be released in four tranches, a TA loan for $20 million, and a TA grant for $900,000.
54. The program was expected to contribute to the nationwide effort to influence the exercise of
political, administrative, and judicial powers in order to improve accessibility to public entitlements for
all citizens, in particular the poor, women, and minorities. The AJP intended to tackle gender issues
through the creation of competent legal, judicial, and police institutions through which existing basic
and constitutional rights could be implemented fairly and accountably. Although the project completion
report (PCR) and the PVR rated the project partly successful overall, the PVR found that the program
helped mainstream gender reforms into the justice sector. Ministry of Law, Justice, Human Rights and
Parliamentary Affairs (MOL) partnered with the Ministry of Women Development to implement the
national GRAP. The number of women judges in different courts nearly doubled between 2001 and 2007.
Greater awareness of the rights of women and human rights was incorporated into police training
programs. As a result, the project which had a gender classification of GEN, also received a gender rating
of successful.
55. Decentralization Support Program (DSP) (2002). The objectives of the DSP were to improve local
government representation, and efficiency, leading to improved service delivery through fiscal support
for reforms in policy, legal, technical, and fiscal domains. The DSP supported the government’s reforms
aimed at re-engineering the role of federal, provincial, and local government. It supported political
decentralization by helping to create a third tier of government comprising democratically elected
councils at district, tehsil, and union council levels, and supported devolution of power for local
development and service delivery through these local councils. The DSP consisted of four loans totaling
$300 million, to expedite poverty reduction, and improve governance in Pakistan. It was designed to
finance the medium-term costs of implementing fiscal decentralization, and to develop capacity in
priority areas including gender reforms. Signaling the importance of equity in decentralization, one of
the key reforms was reservation of one-third of the seats in local councils for women representatives.
56. The DSP was ambitious but seized a policy opportunity that emerged with the installation of a
new government in 1999 seeking to establish a record of good governance. The reform agenda was
structured around three policy outcomes (i) improved federal support for decentralization including
gender and social development reforms, (ii) effective and sustainable province–local intergovernmental
relations, and (iii) strengthened local government institutions managing resources accountably and
equitably. Two TA loans, totaling $30 million, were approved to support capacity development of federal
agencies, provincial agencies, and local governments to strengthen planning, financial management,
procurement, and auditing. The first TA (1937) was for the DSP, the second (1938) was for the GRAP.
Both TAs were underutilized, and only 1.8% of the second TA loan for GRAP support, was used.
57. The PCR rated the project highly relevant and highly effective. The ratings were scaled back in
the PVR to relevant because of the ambitious nature of the program, and effective because of the lack of
information on achievement of some of the program outputs in the program results framework. The PCR
and PVR agreed on ratings of less efficient in achieving outputs and outcomes and in utilization of the
TA provided, and sustainability as less likely. Borrower and ADB performance were deemed satisfactory.
The overall assessment of successful by the PCR was downgraded to partly successful in the PVR. Despite
the slow progress on utilization of the TA supporting the GRAPs, the success in meeting the 33%
representation of women in local government representation led to a gender rating of successful. The
program shows that even such a complex and ambitious governance reform program can include
achievable gender goals if it pays enough attention to program design. Unfortunately, some of these
gains were undermined by the political economy when the civilian government took over in 2008 and
gave primary responsibility to provincial governments instead of local councils.
58. Sustainable Livelihoods in Barani Areas Project (SLBAP) (2004). The SLBAP was designed for the
rainfed, agricultural regions in the Punjab which are often characterized by higher rates of poverty. In
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addition to constraints on water for crops and livestock these areas also suffer from limited access to
inputs and markets, electricity and drinking water, and few alternative sources of income. The SLBAP
addressed these constraints by seeking to enhance water storage and conservation, improve access to
inputs and markets, and diversify sources of income while at the same time overcoming fundamental
barriers to development such as illiteracy. ADB approved $41 million for the project in 2004. The expected
project’s objective was to enhance access to land, water, markets, services, agricultural inputs,
technologies, and jobs for the people in the barani (rainfed) areas to increase income, improve quality of
life, and ultimately, reduce poverty among vulnerable groups. The project included support for medium-
scale infrastructure (MSI) identified by beneficiaries; targeted small-scale interventions for community
mobilization, microcredit and off-farm employment for beneficiary or community groups; enhanced
literacy program for poor women and girls through skills training; and institutional and implementation
support.
59. The project was formulated within the context of the devolution of powers to local governments,
focusing on the improvement of economic livelihood and quality of life of people in rural Punjab’s barani
areas, and the PCR rated the project highly relevant. A number of design changes were necessary to
overcome implementation constraints, including waiving the community contribution requirement,
which was slowing the uptake of the MSI component, and the addition of more district level project
management units for better management of the multisector interventions. For that reason, the PVR
revised the rating downward to relevant. Decentralized project management was essential to ensure the
success of this multisector project targeted at local communities in multiple districts. The PCR and PVR
found the project to be effective and highly efficient. The project was completed at 72% of appraisal
cost, with key targets for all components met. At completion, the overall project economic internal rate
of return (EIRR) was estimated at 25.3%, higher than the appraisal estimate of 20%. A total 619 MSI
schemes were undertaken, directly benefiting 858,654 beneficiaries. The MSI schemes were undertaken
in 1,814 villages by 11,464 community organizations and/or village groups, exceeding the appraisal
target of 1,800 community organizations. The key targets for the poverty alleviation component were
surpassed with 8,918 community-based organizations (CBOs) formed (188% of appraisal target) with a
total membership of 144,157 (112% of appraisal target). An average of 17 small-scale infrastructure (SSI)
schemes were undertaken in each of the 206 unions, higher than the 10–12 SSI schemes in each of the
200 unions targeted at appraisal. The project was determined by the PCR and the PVR as being most
likely sustainable. Borrower and ADB performance was found by the PCR to be highly successful and by
the PVR to be successful.
60. In terms of gender outcomes, 13,868 women and girls (116% of appraisal target) completed a
6-month literacy and livelihood skills program. The final evaluation report found that female
unemployment dropped from 79% to 36% after the training. The training was organized in a culturally
sensitive manner and whetted women’s appetite for further education, 92% of those receiving training
said they would like to obtain formal education. Women were the main beneficiaries of the microcredit
scheme, although 77% of the borrowers said they were advised to take the loans by male members of
their family who sometimes utilized the loans obtained. The majority of loans were used for livestock and
dairy development, although some also used them for other businesses. With clear objectives, customized
project design, and course corrections during implementation, the project achieved its gender objectives
and the gender rating was successful.
61. National Highway Development Sector Investment Program (NHDSIP) (2005). The program
consists of a project approved in 2005 for $180 million in ordinary capital resources (OCR) funds with an
accompanying loan of SDR2,080,000 ($3 million equivalent) for institutional strengthening of the
National Highway Authority (NHA). This was the first phase of an MFF with loans of up to $770 million
for NHDSIP approved in December 2005. The findings are equally relevant to the National Trade Corridor
Highway Investment Program (2014) being implemented by the NHA.
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62. The NHDSIP had two objectives. The first was to improve transport efficiency by (i) adopting a
national transport policy, (ii) strengthening NHA performance in managing the national highway
network, (iii) improving road safety, and (iv) improving road maintenance and funding. The second was
to increase private sector participation in road subsector investments by (i) increasing outsourcing of
road works, and (ii) exploring opportunities for private operation of NHA assets and activities along its
right-of-way.
63. The project was designed to reduce transport costs and travel times. An additional objective was
to relieve congestion in urban and industrial areas. Three highway subprojects had originally been
identified in Baluchistan and Punjab provinces involving construction and improvement of 366 kilometers
of national highways. The contract for one subproject was dropped and coverage reduced to 166 km of
highway and $56.7 million cancelled from the loan. Although there were modifications to the original
plan, by loan closing all three highway subprojects were completed according to design specifications.
Actual disbursements were $123,117,439 (68%) from the investment project with SDR435,425 (21%)
from the institutional strengthening loan at the closing date.
64. The PCR concluded that the scope of the interventions under this project was relevant to NHA‘s
needs, particularly development of the national transport policy, public private partnership projects, road
maintenance planning, and road safety. Although the overall framework was agreed between ADB and
the NHA, the components of the institutional strengthening project were designed without strong buy-
in from the NHA, which subsequently amended the areas of focus.
65. The highway improvement project was rated as relevant, highly effective, efficient, and likely to
be sustainable, with likely significant impact. The institutional strengthening project was rated as
relevant, less effective, less efficient, and less likely to be sustainable, with modest impact. Despite the
shortcomings in institutional strengthening the overall assessment of the combined project by the PCR
was successful.
66. The project was classified as SGE. On gender impacts, the PCR states that “The project did not
envisage any substantial impacts on gender. The PCR mission did not find any specific gender impacts
that could be attributed to the project” (p.13).
67. Interviews with the NHA confirmed that NHA is taking the CPS recommendation to develop
gender-responsive resettlement and land acquisition plans seriously but that considerations of gender
are limited exclusively to the safeguard policy. The safeguards team in NHA has been strengthened by
adding a gender specialist on its staff, in addition to having a female as deputy director of the safeguards
team. The NHA team was under the impression that compliance with ADB’s safeguard policy was the
sole requirement on gender and that by strengthening their capacity to implement safeguards they were
in full compliance with ADB’s expectations on gender too. There was no evidence or even awareness of
the CPS recommendation to develop gender-sensitive roadside facilities. And no thought had been given
to any other activities that could be integrated within highways projects to increase their gender impact.
68. Sindh Coastal Community Development Project (SCCDP) (2007). The SCCDP aims to improve the
economy and livelihoods of rural communities residing in the highly fragile and rapidly changing
ecosystem of the coastal areas of the Indus delta. The intended project impact was a reduction in poverty
for households in Sindh Province. The outcomes designed included improved, ecologically sustainable
income opportunities and access to services for poor residents in the eight coastal talukas (subdistricts)
of Thatta and Badin districts with a population of 1.2 million. Besides institutional capacity building and
project management, the main components are community development and improved coastal
management. The project was the last ADB-funded community development project in Pakistan before
they were discontinued by the CPS, 2009–2013.
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69. The project outcomes were highly relevant to the government’s agenda of poverty reduction in
coastal areas and its integrated coastal zone management strategy. The project brought coastal
development into the mainstream of the Sindh development agenda. The project adopted lessons from
previous similar projects: (i) a project needs to be simple to be effective, (ii) should use institutions with
built-in capacity, (iii) adopt a demand-driven approach to community development, and (iv) balance civil
works construction with effective social mobilization. The Sindh Coastal Development Authority was the
executing agency but implementation of social mobilization and the SSI schemes was contracted out to
the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), an NGO with proven implementation capacity.
70. The project was highly effective in achieving the appraised results, including: (i) increase in
participant household incomes of 7% per year; (ii) increase of 40% in household access to drinking water,
high platform for safety against floods, and roads; and (iii) implementation by CBOs of sustainable
management plans for natural resource areas under their control. The project was highly efficient. The
project was completed on schedule, surpassed the appraisal targets for all key components, and was
completed for 83% of the projected cost at appraisal. The subprojects were pro-poor. The overall project
EIRR was 22.3%, compared to the appraisal estimate of 16%. The higher rate of return was mainly due
to the implementation cost being lower and the outputs higher than expected. The project is most likely
sustainable. All 1,291 small-scale schemes were executed and maintained by CBOs. All 168 MSI schemes
were operated and maintained by the district governments and municipal administrations. All the
community organizations and apex structures established under the project qualify for assistance from
NRSP, district governments, and other funding agencies. The operations and maintenance for mangrove
plantations has been added to the recurrent budget of Sindh Forest Department (SFD), which will work
with local communities. The PCR rated the project’s overall performance as highly successful. The project
has not been validated but the evidence suggests that its outcome rating is justified.
71. The gender strategy provided in the design and GAP developed during implementation worked
as an effective tool to achieve GAD results. The gender issues were addressed through increased
representation of women and targeted interventions such as the establishment of women’s CBOs,
training, physical infrastructure schemes with primary GAD objectives, and access to microfinance and
markets. Participation of women in community organizations grew from 26% to 46%, and 56% of the
microcredit loan beneficiaries were women.
72. Punjab Millennium Development Goals Program (PMDGP) (2008–2010), Subprograms 1 and 2.
The PMDGP was approved in 2008 and envisaged as a $500 million three-tranche program from the
Asian Development Fund (ADF). The program’s objective was to improve access to quality health services
and make them more equitable, and the program was classified as GEN. The expected impact was to
help the government achieve MDG 4 (reduction of the infant mortality rate [IMR] from 77 to 40 per 1,000
live births) and MDG 5 (reduction of the maternal mortality ratio [MMR] from 300 to 140 per 100,000
live births) in Punjab Province. The program was expected to improve availability and quality of primary
and secondary health services, and achieve better management of health service delivery, and sustainable
pro-poor healthcare financing. ADB released the first tranche of $100 million in January 2009 for
Subprogram 1 and $150 million in June 2010 for Subprogram 2. The third tranche of $250 million was
not released, in part because the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program was off track. However,
ADB did not disburse any of the TA funds approved for the program.
73. The program’s objectives of achieving better management of health service delivery and
sustainable pro-poor healthcare financing were not achieved. Although ADB disbursed $250 million
(PRs20.5 billion) in two tranches from ADF resources, funds were not transferred to the district level in a
timely manner, nor were the funds that were provided utilized efficiently. In 5 years (FY2009–FY2013)
only PRs12.8 billion was transferred to 36 districts and only 30% of the funds transferred to the district
governments for use as conditional grants, could be utilized by them. The unutilized amount was
returned to the finance department. The executing agency was the Health Department of Punjab Province
but the implementing arrangements involving multiple institutions at different levels proved to be
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inadequate for the complex program design. The PCR was not available when the 2013 CAPE was
prepared, and it provisionally concluded that the PMDGP generally improved minimal service delivery
standards, despite little progress against health indicators. The PCR and the PVR rated the program less
than relevant. The program was under-resourced, needed more time, and management resources for
implementation. The program’s implementation arrangements were inadequate to achieve the
program’s expected results on sustainability of pro-poor health care financing and on improving the
availability and quality of primary and secondary health services. Although the budget allocation for
healthcare in Punjab doubled from PRs38.5 billion to PRs79.6 billion, most of the increased funding went
to tertiary care rather than primary or secondary care.
74. In 2007, ADB approved $900,000 for a project preparatory TA with GEN objectives (TA 7004-
PAK) mapped to public sector governance. The TA was designed to support the formulation of the
proposed PMDGP and AJP clusters through policy dialogue, diagnostic assessments, and stakeholder
consultations. The projects were to Focus on improving service delivery through enhanced public financial
management, public administration and sustainable sector financing. The TA was officially closed in 2010
but neither the project data sheet nor the PCR is available indicating that even the project preparatory
TA was not utilized.
75. The program was rated ineffective, efficient, and less than likely sustainable. Inadequate
attention to program and institutional design, absence of TA for implementation support, lack of
attention to monitoring results combined to provide for failure. Both borrower and ADB performance
were rated less than satisfactory. Although the program’s original objectives justified its GEN category,
its inability to delivery results led to a gender rating of not successful. The main shortcomings were in
the lack of rigor in the risk assessment and mitigation measures, underestimation of design complexity
and institutional capacity, absence of structured TA to support such a complex program, and inadequate
assessment of the policies and ownership of the reform program.
76. Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood Assistance Restoration Program (2007). This $400
million program was the second ADB loan for earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation in Pakistan
following the devastation caused by the October 2005 earthquake. The concessional emergency
assistance loan was to finance the ERRA Housing Program for the reconstruction of houses in earthquake-
affected areas. This was a follow-up to an Earthquake Emergency Assistance Project27
financed in 2005,
shortly after the earthquake, by a $385 million special assistance loan from ADB, primarily for
reconstruction of roads and other community infrastructure. That project was categorized as an EGM
project. Although the project was deemed to be successful, its gender rating was unsuccessful. The new
project was expected to be more responsive to gender equality and was categorized as a GEN project.
77. Under the new project, rural housing was to be provided to some 30,000 people who were living
in tents, and to 3.5 million more living in temporary or semi-permanent shelters. The intended impact of
the program was the restoration and improvement of the livelihood of the earthquake-displaced people
in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), as well as the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP, since renamed as
the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province). The loan proceeds were designed to flow to the government’s central
budget with the government contributing funds to ERRA through the budget allocation process. ERRA
adopted an owner-driven implementation approach, which required providing money to many individual
households for procuring needed materials and for building their own houses based on seismically
compliant housing designs provided by ERRA. An accompanying TA—Capacity Building of Institutions
Related to Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation—was financed to support capacity building of
ERRA and other related institutions in seismic training, financial and strategic management, and
environmental and social protection.
27
The 2005 project was rated successful by the PCR and the PVR, although the 2013 CAPE reported that poor management and
cumbersome procedures contributed to significant delays in the project.
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78. The intended outcome was for most affected people to be living in seismically compliant houses
with greater safety and security. By the end of 2010, the program expected (i) at least 85% of the 3.5
million affected people have moved into seismically compliant houses; and (ii) of the people who have
moved into seismically compliant houses, more than 23% of the households in NWFP and 31% in AJK
will be headed by women. The performance indicators were that at least 85% of 585,000 houses would
be rebuilt and seismically compliant by June 2010, and that at least 50,000 additional house owners
would have been trained by May 2008, including women and other vulnerable groups. The program was
expected to support several activities to benefit women elaborated in a Gender and Vulnerability Action
Plan (GVAP). The ADB program financing had a tight time frame and was to be completed by May 2008,
while the TA was expected to continue until 2010 but was closed even later, in June 2011.
79. ERRA paid housing subsidies to the targeted affected people based on the extent of damage
caused to houses to enable individual households to carry out housing reconstruction based on standards
and designs specified by ERRA. ERRA is reported to have provided training to 783,314 people in
seismically compliant construction, part of it supported by an ADB-supported TA project designed to
finance community-based training on seismically compliant construction by beneficiaries, as well as build
institutional capacity for financial management, and environmental and social protection through
compliance with ADB’s environmental and social safeguards and use of environmental audits.
80. The rapid scale-up of a bottom-up housing program made it very difficult for ERRA to achieve
the program’s gender objectives and targets. Although ERRA used the services of national and
international NGOs to augment its training of a cadre of skilled individuals in earthquake-affected areas,
the PCR states that by the time the project was completed in June 2011, TA utilization and results in
terms of outputs and outcomes were well below the expectations and performance indicators specified
at appraisal:
The PCR reports that the TA project was used to strengthen ERRA’s financial management
capacity; financing of training by NGOs in 18 union councils of KP and AJK in seismically-
compliant building design; establishing a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system at ERRA;
undertaking a targeted vulnerability survey; and strengthening environmental and social capacity
in earthquake-affected areas. Notwithstanding comments to the contrary by the project team,
the TA completion report clearly acknowledges that only $220,271.04 (11%) of the $2 million
approved for the TA-4943 (PAK) in June 2007 was utilized even though the closing date of the
TA was extended to 2011. The TA completion report does not specify how much of the planned
activities were achieved. But with only 11% of the planned budget utilized, the TA could not have
provided the coverage it was designed to.
One of the activities reported to have been financed by the TA was a targeted household survey
by ERRA with sex-disaggregated data in all earthquake-affected areas. As per GVAP, the survey
was to be carried out at least twice a year and released to relevant stakeholders but it was carried
out only once in November 2007.
Women were to have 10% representation in senior management positions in ERRA and 20%
representation in technical positions ERRA and the two counterpart agencies in AJK and Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The PCR reported that there was minimal representation at senior
management level and technical positions in ERRA, with 12% representation in SERRA and 8% in
PERRA at the end of the project.
Instead of 85% of 3.5 million people, only 1.46 million people (50% of the 2.91 million in the
reduced ERRA program) had moved into seismically compliant houses;
Of the 319,304 houses reconstructed, 55,000 (16%) were female-headed households with
21,388 homes (7% compared to the target of 23%) in KP and 33,612 (11% compared to the
target of 31%) in AJK.
81. The program objective was highly relevant but the design suffered from an overestimation of
capacity and underestimation of the time and effort needed to implement such a large-scale program
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using new construction standards. Relevance of design, and the overall rating was therefore assessed by
the PCR and the PVR as relevant. On the positive side, the owner-driven approach has fostered self-
confidence and self-reliance of the communities that participated in the program. Most people in the
earthquake-affected regions now have access to and knowledge of the formal banking system, as a result
of their having opened more than 600,000 bank accounts to receive subsidies from the program. Villages
are now more familiar with community-based approaches to address their needs. The PCR states that
housing training was completed as planned on 31 May 2008, with 786,314 beneficiaries trained in
seismic-resistant construction techniques and social organization. Over 55,000 households with female
heads (owning 16% of all houses reconstructed by ERRA) now have land titles, own houses, and enjoy
higher status in their communities. An ADB case study28
of gender outcomes claims that over 20,000
women received training in housing reconstruction. However, not enough attention was given to
outcome and impact monitoring, a key implementation activity that was to be supported by the TA
project. While the PVR concurred with the completion report’s overall rating of successful, it modified
some of the other ratings: the program was rated as less than effective, efficient and likely sustainable,
with an overall impact rating of significant and ADB performance as less than satisfactory.
82. The gender rating of the program was assessed by ADB as being successful. However, during the
country mission, the client29
attributed work on gender equality at ERRA primarily to the gender equality
TA provided by CIDA who took the lead on gender and helped ERRA develop a gender policy for
earthquake affected areas. In addition, the client identified the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF,
an agency created and financed by the World Bank) as the lead agency providing skills training for women
in many sectors. The project team has clarified that ADB led activities in education, health, power and
road. Many thematic activities like gender, safeguards, financial management, and M&E were led by
other development agencies, but financing to implement even the thematic work (including gender)
came from multiple sources. The PCR does not acknowledge the primary role of other development
partners in the gender activities within ERRA’s program.
83. The assessment team visited field sites and conducted interviews and FGDs with beneficiaries
(Box 1) and staff of implementing partners to obtain direct feedback from earthquake-affected areas.
The fieldwork revealed that although most public facilities (schools, water supply systems, rural roads,
health centers) have been reconstructed, and most people provided with some assistance to reconstruct
their homes, the training programs imparting construction skills were not offered to women in any of
the 12 locations visited in the two districts, Bagh and Malakand, which were selected in consultation
with the project team and where the NGOs contracted by ADB were to deliver training. Livelihood
programs and related training by NGOs were made available to slightly less than 20% of households
among the beneficiaries interviewed. Although the program envisaged training women in housing
reconstruction, the evaluation team was informed by the beneficiaries that it was the men of the
household who went to receive the training. At least based on the findings from the sample locations in
Bagh and Malakand districts, we found no evidence for the claim that over 200,000 women have been
trained in construction skills.
28
https://www.adb.org/results/pakistan-women-step-after-earthquake-2012
29 Interview with Lt. Gen. Nadeem, former Deputy Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, ERRA and Director General of the National
Disaster Management Authority.
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84. There are two major deficiencies in ADB’s reporting of results. First, ADB reports on the entire
performance of ERRA without acknowledging the fact that ERRA received parallel financing of $638
million from the World Bank, in addition to support from the UN and many other development partners.
The largest NGO providing training to local communities (National Rural Support Programme) was
financed entirely by World Bank, which also financed housing reconstruction. The attribution of results
to ADB’s Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood Restoration Program alone is therefore extremely
problematic and should be qualified.
85. Second, the PCR acknowledges that gender results are considerably below appraisal estimates.
Although the GVAP was prepared as a compliance mechanism, implementation was not systematically
addressed during ADB review missions.30
The PCR acknowledges that the covenants pertaining to the
30
Ouellette, C. and Ummar, F. 2009. Making a Difference: Promoting Gender Equality in Pakistan’s Response to the 2005
Earthquake. Islamabad.
Box 1. Findings on Earthquake-Displaced Livelihood Restoration Program
Six focus group discussions (FGDs) each were conducted in Bagh district (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) and
Mansehra district (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), two of the nine districts most affected by the earthquake, with
most housing, infrastructure, and services destroyed:
FGDs in Bagh district:
Houses of 84% of FGD participants were destroyed completely, 14% destroyed partially
16% lost members of immediate family; 20% lost livestock
In three of six locations majority of women suffered personal injuries from the earthquake
Roads, water supply schemes, schools, and health centers were destroyed or badly damaged
Training in house reconstruction was provided to men only; women were not invited
Women worked with men in reconstructing their homes but decisions on construction design were
taken mainly by men
Most households received full payment (all installments) for reconstruction of homes, except for
those whose houses were partly destroyed
Most damaged schools and dispensaries were reconstructed to higher standards by ERRA
Roads rebuilt by city or local government, and water supply schemes by nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) or World Bank
Skills training and inputs for livelihoods provided in two locations; training only in one
FGDs in Mansehra district:
Almost all the women were affected by the earthquake; 20% have been relocated to other villages
and tehsils of Mansehra and 29% are still living in shelters/ incomplete or rented houses
Houses of 78% of FGD participants were destroyed completely, 19% destroyed partially
23% had casualties in the form of deaths, 77% suffered major injuries and disabilities
64% of the livestock were killed in the earthquake
Most of the public infrastructure, schools, roads, hospitals, water source, mosques, and government
buildings were completely destroyed
48% reported household male (but no women) received training in house reconstruction, and 28%
reported construction of seismic compliant homes
36% of households received three checks for reconstruction (but not the fourth)
Schools, roads, and water supply schemes reconstructed by ERRA, NGO, and a philanthropist
Health facilities are still lacking in most locations; patients have to go to Mansehra
Participants did not recall any government assistance for livelihoods; a few reported NGO assistance
for livestock, kitchen gardening, etc. and asked for more systematic support
Source: Focus group discussions conducted by Asian Development Bank, Independent Evaluation Department in Bagh
district (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) and Mansehra district (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province).
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GVAP were only partially complied with. Even so, several of the claims reported in the PCR could not be
substantiated during the fieldwork:
The GVAP for the program envisaged that all new houses would be registered under both the
wife’s name and the husband’s. This has not been done. Only 55,000 new houses belonging to
female-headed households were registered in their names.
Women were to have 50% representation in all Village Reconstruction Committees but women
participated only in 29% of the committees. Of the 5,595 committees formed, 22% were women
only and 7% were mixed.
Women were to compose 50% of the participants trained in housing reconstruction. The PCR
claims that 200,000 women (28% of trainees) received such training. The evaluation team could
not find a single woman who received such training in any of the 12 FGD locations where
fieldwork was undertaken. FGD participants said training was provided to males only.
Women were to compose 50% of the participants in nontraditional skills training. The PCR
reported that 200,000 women (27% of trainees) participated in such training. In Mansehra
district, none of the FGD participants had received any skills training. In Bagh district (AJK) some
participants from three of six FGDs received skills training but inputs (livestock, gardening kits,
etc.) to use the skills were provided in only two villages, so training was utilized only in those
two locations. While the fieldwork sample size is small, it was unable to validate these training
achievements and there was little evidence that the training had been utilized effectively.
86. Based on the findings from in-country fieldwork and the feedback from beneficiaries,
implementing agency staff, and development partners, this assessment concludes that the program has
been overrated both in the PCR and the PVR, in terms of achievement of its gender objectives. The PCR
states that the obligations in the loan agreement on the GVAP were partially complied with, and the PVR
rates the project as less than effective. This evaluation concludes that the program is rated high on
relevance of objectives; substantial on relevance of design; substantial on responsiveness to country and
beneficiary needs; moderate on gender results; and moderate on ADB performance in promoting gender
outcomes especially because of the absence of any acknowledgment of the very substantial contribution
of other development partners, and the lack of follow-up on the GVAP during implementation.
87. Social Protection Development Project (SPDP) (2013). The $430 million project supports the
Government of Pakistan's national social safety net program, the BISP.31
The project was approved to
enable the expansion of the unconditional cash transfer (UCT) program (paid to the female head of
targeted poor families) by registering an additional 2.4 million eligible families and financing the first 5
quarters of their cash transfers from a base of 4.5 million women. In addition, it committed to support
the strengthening and phased expansion of the pilot health insurance and skills development programs
to increase income and good health for targeted families. The project intended to provide TA and finance
part of the scaling-up costs of both programs. The substantial fiduciary risk of the project was to be
mitigated through the strengthening of BISP financial management systems and capacity.
88. The UCT program design has evolved with substantial TA from the World Bank and DFID since it
was first launched in 2008. While initially beneficiaries were identified by parliamentarians that has been
replaced by beneficiaries identified by a national Socioeconomic Survey (SES) conducted in 2010 which
uses a proxy means-tested approach. The SES identified 7.2 million households (23% of the total
population) under a predetermined threshold in the Poverty Scorecard eligible for the social safety net.
Cash transfers are released quarterly to the female head of eligible households.32
To minimize leakage,
BISP beneficiaries have to be in possession of a computerized national identity card (CNIC). The payment
31
ADB has also provided initial assistance through Accelerating Economic Transformation Program (AETP, 2008–2009) which
earmarked $150 million (15% of AETP) for social protection. The AETP was unsuccessful although some of the social protection
outputs were reported as achieved.
32 The original cash transfer was Rs 1,000 per month (about $30 per quarter) and has been increased gradually to $47 per quarter.
Eligibility is limited to households that fall within the range of 0–16.17 on the Poverty Scorecard.
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modality has also evolved from initial transfers made through the post office to payments made through
debit cards issued to eligible women for withdrawals at ATMs. A by-product of the program has been an
increase in the number of women who have legal status through the CNIC, have access to disposable
incomes, and have greater possibility of using formal banking systems.
89. Of the 7.2 million people who met BISP’s eligibility criteria for the cash transfer, 2.4 million
eligible poor households were not receiving the cash transfer because the female head did not possess a
CNIC. The ADB project targeted this 2.4 million, in addition to supporting a health insurance and a skills
development component. The financial closing date of the project is June 2019. To meet this target date,
all new UCT beneficiaries would have to be enrolled by December 2017, so that their cash transfers can
be disbursed before the closing date. ADB and BISP had agreed that any beneficiary enrolled after 1 July
2013 would receive five installments from ADB project funds.
90. The two other components included in the ADB project were financing and scale-up of BISP’s
Waseela-e-Sehat health insurance scheme; and the Waseela-e-Rozgar training program. A project
preparation TA of $0.875 million was approved in 2013. Its major outputs included review of BISP’s
health insurance scheme and BISP’s vocational training and skills development projects to prepare the
operational designs of the conditional cash transfer (CCT) program for health and an alternate vocational
training program. The project included ambitious targets to increase enrollment in the health insurance
scheme from 37,525 in 2013, to 786,423 in 2018, and increase beneficiaries trained from 56,600 in 2013,
to 577,294 in 2018, of which at least 50% were to be women. The main targets in the GAP included
payment of regular quarterly cash transfers to all eligible BISP women; 95% of eligible beneficiaries (2.4
million new beneficiaries) have CNICs by 2018 (baseline is 70%) with debit cards issued to all new
registered women; health insurance cards issued to all BISP women (577,294) in 16 districts by 2018;
and courses designed to provide skills training through a community level delivery approach which can
be used by women for a broad range of local income earning activities.
91. In November 2015, both the health insurance scheme and the skills development program were
discontinued by the BISP Board of Directors which did not feel the programs were viable or in keeping
with BISP’s comparative advantage. While this cancellation could not have been anticipated at appraisal,
and there may have been political economy pressures from competing interests at play, clearly the 2013
TA did not lead to a design that was credible enough to achieve ownership of these programs by the
BISP Board of Directors. ADB has no choice but to restructure the project and is attempting to develop
an alternative program design for ultra-poor BISP beneficiaries. At the time of this evaluation the
alternative design was still in early stages of discussion.
92. The mission held several meetings with BISP personnel, including the chairperson, board
members, and senior managers to obtain updates on the BISP program and feedback on ADB’s support.
By August 2016, $121.92 million (30% of the loan amount) had been utilized and 162,000 beneficiaries
provided cash transfers with ADB funds (BISP Director General, cash transfers, and M&E). This is far below
the expectation of 2.4 million new beneficiaries to the program, suggesting that scaling up the UCT
program remains a challenge.
93. Meetings with BISP staff revealed that BISP receives substantial technical support from the World
Bank and DFID for the UCT and for a CCT program for schooling children. USAID has provided financing
to pay for Aurat Foundation, an NGO, to undertake a program of social mobilization in 32 districts to
organize local beneficiaries into BISP Beneficiary Committees (BBC), and monitoring of school attendance
by the children of CCT beneficiaries. Over 50,000 BBCs had been established in 30 months by the social
mobilization program, and they served as a forum for information exchange among beneficiaries and
with BISP regional offices. TA from other development partners included support for program and
institutional design, the design of the 2010 and the 2016 SES, strengthening BISP’s monitoring and
evaluation capability and the program’s results framework, and financing of an external impact
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evaluation to assess results. The World Bank and DFID support the program with a shared set of DLIs,
and conduct joint supervision missions, adopting the discipline of a results-based approach.
94. While other development partners have clearly collaborated with each other in supporting BISP,
ADB has functioned in isolation. ADB is thus benefiting from the TA provided by others without
acknowledging their roles and without making any substantive contribution to the design of their TA.
Nor has ADB set up any independent mechanism to monitor results.
95. The FGDs shed light on several implementation challenges (Box 2), including inaccuracies in the
SES, ease and cost of accessing funds through the ATMs, as well as the benefits of the CCTs, and the
value of social mobilization. Beneficiary feedback from the FGDs revealed that there were significant
errors of exclusion (deserving women being left out) and inclusion (of undeserving women) in the 2010
round of the 2010 socioeconomic survey from which BISP’s beneficiary base is derived. A new round of
survey is scheduled to take place in mid-2016. But ADB appears to have no role in the design of the new
survey either. Nor does ADB participate in joint supervision missions or meetings among other
development partners.
96. Although the Social Protection Development Project and its accompanying TA are still ongoing,
ADB’s role can be assessed against the institution building aspects and results achieved to date. Relevance
of objectives was high. Somewhat in contrast, relevance of design is moderate. ADB’s appraisal design
was clearly off the mark. ADB’s project design targeted what it saw as low-hanging fruit by scaling up
the UCT program developed by other partners but it overestimated BISP’s ability to scale up the program.
ADB also prematurely committed to include BISP’s health insurance and skills training components which
were at an incipient stage. Responsiveness is low. Apart from the financial tranche, ADB has not made
any substantive contribution to the design of Pakistan’s social safety net program. Nor has ADB been
able to provide the TA that BISP needed to develop credible technical designs for health and skills training,
and both programs have been discontinued. Gender results to date are far behind the pace needed to
achieve end-of-project targets and are rated moderate. The limited results to date are because ADB has
essentially benefited from the UCT design and the survey and monitoring systems put in place by other
development partners. To date, ADB’s performance is clearly deficient and is rated low. Ironically, a
program which other donors consider their most successful flagship project in Pakistan, is floundering
under ADB aegis due to insufficient attention to implementation design and the quality of ADB’s technical
support, and ADB’s inability to enter into a collaborative partnership with other donors who are financing
BISP.
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V. Overall Findings and Recommendations
A. Relevance
97. ADB’s country strategy has evolved from a more diverse range of sector interventions to a
stronger focus on the energy, transport, and infrastructure sectors, with one major intervention in social
protection under public sector management. Most of these sectors are typically not considered suitable
to promote gender equality, the assumption being that such infrastructure development will equally
benefit men and women. ADB’s strategy in the early 2000s was highly relevant in terms of targeting
Box 2. Findings on Social Protection Development Project
Six focus group discussions (FGDs) each were conducted in Bagh district (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) and
Mansehra district (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), three in small towns and nine in rural settlements. Participants
were 51 from Bagh and 64 from Mansehra districts. All of them were receiving unconditional cash transfers
(UCT) from Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), while 73% from Bagh and 67% from Mansehra were
also receiving conditional cash transfers (CCT) for school going children.
FGDs in Bagh district:
The majority (73%) felt the 2010 survey was accurate, while 27% said it had errors
84% feel that most BISP beneficiaries deserve the cash transfers but 71% feel some deserving women
(including female-headed households and widows) are excluded from BISP benefits
Most beneficiaries receive quarterly cash transfers regularly, but when debit cards are blocked or
captured by the ATM there are long delays in receiving replacement cards
All participants receive cash transfers via debit cards but only 7 of 51 are able to use the ATMs
themselves; 80% depend on family members to withdraw cash
84% incur higher transportation costs to reach ATMs but 73% said ATM was better than postal service
where staff extorted bribes and sometimes did not release payments
Most participants use cash transfers for food purchase and children’s education; a few saved money
to start home-based business selling poultry, eggs, and milk
Participants feel the BISP Beneficiary Committee (BBC) is an important platform for information
sharing and networking where they learn about BISP programs and other development initiatives;
they were concerned that nongovernmental organization (NGO) support for these committees was
being discontinued
FGDs in Mansehra district:
Most FGD participants reported the surveyor did the survey sitting in the house of influential or
community center; only 33% of participants said the survey was conducted in their homes
Over 30% of deserving families headed by women/widows are excluded from the program either
because they were left out of the survey or deemed ineligible to receive cash transfers
10% of beneficiaries are from households that should have been ineligible as their men are migrant
workers in the Middle East or in the army
The UCT is received regularly by beneficiaries but only 40% of entitled beneficiaries are receiving the
education CCT regularly
The majority prefer payment through debit cards at ATMs or through Ufone; one-fifth said the post
office was more accessible even though they had to pay Rs 50–200 to postal workers
55% women go to the ATM/Ufone themselves but 91% seek help from staff and pay a fee to withdraw
funds from their account; 45% rely on males of their household for withdrawals
75% of cash transfer is used for groceries, children’s expenses, or loan repayments; 20% used for
health expenses; only 5% for income-generating activities
Social networking is the main benefit of BBC; 50% feel the BBC helps them gain more knowledge
about BISP programs; only 20% visit the BISP office personally
Source: Focus group discussions conducted by Asian Development Bank, Independent Evaluation Department in Bagh
district (Azad Jammu and Kashmir) and Mansehra district (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province).
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gender equality through more ambitious institution building programs—e.g., the Access to Justice
Program, and the Decentralization Support Program. Those were high risk, high reward programs, and
even those that were deemed partly successful in achieving their development objective, were successful
in achieving gender outcomes.
98. Under CPS, 2004–2006, ADB financed creative community-based rural development
interventions—the Sustainable Livelihoods in Barani Areas Project (SLBAP) and the Sindh Coastal
Community Development Project (SCCDP)—that were also successful in mobilizing women to participate
in development activities and in economically empowering them. Both sets of programs benefited from
detailed attention to program design and relatively ambitious gender objectives. Interviews with
implementing partners and ADB country office staff confirmed that both community development
projects (SLBAP and SCCDP) were far more effective in achieving gender outcomes than most of the other
ADB programs concurrently in the portfolio. Two noteworthy impacts were identified during the
interviews at NRSP. First, in order to achieve their gender targets the institutional design needed to be
modified to allow female extension workers to reach remote coastal communities. With that adaptation
the gender targeting in SCCDP proved to be so successful that NRSP has learned from that approach and
scaled it up in its programs in other districts. Second, although the ADB project has ended, the beneficiary
communities of the SCCDP are continuing to be supported by the NRSP with its own resources, further
enhancing the sustainability of the community-based interventions in that fragile environment.
99. Relevance of objectives in CPS, 2004–2006 was thus matched by relevance of design. On the
other hand, the Gender Reform Program, which led to the formulation of GRAPs by the federal and
provincial governments lacked ownership and yielded less successful results. Even the modest target of
5% females in all public sector employment has been difficult to achieve.
100. With the new CPS, 2009–2013 and CPS, 2015–2019, ADB’s leverage in promoting gender equity
has been reduced further by its withdrawal from the education and health sectors. The social protection
program remains most relevant to gender but with the exception of urban transport projects whose
results are not yet available, there is little evidence of serious attempts to mainstream gender in the
infrastructure portfolio.
101. ADB’s strategy commits the Bank to a target of 45% GEM projects among new approvals. ADB
has exceeded this target in the Asia Pacific region (51% in ADB and 57% ADF projects), but Pakistan’s
portfolio has lagged behind the regional target. During the evaluation period (2005–2015), of the 66
ADB projects approved for Pakistan, only 29% had GEM objectives. After 2009, ADB moved away from
targeted gender equity programs and expanded its infrastructure portfolio which was even less likely to
have GEM objectives. With the exception of water, most of these projects had little gender content and
were classified as SGE or NGE. In recent years, the gap has grown even wider and only 20% of projects
approved in 2010–2015 had GEM objectives (Appendix 2, Table 2.5).
102. The relevance of design of ADB’s assistance program was also affected by the choice of lending
modality, which evolved from project lending to program lending. ADB supported the Earthquake
Emergency Assistance Program (2005), the Earthquake-Displaced Livelihoods Restoration Program
(2007), and the Punjab MDGs Program (2008) by financing part of the government’s budget. These
national programs had relevant gender objectives but the programs suffered from flawed designs that
allowed disbursements without clearly identified performance criteria, and excessive dependence on
implementing agencies who were less interested in the TA needed to build their institutional capacity.
ADB was completely dependent on self-reporting by implementing agencies and did not institute third
party monitoring to verify results. ADB’s inability to develop partnerships with other development
partners who were working with the same agencies reduced its leverage and resulted in less relevant
design than should have been possible.
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B. Responsiveness
103. ADB’s lukewarm responsiveness to the gender challenges facing Pakistan declined further over
the evaluation period. From being at the cutting edge of efforts to support gender equality, ADB has
become even narrower in the strategic objectives it supports, and more inhibited in providing analytical
and technical advice to its clients on gender responsive program design. During 2010–2015 (i.e., after
CPS, 2009–2013 was finalized), ADB approved 30 new lending operations of which 60% (10 energy and
8 transport) were for hard sectors, which typically have very few GEM projects. PSM (including social
protection), and agricultural and natural resources had five projects each, with one each in health and
water and urban projects (Appendix 2, Table 2.6). Of these 30 operations, only 20% had GEM objectives
(4 GEN and 2 EGM) (Appendix 2, Table 2.5). In contrast, the 36 projects approved during 2005–2009 had
a lower share of transport (8) and energy (5) projects (36%). Of even greater relevance, 36% of the
projects approved during 2005–2009 were GEM projects (7 GEN and 6 EGM), demonstrating a somewhat
higher commitment to promote gender equality.
104. The 2013–2014 CGA was a useful attempt to bring ADB back as an intellectual leader in the
gender debate. The collaborative effort to produce the CGA had promise but that has not been matched
by donor coordination at the operational level. The analytical insights of the CGA by themselves cannot
ensure responsiveness in operations without more substantial engagement with other development
partners who are working in the same sector with the same agencies. ADB needs to take a hard look at
its current strategy of isolationism and competitiveness, particularly when it supports national programs
which other development partners are also interested in, and where the results of ADB financing depend
in part on the contributions of other partners. TA needs to be coordinated to ensure more effective donor
coordination and synergies and to ensure more credible monitoring and attribution of results.
105. In recent projects, the rhetoric in ADB’s appraisal documents sounds more grandiose than the
effort it is putting in to achieve these lofty objectives. ADB’s contribution to project design is inadequate
and depends heavily, without giving due credit, on designs initiated by the government or assistance
from other development partners. This evaluation found that contrary to the CPS commitment of making
transport more sensitive and responsive to the needs of females, the capacity building at the NHA has
been limited to gender sensitivity in safeguard implementation. Constraints on female mobility are a
huge obstacle to their participation in the labor market. The ring-fencing of gender within the confines
of the safeguard policy misses the point about designing the transport network in a manner that makes
it safe and practical for women to use public or private transportation services.
106. Finally, ADB has underinvested in M&E and, even though it is not cofinancing programs with
other donors, has not put in place any mechanism to track its results as distinct from those of other
donors. Nor has ADB adopted third party monitoring for independent feedback on program
performance.
107. As a whole, during the review period the country program remains one that is less than
responsive to the gender challenges facing the country. Despite the higher level commitments in the CPS
and the effort made in undertaking the CGA, to the extent that this evaluation has been able to detect
any change, the responsiveness of ADB’s assistance program has deteriorated over the evaluation period.
C. Results
108. Among the 11 projects approved in 2005–2015 that have gender ratings, only two were listed
as successful on gender: the Sindh Coastal Community Development Project (ANR) and the Earthquake-
Displaced People Livelihood Restoration Program (FIN) (Appendix 2, Table 2.7). Both were also deemed
to be successful overall. Interviews with implementing partners and ADB country office staff confirmed
that both community development projects were far more effective in achieving gender outcomes than
most of the other ADB programs concurrently in the portfolio. Two noteworthy impacts were identified
ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
27
during the interviews at NRSP. First, in order to achieve their gender targets the institutional design
needed to be modified to allow female extension workers to reach remote coastal communities. With
that adaptation the gender targeting in SCCDP proved to be so successful that NRSP has learned from
that approach and scaled it up in its programs in other districts. Second, although the ADB project has
ended, the beneficiary communities of the SCCDP are continuing to be supported by the NRSP with its
own resources, further enhancing the sustainability of the community-based interventions in that fragile
environment.
109. The earthquake rehabilitation project was also substantially responsive, justifying the successful
rating overall. However, like its predecessor the 2005 Emergency Earthquake Assistance Project (2005),
its performance on gender equality objectives was moderate and merits a rating of not successful (Table
1).
110. To provide some comparison, the 2005–2015 cohort was compared with the cohort of projects
approved between 1999-2010. Among the earlier cohort, 27 projects had gender ratings, out of which
all of the 21 projects from education and hard sectors were unsuccessful in achieving gender outcomes,
but 50% of the ANR and PSM portfolio approved was successful on gender (Appendix 2, Table 2.9). Due
to the overlapping time period, the FIN earthquake rehabilitation project is also found in the earlier
cohort. Excluding this FIN project from both cohorts, only 10% of the projects from 2005–2015 (the
evaluation period) had successful gender outcomes, compared to 19% from the 1999–2010 cohort.
111. Of the 28 new TAs approved in 2010–2015, one was classified as GEN, while four were classified
as EGM. The share of TA projects with gender equity and mainstreaming was 18% by number of TA
projects and 29% by ADB financing for those TA projects. Even though the TA associated with a lending
operation covers much more than support for gender equality, the total size of the TA is small and the
attention given to gender by those TA is even smaller. This is further compounded by the fact that, as
described earlier in the report, utilization of TA funds has been poor in most projects where it directly
targeted gender equity objectives. The TA project (1938) for the Gender Reform Program, which was
intended to support preparation and implementation of the federal and provincial GRAPs was only able
to utilize 1.8% of the TA loan despite extension of the closing date, and GRAP implementation remained
weak. Similarly, the TA supporting the Punjab MDGs Program was bot utilized. While the TA funds for
the SPDP have been largely utilized, they have been misdirected at components that have been cancelled,
and the deficiencies identified by this study have not yet been addressed.
112. Table 1 summarizes the findings from the projects assessed in greater detail by this assessment.
Relevance in this table is assessed for projects at two levels: relevance of objectives, and relevance of
design in relation to gender mainstreaming. All of these projects assessed were found have high or
substantial relevance of objectives. But weaknesses in the technical or institutional design of many of
these projects or programs lowered relevance of design, particularly among those approved in the latter
half of the decade.
ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
Table 1. Gender Assessment of Selected ADB-Supported Operations
Name of Project
Approval
Year
ADB
Financing
($ million)
Gender
Category
PCR
Rating
PVR
Rating
Gender
Rating
Relevance of
Objectivea
Relevance
of Designa Responsiveness
a
Gender
Resultsa
ADB
Performancea
Access to Justice
Program 2001 350 GEN PS PS S H H S S S
Decentralization
Support Program 2002 270 GEN S PS S S H S S S
Sustainable
Livelihoods in Barani
Areas Project 2004 41 EGM HS S S S S S S S
National Highway
Development Sector
Investment Programb-
Project 1 2006 180 SGE S S n.a. S M M L M
Sindh Coastal
Community
Development Project 2007 36 EGM HS n.a. S S H H S S
Earthquake-Displaced
People Livelihood
Assistance Restoration
Program 2007 402 GEN S S S H S S M M
Punjab Millennium
Development Goals
Programc 1 & 2
2008,
2010 250 GEN U U NS H M M L L
Social Protection
Development Project 2013 430 GEN n.a. n.a. n.a. H M M M L
ADB = Asian Development Bank, EGM = effective gender mainstreaming, GEN = gender equity as theme, HS = highly successful, n.a. = not applicable, PCR = project completion report, PS =
partially successful, PVR = project validation report, S = successful, SGE = some gender elements, U = unsuccessful.
a Relevance, Responsiveness, Gender Results, and Asian Development Bank (ADB) Performance are rated by the Gender and Development evaluation team on a 4-point scale (H=High; S=Substantial;
M=Moderate; L=Low). ADB Performance is assessed in terms of ADB’s actions to promote gender outcomes.
b Relevant to National Highway Development Sector Investment Program MFF (2006) and National Trade Corridor Highway Investment Program (2014).
c The Punjab Millennium Development Goals Program was expected to have three tranches. The first two ($100 million in 2008, $250 million in 2010) were disbursed. The third was not released
as Pakistan’s International Monetary Fund program went off-track. The assessment covers the first two tranches.
Source: Asian Development Bank.
ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
113. In terms of gender results, four of the eight projects scrutinized in greater depth were found to
be successful. Two of these were the public sector reform projects approved in 2001 and 2002, prior to
the evaluation period, to reform the justice system in Pakistan, and to support decentralization of
authority to a new local government system. Implementation continued into the evaluation period and
the PCRs finalized in 2009 found both to be successful in promoting gender equality. One of the
noteworthy contributions of the decentralization program was the reservation of 33% quota for women
in all local government councils. While the local government structure is going through reforms, the very
substantial reservation of women’s seats in local government has survived these structural changes. The
AJP faced difficulties in implementing the ambitious police reforms but did succeed in creating
acceptance of the need to recruit women into the police service and to provide dedicated service desks
and services for women. Having ambitious objectives in non-traditional areas has left a lasting effect on
gender equality. The other two projects with successful gender outcomes were the community-based
development projects from the ANR sector. By organizing women into community groups at the local
level, those projects were able to reach women, provide skills training, and offer microloans and TA to
induce their participation in local economic development. An innovative institutional design and
sustained assistance by local support organizations proved to be effective in promoting economic
empowerment of women.
114. The grand schemes which involved state largesse were less effective because they did not attempt
to modify social norms and power structures. While the earthquake rehabilitation projects contributed
to reconstruction of roads, housing and community infrastructure, they were less effective in achieving
their gender objectives.
115. The SPDP has the most promise and the evaluation fieldwork yielded credible examples of the
empowerment effect of providing cash directly to women. But the ADB project suffered from a
misjudgment about the feasibility of two components—health and skills development—during appraisal
and an overestimation of the ability to scale up the cash transfer program. ADB’s financing also suffers
from its isolation from the remaining program which is receiving TA from the World Bank, DFID, and
USAID. Attribution of results to the ADB project is still very tenuous and not easily separable from the
assistance of other donors. The Bank would do well to recognize this and be more proactive in joining
hands with other development partners to ensure achievement of the project’s results and gender results.
D. Recommendations
116. Pakistan’s track record shows that while it compares favorably with regional comparators in other
development indicators, it lags behind most of them (except Afghanistan) in addressing gender
inequality. The gender deficit has been adversely affected by inadequate attention to gender equity and
mainstreaming in ADB’s CSP. The findings of this evaluation lead to the following recommendations to
enable ADB to make a meaningful contribution to gender equality in Pakistan:
117. ADB should be much more proactive in integrating gender equity and mainstreaming (GEM)
objectives across the CSP by expanding the share of operations with GEM objectives and the depth of
gender integration within those operations. The Pakistan portfolio needs to catch up with ADB’s global
targets on the share of GEM projects and should begin from a default that all projects will integrate
gender mainstreaming or gender equity objectives. Any project that is unable to mainstream gender
should explain why it needs an exemption.
118. ADB should invest more heavily up front in technical design to ensure integration of GEM
objectives, and in assessment of institutional capacity and client ownership to enhance the likelihood of
success and sustained impact. While this is true of all operations, its need is most acute when ADB
provides budget support to national or subnational programs.
ADB Support for Gender and Development (2005–2015) Supplementary Linked Document E (Country Portfolio Assessment)
30
119. To enhance program effectiveness and achievement of gender objectives, ADB should replace
unconditional budget support for national and subnational programs with results-based lending, and
should ensure integration of GEM outputs and outcomes within the program’s results framework. The
experience of budget support without linking disbursements to predetermined indicators has not been
justified and should be replaced by the results-based lending instrument with clearly established DLIs,
including gender DLIs for all GEM programs.
120. ADB should be more proactive in coordinating with other donors and should formalize
partnerships and cofinancing arrangements with development partners who are providing finance or TA
to programs being considered for ADB funding. ADB should be an active contributor in the design of the
program and its M&E systems, and should seek to establish joint supervision missions to ensure
consistency and synergies across their programs.
121. ADB should invest more, whether individually or in collaboration with development partners, in
M&E of the programs that it supports, including through independent third party monitoring and impact
evaluations to assess the achievement of project/program objectives and gender outcomes. Contrary to
current practice where ADB relies solely on progress monitoring by the client and impact evaluations by
other donors, ADB needs to be involved in the design and oversight of these M&E systems to ensure that
results claimed by ADB can actually be attributed to ADB.
Appendix 1
31
COUNTRY COMPARISONS
Table A1.1 Comparative Country and Gender Indicators for South Asia
Indicators Pakistan Afghanistan Bangladesh India Nepal Sri Lanka
Gross National Income per capita, Atlas method (current $) 1,440 630 1,190 1,590 730 3,800
Gross Domestic Product growth (annual %) 4.7 1.3 6.1 7.3 5.4 4.5
Net official development assistance and official aid received (current
$ billion)
3.6 4.8 2.4 3.0 0.8 0.5
Youth literacy rate, population 15–24 years, gender parity index 0.8 0.5 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.0
Youth literacy rate, population 15–24 years, female (%) 64.5 32.1 83.3 81.8 80.2 98.6
School enrollment, secondary (gross), gender parity index 0.8 0.6 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.0
Expected years of schooling, female 7.4 7.6 10.1 11.9 12.7 14.3
Gender Development Index (GDI) 0.726 0.600 0.917 0.795 0.908 0.948
Gender Inequality Index (GII) 0.536 0.693 0.503 0.563 0.489 0.370
Human Development Index (female) 0.436 0.328 0.541 0.525 0.521 0.730
Human Development Index (male) 0.601 0.546 0.590 0.660 0.574 0.769
Sources: Economic and education indicators from World Development Indicators (2015); Gross Development Index and Gender Inequality Index from United Nations Development
Programme’s Human Development Report. Data are from 2015 or any of the previous five years when data were available.
Table A1.2 Comparative Gender Empowerment Indicators for South Asia
Indicators Pakistan Afghanistan Bangladesh India Nepal Sri Lanka
Health Empowerment
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) 66.2 60.4 71.6 68.0 69.6 74.8
Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) 184 425 188 181 275 31
Births attended by skilled health staff (%) 52.1 38.6 42.1 52.3 55.6 98.6
Fertility rate, total (births per woman) 3.6 4.8 2.2 2.4 2.2 2.1
Contraceptive prevalence, any methods (% of women ages 15-49) 35.4 21.2 62.4 54.8 49.6 68.4
Economic Empowerment
Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) (modeled
International Labour Organization estimate)
29.9 20.1 68.6 33.8 91.8 46.1
Labor force participation rate, female (% of females ages 15+)
(modeled ILO estimate)
24.8 15.9 57.6 27.0 79.9 35.1
Borrowed money from a financial institution, female (% age 15+) 0.3 0.7 9.8 4.9 9.6 17.3
Saved any money in the past year, female (% age 15+) 6.7 10.3 26.2 16.8 16.0 35.3
Social Empowerment
Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%) 20.7 27.7 19.8 11.4 29.5 5.8
Female legislators, senior officials and managers (% of total) 3.0 n.a. 5.4 13.8 18.3 28.4
Final say in all decisions (%) 38.2 n.a. 46.0 39.3 45.5 n.a.
Source: World Development Indicators. Data are from 2014 or from previous 6 years when data were available; asterisks indicate older data of ADB’s actions to promote gender outcomes.
Appendix 2
32
STATISTICAL TABLES
Table A2.1. Number of Approved Loans and Grants in Pakistan, 2005–2015,
by Sector and Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) category
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) Categories
Primary Sectors GEN EGM SGE NGE NC Total
ANR 2 3 2 4
11
EDU 1
1
ENE
1 14
15
FIN 1
1 3
5
HLT 2
2
IND
1
1
PSM 1 3 2 4 2 12
TRA
2 3 11
16
WUS 1 2
3
Total 8 11 9 36 2 66
ANR = agriculture and natural resources, EDU = education, ENE = energy, EGM = effective gender mainstreaming, FIN =
finance, GEN = gender equity as theme, HLT = health, IND = industry and trade, NC = not categorized, NGE = no gender
elements, PSM = public sector management, SGE = some gender elements, TRA = transport, WUS = water and other urban
infrastructure and services.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.2. ADB Financing for Loans & Grants in Pakistan ($ million), 2005–2015 by Sector and Gender
Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) category
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) Categories
Primary Sectors GEN EGM SGE NGE NC Total
ANR 80.20 228.00 270.77 400.57
979.54
EDU 205.00
205.00
ENE
50.00 4,005.31
4,055.31
FIN 402.00
10.00 1,124.00
1,536.00
HLT 250.00
250.00
IND
5.00
5.00
PSM 430.00 770.00 700.00 481.35 6.00 2,387.35
TRA
578.19 1,047.40 1,169.10
2,794.69
WUS 60.00 137.10
197.10
Total 1,427.20 1,718.29 2,078.17 7,180.33 6.00 12,409.99
ADB = Asian Development Bank, ANR = agriculture and natural resources, EDU = education, ENE = energy, EGM = effective
gender mainstreaming, FIN = finance, GEN = gender equity as theme, HLT = health, IND = industry and trade, NC = not
categorized, NGE = no gender elements, PSM = public sector management, SGE = some gender elements, TRA = transport,
WUS = water and other urban infrastructure and services.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.3. Number of Approved Technical Assistance in Pakistan, 2010–2015, by Sector and Gender
Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) category
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) Categories
Primary Sectors GEN EGM SGE NGE NC Total
ANR
5 1 1 7
ENE
1
5 1 7
FIN
1
1
PSM 1
2 1 4
TRA
2 2 4
8
WUS
1
1
Total 1 4 7 13 3 25
ANR = agriculture and natural resources, ENE = energy, EGM = effective gender mainstreaming, FIN = finance, GEN =
gender equity as theme, NC = not categorized, NGE = no gender elements, PSM = public sector management, SGE = some
gender elements, TRA = transport, WUS = water and other urban infrastructure and services.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Appendix 2
33
Table A2.4. ADB Financing for Technical Assistance in Pakistan ($ million), 2010–2015 by Sector and
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) category
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) Categories
Primary Sectors GEN EGM SGE NGE NC Total
ANR
2.25 0.23 1.00 3.48
ENE
1.50
5.03 0.55 7.08
FIN
0.23
0.23
PSM 0.88
0.72 0.23 1.82
TRA
2.33 0.23 4.50
4.75
WUS
1.30
1.30
Total 0.88 5.13 2.48 10.70 1.78 20.95
ADB = Asian Development Bank, ANR = agriculture and natural resources, ENE = energy, EGM = effective gender
mainstreaming, FIN = finance, GEN = gender equity as theme, NC = not categorized, NGE = no gender elements, PSM =
public sector management, SGE = some gender elements, TRA = transport, WUS = water and other urban infrastructure
and services.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.5. Number of Projects by GEM Category & Approval Year
Gender Equity and Mainstreaming (GEM) Category
Approval Year GEN EGM SGE NGE NC Total
2005 2 1 1 4 8
2006 1 2 3 4 10
2007 1 1 4 6
2008 2 1 1 4 8
2009 2 2
4
2010 1 1 2 1 5
2011 1 2 1 4
2012 1 2 3
2013 1 2 3
2014 1 1 6 8
2015 1 6 7
Total 8 11 9 36 2 66
EGM = effective gender mainstreaming, GEN = gender equity as a theme, NC = not classified, NGE
= no gender element, SGE = some gender elements.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.6. Number of Projects by Primary Sector & Approval Year
Primary Sector
Approval
Year
ANR EDU ENE FIN HLT IND PSM TRA WUS Total
2005 1 1
1 4 1 8
2006 3
2 3
1
1
10
2007 1
1 2
1 1
6
2008 1
1
1
3 1 1 8
2009
1
2 1
4
2010
2
1
2
5
2011 1
1
1 1
4
2012 1
1
1 3
2013
2
1
3
2014 2
2
1 3
8
2015 1
2
4
7
Total 11 1 15 5 2 1 12 16 3 66
ANR = agriculture and natural resources, EDU = education, ENE = energy, FIN = finance, HLT = health, IND = industry and
trade, PSM = public sector management, TRA = transport, WUS = water and other urban infrastructure and services.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Appendix 2
34
Table A2.7. Gender Rating for Loans and Grants, 2005–2015* by PCR Rating
PCR Rating
Gender Rating HS LS PS S U Total Percent
Successful** 1 1 2 18%
Not Successful
1
2 6 9 82%
Total 1 1
3 6 11 100%
HS = highly successful, LS = less than successful, PCR = project completion report, PS = partly successful, S = successful,
U = unsuccessful.
* Includes projects for which both project completion report and gender rating were available.
** The two projects with successful gender ratings are the Sindh Coastal Community Development Project (agriculture and
natural resources) and the Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood Restoration Program (finance); the gender rating for
the latter is not supported by fieldwork results (see Table 1).
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.8. Gender Rating for Loans and Grants, 1999–2010*
PCR Rating
Gender Rating HS LS PS S U Total Percent
Successful** 2 1 3 6 22%
Not Successful
1 4 4 12 21 78%
Total 2 1 5 7 12 27 100%
HS = highly successful, LS = less than successful, PCR = project completion report, PS = partly successful, S = successful,
U = unsuccessful.
* Includes projects for which both project completion report and gender rating were available.
** The six projects with successful gender ratings in the projects database include three agriculture and natural resources
projects, 2 public sector management projects and one finance project which overlaps with Table A2.7.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.9. Gender Rating for Loans and Grants, 2005–2015* by Primary Sector
Gender Rating
Primary Sector Successful Not Successful Total
Percentage
Successful
ANR 3 3 6 50%
EDU
6 5 0%
ENE
1 1 0%
FIN** 1 1 100%
HLT
2 2 0%
IND
1 1 0%
PSM 2 4 6 50%
TRA
2 2 0%
WUS
2 2 0%
Total 6 21 27 22%
ANR = agriculture and natural resources, EDU = education, ENE = energy, FIN = finance, HLT = health, IND = industry
and trade, PSM = public sector management, TRA = transport, WUS = water and other urban infrastructure and services.
* Includes projects for which both project completion report and gender rating were available
** The finance project is the Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood Restoration Program also listed in Table A2.7, whose
gender rating of successful is not supported by the fieldwork results.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Table A2.10. Gender Category/ADB Financing for new TAs, 2010-2015
Gender Category Count of Gender category
ADB Financing
(in $ million)
GEN 1 0.875
EGM 4 5.125
SGE 7 2.475
NGE 13 10.695
NC 3 1.775
Total 28 20.95
Percent GEN + EGM 18% 29%
ADB = Asian Development Bank, EGM = effective gender mainstreaming, GEN = gender equity as theme, NC = not
categorized, NGE = no gender elements, SGE = some gender elements, TA = technical assistance.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
Appendix 3
35
EVIDENCE FROM PROJECT VALIDATION REPORTS OF EARLIER PROJECTS WITH GENDER EQUITY AND
MAINSTREAMING (GEM) OBJECTIVES
Creating a New Industry: the Khushhali Microfinance Bank Story
Project Number: 29229, Loan Number: 1805-PAK (SF)
1. Financial inclusion in Pakistan lags far behind regional comparators. The Khushhali Microfinance
Bank was founded in 2000 as the first-ever commercial microfinance bank in the country with Asian
Development Bank (ADB) support from the $70 million Microfinance Sector Development Program
(MSDP). It was incorporated through the Khushhali Bank Ordinance, 2000 as a corporate body with
limited liability and commenced its business with issuance of a license by the State Bank of Pakistan on
11 August 2000. A $68 million credit line from MSDP supported its microfinance outreach program.
2. The Khushhali Bank was established to mobilize funds to provide microfinance services to lesser
privileged persons, particularly poor women for mitigating poverty and promoting social welfare and
economic justice through community building and social mobilization with the ultimate objective of
poverty alleviation.
3. Shortly after incorporation of the Khushhali Bank, the government enacted a new law—the
Microfinance Institutions Ordinance 2001—which is recognized globally as providing a world class legal
environment for the microfinance industry which has grown rapidly. Pakistan now has 10 microfinance
banks with 2.6 million active borrowers. ADB provided further assistance to the Government of Pakistan
through the Improving Access to Financing Services Program approved in 2008 to improve governance
of the microfinance sector. As part of this assistance all microfinance institutions were required to operate
under the Microfinance Institutions Ordinance 2001. Consequently, with the approval of the State Bank
of Pakistan, the Khushhali Bank Limited was incorporated in 2008 as a public limited company with the
Securities and Exchange Commission under the Companies Ordinance, 1984, and all assets and liabilities
were transferred to the new entity.
4. The macro trend in the microfinance sector in Pakistan shows an increase in deposits and
decrease in reliance on debt in the year 2015. The microfinance sector as a whole successfully mobilized
Rs 60 billion at the end of 2015, an increase of 51% over the 2014 figure of Rs 43 billion. With a gross
loan portfolio of PRs 90.2 billion, in 2015 the microfinance industry in Pakistan serviced 3.6 million active
borrowers, 54% of which were in rural areas and 55% (2 million) were women1.
5. Khushhali Bank is the second largest microfinance lender in the country. In 2015, it had total
assets of PRs 26.6 billion ($254 million) and net assets of PRs 3.9 billion ($37.6 million). The bank
improved market share in deposit from 20.0% to 24.1% with accelerated growth of 79% year-on-year.
The growth trajectory helped it reach over a million clients and achieve more than PRs One billion in pre-
tax profit, amongst the highest in the sector. By the end of 2015, the bank had 1,128,901 active clients
and 520,517 active borrowers.
6. The project validation report (PVR) for the MSDP, which was rated partly successful, indicates
that Khushhali Bank expanded slower than estimated at appraisal. Actual loan disbursements for credit
at the loan’s conclusion in February 2006 totaled PRs 5.5 billion ($93.66 million) against an appraisal
estimate of PRs9.29 billion ($165.9 million). Outstanding loans were $43.5 million, also significantly
lower than the estimated $153 million. As of 31 December 2007, Khushhali Bank had 283,695 active
borrowers, 50% of the target of 560,000 households. On the positive side, the PVR validated the project
completion report (PCR) finding that the financial performance of Khushhali Bank indicated a fast-
1 Pakistan Microfinance Network. Pakistan Microfinance Review 2015: An Annual Assessment of the Microfinance Industry.
Islamabad.
Appendix 3
36
growing, commercially solvent and highly liquid institution with a rapidly growing network of branches
covering 88 districts that included some of the most marginalized areas in the country.
7. The MSDP project was partly successful in helping Pakistan develop its microfinance industry.
From the perspective of the GAD evaluation, the investment loan had targeted 40% female borrowers.
In actuality, female borrowers from Khushhali Bank declined from 32.1% in 2001 to 15.7% in 2007 due
to a change in the gender-targeting policy which midway through the project specified that only those
women should quality for lending who are actually users of loan funds. Elimination of surrogate
borrowings by women for loan funds actually used by their male relatives led to a decline in female
lending but allowed Khushhali Bank to adhere to its commitment to use microfinance as an instrument
of poverty reduction among women who owned and managed their own business.
8. Although the microfinance industry tracks its borrowers and reports annually on the gender
distribution of active borrowers in the industry, Khushhali Bank does not routinely report on its client
base. Its publications focus primarily on financial results and profitability of the sector. Monitoring of
beneficiaries and gender outcomes does not seem to have been part of the ADB assistance to the sector,
consequently their annual reports do not include updates on gender distribution of their lending
activities.
Access to Justice Program (AJP)
Program Number: 32023, Loan Numbers: 1897/1898/1899(SF)
9. The AJP’s key development objective was to assist the government in improving access to justice
by supporting five inter-related governance objectives: (i) providing a legal basis for judicial, policy, and
administrative reforms; (ii) improving the efficiency, timeliness, and effectiveness of judicial and police
services; (iii) supporting greater equity and accessibility to justice services to the vulnerable and poor; (iv)
improving predictability and consistency between fiscal and human resource allocations and the
mandates of reformed judicial and police institutions at the federal, provincial, and local levels; and
(v)ensuring greater transparency and accountability in the performance of the judiciary, the police, and
administrative justice institutions.
10. The AJP focused on judicial reforms (including reforms relating to administrative justice
institutions) and police reforms. The program was expected to deliver benefits in three components—
policy, institutions, and budget and expenditure management.
11. The program was approved in December 2001, and comprised two loans in the amount of $330
million to be released in four tranches, a technical assistance (TA) loan for $20 million, and a TA grant
for $900,000. Capacity development activities were to be accomplished through the TA loan and grants.
The Ministry of Law, Justice, Human Rights, and Parliamentary Affairs (MOL) was the executing agency.
12. The PCR adequately described the complexity of the implementation arrangements between
different branches of government (judiciary and the executive branch) and across different layers of
implementation (federal, provincial, and district offices). The PCR also noted a high degree of compliance
with the loan conditions, with the exception of the setting up of citizen police liaison committees, which
was waived due to a lack of ownership. In all, there were 64 policy actions: 58 of these were fully
complied with, 5 were substantially complied with, and 1 was waived.
13. The expected impact was to contribute to the nationwide efforts to influence the exercise of
political, administrative and judicial powers in order to improve accessibility to public entitlements for all
citizens, in particular the poor, women, and minorities. The AJP intended to tackle gender issues through
the creation of competent legal, judicial, and police institutions through which existing basic and
constitutional rights could be implemented fairly and accountably. The AJP was expected to promote
research and debate on the quality and equality of existing laws through the reformed Law Commission,
Appendix 3
37
as well as the Women's Commission, and help build constituencies for change and elicit consensus for
reform.
14. Although the PCR and the PVR rated the project partly successful overall, the PVR found that the
program helped mainstream gender reforms into the justice sector. MOL partnered with the Ministry of
Women Development to implement the national Gender Reform Action Plan. The number of women
judges in different courts nearly doubled between 2001 and 2007. Greater awareness of the rights of
women and human rights was incorporated into police training programs.
Appendix 4
38
FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS
Methodology
In consultation with the government, Asian Development Bank (ADB) staff, and other stakeholders, the
evaluation identified two districts—District Bagh in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and District Mansehra in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa—of the nine earthquake-affected districts as suitable for the assessment fieldwork
since Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) had a substantial beneficiary base in those two districts
and they were among the most seriously affected districts which had subsequently received ADB
assistance for housing reconstruction. The fieldwork was thus designed to provide feedback on ADB
assistance for the Social Protection Development Project and the Earthquake-Displaced People Livelihood
Support Program.
In each of the selected districts, six focus group discussions (FGDs) were organized by two separate teams
working in parallel. Each team consisted of a district supervisor responsible for quality assurance and
synthesizing the individual FGD reports, and a two-person team of facilitators (one male, one female) to
conduct and document the FGD meetings. The six locations were identified from the locations where
BISP Beneficiary Committees (BBC) had been established under the BISP program. The existence of BBCs
made it easier to convene the FGDs and, since all participants were members of these BBCs, it ensured
that the FGD participants were females who were aware of the BISP program and who resided in villages
that had been affected by the earthquake.
The locations were selected in consultation with the district BISP offices to ensure balanced coverage of
the districts—two near urban centers, and four more distant villages—to achieve a broader range of
opinions about the two programs. In Bagh district this included one location inhabited by recent
immigrants displaced by the border conflict. In Mansehra this included two villages where a substantial
portion of households had been displaced from their original villages and resettled after the earthquake.
Most focus groups consisted of 6-12 participants, except for one village in Mansehra district which had
only 4 participants since the research team arrived late in the afternoon by which time other women
living in more distant parts of the village had returned to their homes.
The FGDs followed a template that was pretested during the fieldwork conducted by the evaluation
mission. The FGDs covered the following topics:
Beneficiary feedback on BISP eligibility
Regularity of cash transfer payments
Ease and cost of receiving cash transfer payments
Use of funds
Benefits of the BBC
Impact of the 2005 earthquake
Assistance for housing reconstruction
Assistance for reconstructing public works
Additional benefits or programs for women
Participant recommendations to improve future programs
The discussion of each FGD was documented and reviewed by the district supervisors who sought
additional clarificiations from the field facilitators as appropriate, and then prepared a synthesis district
report.
Appendix 4
39
Summary Report: Bagh District, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 1
District Profile
Bagh is located 80 kilometers (km) from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Kashmir. It is 160 km from
Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan. Bagh City is the main town and district headquarters of Bagh District.
The town is situated on the confluence of two small nullahs, Malwani & Mall which flow all year. The
locally recognized "Haji Peer Pass" is about 32 km from Bagh City. In 2011–2012, the population was
287,523 (47,920 households with an average household size of 6). Middle-standard hotels and forest
resthouses are available for visitors, and basic necessities are available in the Bagh bazaars. In district
Bagh, 23% of households are BISP beneficiaries.
Selection of Focus Groups
The FGDs were organized in areas spread across the district at an approximate distance of 20-km radius
away from the city. Only one FGD was done in an urban location because urban results seemed good.
Urban people are living near the facilities and they don’t face a lot of problems in both programs
(unconditional cash transfer [UCT] and conditional cash transfer [CCT] for children’s education) as
compared to people from rural areas.
A total of six villages, one from each union council, from all the three tehsils of Bagh were included for
FGDs where Army/ERRA and National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) implemented the rehabilitation
process as well as BISP survey. Out of selected six villages, the residents of five villages are permanent
residents of Azad Jammu & Kashmir while one village named ‘Mong Bajri’ consists of migrants (migration
from Indian Occupied Kashmir) who migrated during 1990–1998. The government of AJK allotted to
these migrants this specific area for their residence. The residents of the villages Seri Bandi, Bangran, and
Dhall Qazian belong to very poor families while the residents of the Village Kanna Mohri & Village Jaglari
Shehar are well-off compared to the other villages. Aurat Foundation worked with the BISP beneficiaries
of these selected villages from May 2013–July 2016. Out of 6 villages, only two villages ‘Mong Bajri &
Jaglari Shehar’ are located on the main road where public transport is available while other four villages
are linked with the main road via small link roads and public transport is not available for the residents
of these villages. However, taxi service is available to access the city or travel from city to the village. This
not only increases their traveling expense, but also limits their fluent mobility to city as compared to the
residents of the villages at main road. Except one village ‘Mong Bajri,’ all remaining villages are situated
in mountainous locations.
Findings from FGDs
A total of 51 participated in 6 FGDs conducted in the selected outreach of district Bagh. All 51 participants
are the beneficiaries of UCT Programme of BISP. Out of 51 participants, 37 beneficiaries are also the
beneficiaries of Waseela-e-Taleem Programme (CCT) which shows that 73% of beneficiaries have their
children under the bracket of 5–12 years and families have gone through the process of registration of
children followed by their enrollment in schools under the BISP Waseela-e-Taleem Programme.
The participants of the FGDs have diverse experience; the majority of the participants (65%) were from
middle age bracket, i.e., 36–49 years while 25% participants were up to 35 years of age and 10%
participants were over 50 years of age.
1 This summary report was prepared by Aftab Ahmad Qayyum, District Supervisor for Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Appendix 4
40
Table A4.1. Village-wise Participant Profile
Village/Union Council (UC)
Number of
participants
Number of UCT
beneficiaries
Number of CCT
beneficiaries
Participant Age
Up to
35 36–50
Above
50
Dhall Qazian, UC Banipasari 12 12 6 3 7 2
Kanna Mohri, UC Bagh 8 8 7 1 6 1
Seri Banid, UC Topi 7 7 6 2 5 0
Bangran, UC Thub 8 8 5 3 5 0
Jaglari Shehar, UC Jaglari 6 6 5 1 4 1
Mong Bajri, UC Mallot 10 10 8 3 6 1
CCT = conditional cash transfer, UCT = unconditional cash transfer.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
FGD Questions on BISP
1. Beneficiary feedback on eligibility
Most of the participants of the FGDs in all six locations were of the opinion that the poverty score card
survey conducted in 2010 was accurate and most of the beneficiary households who are getting UCT
actually deserve for BISP UCT programme. However, they are also of the opinion that there are still a lot
of poor households who do not receive UCT who should be considered for the programme. These include
female-headed families, families with disabled persons, widows, and others living below the poverty line.
Similarly some of the participants were of the opinion that there are many households who belong to
well-off families but are getting UCT under BISP-NCTP and this shows inclusion as well as exclusion errors
of the poverty score card survey. The survey was conducted by NRSP and Pak Army in district Bagh while
five villages out of total six (selected for FGDs) were surveyed by NRSP and one village covered by Pak
Army. The majority of the participants said surveyors (data collection team) visited door-to-door to
complete the survey while some indicated that surveyors did not go door-to-door and gathered
information of the whole village from one place, particularly for remote areas.
The salient findings of this section are:
37 out of 51 (73%) participants responded that the poverty score card survey was conducted
accurately and selection of beneficiaries for UCT was on merit while remaining 27% participants were
of the opinion that survey was not conducted properly which led to inclusion and exclusion errors.
Participants were reluctant to name the households who should not receive UCT as per their opinion
though.
43 out of 51 (84%) participants said that the beneficiary households who are getting UCT actually
deserve this cash transfer and meet the eligibility criteria.
The majority of participants (36 out of 51, 71%) share the opinion that there are many households
who actually deserve the UCT programme but were not included. It includes female headed families,
families with disabled persons, widows, and orphan families.
Some of the participants also mentioned that some of the families were not surveyed due to their
seasonal migration or computerized national identity card (CNIC)-related issues (but these are very
few in number).
five out of six locations selected for FGDs were surveyed by NRSP while remaining one was covered
by Pak Army.
2. Regularity of cash transfer payments
The BISP beneficiaries are categorized into two types: those entitled for UCT only and those who are
getting both UCT and CCT. All UCT beneficiaries receive CCT if they have children within the age bracket
of 5–12 years who are enrolled in school. The CCT payment is transferred if a child complies with a
minimum 70% attendance in each quarter. Both the UCT and CCT are released on quarterly basis. The
participants of all six FGDs said they are getting UCT and CCT payments on time. CCT payments are
Appendix 4
41
released after validation of children’s school attendance. However, the CCT beneficiaries faced problems
due to nonfunctional case management system at BISP tehsil office level. For example, if a child changed
schools (which is common at the end of an academic year and even in middle of the session), payments
cannot be processed at tehsil office level due to nonfunctional case management system. This results in
non-generation of payment for that particular case. Similarly, problems with the beneficiary debit cards
or ATM machines (mostly due to the use of wrong PIN code) cause delays in getting cash.
Key findings of this section are summarized as follows;
UCT and CCT are received on time. However, beneficiaries face problems in cases of blocked debit
cards or in ATM machines due to the use of wrong PIN code. Retrieval of ATM cards takes long and
blocked cards are very common in these areas. Another issue was highlighted by a beneficiary who
was under Sanity Check2 from BISP since December 2014 and her card has been blocked since then.
The participants revealed that the BISP case management system for CCT programme is not yet
functional at tehsil level which resulted in many beneficiaries’ children being deprived of CCT
payments. 4 out of 37 CCT beneficiaries (11%) said that they changed their children’s schools and
informed the respective BISP tehsil offices through an application. No response has been received
from BISP Office although 1 year has passed. Until these particular cases are properly resolved by
BISP Tehsil office through case management system, the families of these children will not receive
CCT even though they attend school on regular basis.
Another important issue was beneficiaries who had children turning 5 years old in 2015 at the time
when Aurat Foundation performed the registration and admission of children. These children have
now reached the 5+ years of age and are now eligible for schooling. Parents are worried about where
to register when respective tehsil offices do not have the knowledge and skills to entertain these
families. A beneficiary said she enrolled 3-4 months ago to the BISP office and was told she would
receive the CCT but that this has not yet been added to her entitlements. Similarly, a beneficiary’s
child registration was not done since the parents don’t know where to go for new registration of
children after the Aurat Foundation office closed. The relevant BISP tehsil office does not know how
registration procedures for new beneficiries.
3. Ease and cost of access of payment
The responses of the participants from all 6 locations revealed that currently all 51 participants (100%)
are getting their quarterly payments via debit cards using ATM machines. Most of the participants seek
help from their family members (husbands, daughters, or sons) to withdraw cash from ATM machines as
they do not know how to use a debit card themselves. A very small number of beneficiaries (7 out of 51)
are able to use ATM machines and do not depend on others. It is also noted that some beneficiaries who
don’t know how to operate ATMs visit the banks themselves and seek assistance from strangers to
withdraw their cash. Mostly these beneficiaries request bank security guards to help them in withdrawal
of cash from the ATM. Payment through BISP Debit Cards is more costly in terms of transportation cost
particularly for those who are living far from cities and consumes more time as compare to postal
payment. Still majority of the beneficiaries are of the opinion that ATM is much better than the postal
payment method as previously postmen used to charge money from beneficiaries on each payment. The
key findings of this section are as follows:
Majority of the participants 41 out of 51 (80%) do not visit ATM machines and seek help from their
close family members (husbands, sons or daughters) to withdraw cash from ATM.
14% beneficiaries (7 out of 51) know how to use ATM machines and they withdraw cash on their
own without depending on others. While 6% (3 out of 51) request strangers to help them in
withdrawal of cash from ATM. Mostly these beneficiaries seek cooperation from bank security guards.
2 In early 2015, BISP launched a Data Sanity Check with the help of NADRA to weed out undeserving cases from the system. About
125,000 beneficiary payments were blocked and these beneficiaries need to provide necessary documents to prove their eligibility.
Appendix 4
42
The responses of the participants revealed that payment through post offices was less costly
compared to ATM method since post offices were located closer to their homes. The transportation
cost for majority of the participants who previously used to receive their quarterly payments from
post offices was zero while only 31% (13 out of 42) said that they have to spend an average of 70-
175 rupees on transportation. However, 55% participants (23 out of 42) claimed that respective
postmen used to receive an average of 116-200 rupees from each beneficiary for each quarter’s
payment. The remaining 45% never paid any amount to postmen.
The participants’ responses also revealed that receiving cash from ATM involved higher transport
costs than postal payment. 84% (43 out of 51) said that they have to bear an average cost of Rs. 150
to 240 each time on transport. Most of the participants said they had to go more than twice for
withdrawal of cash from ATMs [either because the money had not yet arrived or because some ATMs
had limits on the amount that could be withdrawn on one day]. The remaining 16% who do not bear
transportation cost actually live in cities or near to ATM machines; otherwise everyone has to bear
this cost.
Though cash received through debit cards is comparatively costly as well as consumes more time
than postal payment, still 73% of participants (37 out of 51) prefer the debit card/ATM mode to the
previous mode of payments through the post office.
Some of the beneficiaries also said that previously when they used to receive quarterly payments
through the post some of them were not paid the initial amount of Rs. 10,000, as the postal staff
said their payments had not arrived, although the BISP office said the payments had been sent. It is
possible that someone in the post office signed the receipts on their behalf and kept the payments.
4. Use of funds
The responses of all participants reveal that almost all use UCT payments on food items and children’s
education. A very small number said they saved some for emergencies while some started small home-
based businesses after saving some quarterly payments. This includes poultry and eggs business as well
as selling out of buffalo’s milk at the local market. The most common use of UCT and CCT is:
Education-related expenses including books, stationary, school uniform, shoes, and monthly fees.
Food expense, health, and other house necessities including washing machines, gas cylinders, and to
some extent, furniture and fixtures, etc.
5. Benefits of BISP Beneficiary Committee
It was noted that all participants considered the BBCs as a very important forum. This is the only platform
where they meet and share information pertaining to BISP initiatives. They also use it to discuss day-to-
day issues pertaining to UCT and CCT including, but not limited to, issues relating to use of BISP Debit
Cards, debit card blockage, release of quarterly payments, cases of pending beneficiaries, and provision
of necessary guidance which help them with their pending cases. Another very important thing which
was came into light was that the platform of BBCs actually bridges the prevailing gaps between
beneficiaries and BISP tehsil offices and helped in developing the linkages between service providers and
beneficiaries. As BBC members are expected to meet on a monthly basis, it is a bit alarming that four out
of the six BBCs where FGDs were organized are not confident about their ability to conduct their meetings
monthly after Aurat Foundation. They were of the opinion that the foundation’s representatives were
the major source of providing updated information about the BISP programme and the meetings are
worthless as the foundation is no longer working in the field. The most common benefits of BBCs
discussed by the participants are described below:
It provides an opportunity for beneficiaries to discuss and learn about the different initiatives of BISP.
It is the most effective forum for BISP beneficiaries to gather/attain information about the prevailing
issues and possible solutions.
Appendix 4
43
It is the major source of timely information about the release of UCT and CCT quarterly payments by
BISP.
It is the source of developing linkages and communication with development agents and other
stakeholders.
It provides a platform to all beneficiaries where they exchange views with each other and learn from
the experiences of others particularly pertaining to the best use of UCT and CCT.
Using the BBCs, the beneficiaries communicate their issues to relevant BISP tehsil office; and their
issues have been resolved more frequently when they approach the BISP tehsil office as BBC members
than meeting with BISP staff in their individual capacity.
FGD Questions on Earthquake Reconstruction and Livelihoods Support
6. Impact of the 2005 earthquake
District Bagh was one of the three main districts affected by the disastrous earthquake of 8 October
2005. Basic infrastructure including hospitals, schools, and roads were badly damaged and rescue
services including police and armed forces were paralyzed. Bagh was the second-most-affected district,
and accounted for 15% of the total casualties (ERRA report). The FGDs responses revealed that 84% of
participants (43 out of 51) lost their houses completely, and 14% (7 out of 51) of participants’ houses
were partially damaged. Only 1 out of 51 respondents (2%) said that her house remained safe during
this earthquake. The responses of the FGD participants revealed that 16% of them (8 out of 51) lost their
immediate family members (husbands, sons and daughters) and 20% (10 out of 51) also lost their
livestock. In three of the six locations, most participants suffered injuries from the earthquake. Public
infrastructure including roads, water schemes, schools and hospitals in the respective villages of these
beneficiaries were also badly damaged or demolished completely. The damages caused by the
earthquake in the respective communities where FGDs were carried out are summarized below:
Table A4.2. Losses from the 2005 Earthquake
Village & Union
Council (UC)
Loss/damage to
participants’ house
Loss or injury to
member of
household
Loss of
livestock
Damage to public services
(such as roads, schools, etc)
Dhall Qazian,
UC Banipasari
11 fully damaged;
1 partially
damaged but
uninhabitable
1 woman lost 2
daughters at
home; most
suffered injuries
3 women lost
livestock
Primary school, two high
schools (one for girls, one
for boys), mosque, road,
water tanks destroyed
Kanna Mohri, UC
Bagh
7 fully damaged; 1
not damaged
1 woman lost 1
son and 1 lost her
husband; most
suffered injuries
1 woman lost
livestock
Two high schools (one for
girls, one for boys), one
middle school (for girls)
mosque, road, water tanks
destroyed
Seri Banid,
UC Topi
7 fully damaged; 1 woman lost her
husband and 1
lost her son;
most suffered
injuries
1 woman lost
8 goats and 1
cow while 1
lost 2
buffaloes
one primary school,
electricity posts
Bangran,
UC Thub
8 fully damaged; 1 woman lost her
brother-in-law and
1 lost her son;
1 female suffered
injuries
No losses
one primary school and one
middle School, dispensary,
two madrassas
Jaglari Shehar,
UC Jaglari
4 fully damaged;
2 partially
damaged
No loss of life
occurred; 1 female
suffered injuries
1 female lost
a cow and
one ox;
1 lost a goat
one primary school, two
high schools, one
dispensary
Appendix 4
44
Village & Union
Council (UC)
Loss/damage to
participants’ house
Loss or injury to
member of
household
Loss of
livestock
Damage to public services
(such as roads, schools, etc)
Mong Bajri,
UC Mallot
6 fully damaged;
4 partially
damaged
1 woman lost her
husband and a
child; no injuries
No loss. one high school
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
7. Assistance for house reconstruction
The FGDs revealed that ERRA provided financial assistance to the respective villages of the respondents.
As far as technical assistance is concerned, except for one location where training was not conducted,
technical training sessions were conducted in the remaining areas for affected communities by NRSP or
Army. However, FGD participants revealed that only men participated in these trainings. On the whole,
both males and females of the respective households took part in the reconstruction of their houses. Due
to joint family systems, some individuals did not receive any compensation from ERRA, and some of these
families are still living in shelters or mud/kucha houses.
Key findings of the discussions are:
The training sessions on reconstruction of the houses were conducted for male participants only,
females were not invited to attend these sessions.
In most cases, both males and females worked on reconstructing their houses but decisions were
mostly taken by male members; females were not consulted in the process of new construction.
Majority of the households received their full payments for house reconstruction. ERRA released the
installments after verifying the completion of reconstruction phases and techniques. However due to
joint family systems some individuals did not receive any compensation from ERRA. Some of these
families are still living in temporary shelters or mud houses.
The households with partial damage received compensation ranging from Rs 25,000 to 75,000.
Model houses in some areas were also constructed for the most vulnerable families so that others
could copy the construction techniques.
8. Assistance for reconstructing public works
Public infrastructure damaged during earthquake 2005 included schools, health facilities, water supply
schemes, roads and mosques. Discussion with the participants of FGDs revealed that reconstruction of
public works has been mostly completed in the respective villages of these participants. All participants
were of the opinion that the schools constructed are better than the previous ones. Roads have been
constructed by the local government as well as under the City Development Project (CDP)3, while water
supply schemes were reconstructed or rehabilitated by NGOs. There are some water schemes which have
been completed with funds from the World Bank. The salient findings of this section are:
Most of the damaged schools have been reconstructed by ERRA. Newly constructed school buildings
are constructed on the basis of earthquake resistance technology, as well as with more capacity than
the previous one. However some school buildings have still been not reconstructed although 11 years
have passed since the earthquake.
Some health facilities which were damaged during the earthquake have been reconstructed but in
one of the villages, a dispensary has not yet been constructed.
Most of the damaged roads have been reconstructed again. This was done under city development
project and in some areas they were reconstructed by local government.
3 In 2008, an umbrella contract was signed between ERRA and Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for
rehabilitation of earthquake affected areas in AJK under which the PRC extended a $300 million loan for rehabilitation works.
Three cities were selected for rehabilitation: Muzaffarabad, Rawalakot, and Bagh. The works were contracted to two state owned
firms—China International Water and Electricity Corporation (CWE) and China Xinjiang Beixin Group (CXB). The work included
both design and construction of infrastructure facilities.
Appendix 4
45
Water supply schemes have been rehabilitated or reconstructed. Most of the rehabilitation or
reconstruction of damaged schemes has been done by NGOs. In some cases, World Bank financial
assistance has been utilized for this purpose.
9. Additional benefits or programs for women
The findings of the discussions with all six groups revealed that some additional projects were
implemented in four out of six villages (where FGDs were conducted) which directly or indirectly
benefited the women of that area. In the remaining two villages no additional assistance for women was
provided by government or non-governmental actors. Key additional interventions alongside earthquake
reconstruction efforts for women in those four villages selected for FGDs are:
In two of the villages different initiatives relating to the restoration of livelihood included training on
kitchen gardening and vocational skills, provision of seeds, provision of livestock, and credit to
selected women etc. were provided by some NGOs. The participants did not know whether it was
NRSP or another NGO.
However, beneficiaries from another FGD who were provided training said they did not receive
further support to make use of the training. “I have attended the 15 days training on vegetable
farming and livestock management but nothing in terms of seeds or cash grant has been provided
to me.”
In one of the villages, a community center was built and later a dispensary was also established for
the local community in two rooms of the existing community center building
In one of the villages, a new road was constructed which connected the villagers to the nearest
market. “This newly constructed road linked us to the nearest market and increased females’
accessibility to the market compared to our previous life,” stated one of the beneficiaries.
10. Participant recommendations to improve future programs
Participants suggested that a representative from the BBC should be involved in the next survey
because they know all the households in the village and can identify deserving households left
out of the BISP beneficiary during the previous survey. BBC participation can also help to increase
the accuracy of survey, as suggested by another group.
Most of the participants suggested that skill development programs for youth (children of
beneficiaries) should be launched by BISP (revival of Waseela-e-Rozgar program)
Some beneficiaries suggested that health cards should be provided to beneficiaries so that they
can receive timely treatment in hospitals when household members fall sick. (implementation of
Waseela-e-Sehat Programme)
One of the beneficiaries suggested that soft loans should be issued to beneficiaries so that they
can initiate small business; this would also decrease their dependency on BISP in the longer run.
Observations and Comments by the Evaluation Team:
It was observed that although beneficiaries are of the opinion that some who are receiving UCT are
actually not entitled to it, they are reluctant to provide names. It was also observed that CCT beneficiaries
are worried about the future of CCT payment as this is conditional on the validation of 70% attendance
of children. At the end of the social mobilization programme implemented by Aurat Foundation, no
mechanism has been put in place to collect and report the attendance of children to process the quarterly
payments.
Appendix 4
46
Summary Report: Mansehra District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 4
District Profile:
District Mansehra is located at the eastern border of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, 4 hours away from
Peshawar and 3 hours away from Islamabad. The district is located at 34°-12' and 35°-50' and 47°-07'
longitude and mostly hilly areas with difficult terrains. Mansehra shares its borders with numerous other
districts: the Kohistan and Diamir districts to the north, Abbottabad District to the south, the Neelum
District of Azad Kashmir to the east, Swat district to the west and Batagram District to the northeast. Its
total area is 4,579 square kilometers with population of 1,152,839 (1998 census) with an average annual
growth rate of 2.4%, household size 6.7 persons, literacy rate 36.3 and disabled population 1.6%. Most
of the population (84.3%) owned their houses. Only 32.1% of the population has the facility of drinking
water inside their homes.
Culturally, the residents of Mansehra district consist of a mixed population which historically has been
more patriarchal and conservative than those of Bagh district.
In October 2005 an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck the northern areas of Pakistan including district
Mansehra which was the worst affected district of NWFP in terms of 15,997 human lives loss, 9,903
major injuries, and great destruction to physical infrastructure and livestock. The district also suffered a
significant loss of livelihood due to the earthquake that has caused damage to the land, crops, livestock,
and infrastructure.
The district consists of three tehsils, which are divided into 59 Union Councils (UCs)
1. Balakot (12 UCs)
2. Mansehra (36 UCs)
3. Oghi (11UCs)
The total number of BISP beneficiaries in district Mansehra is 60,383, with over 135,000 children between
the ages of 5-12 years. More than 40,000 beneficiaries and 60,000 children are admitted/ verified under
the BISP CCT program.
Selection of Focus Groups
The FGD survey targeted the BISP beneficiaries of district Mansehra. The beneficiaries were randomly
selected to ensure they are 1) BISP beneficiaries getting UCT as well as CCT grant from government (BISP),
2) members of BISP Beneficiary Committee (BBC), 3) earthquake affectees 4) and mixed groups from both
urban and rural settlements of district Mansehra. A total of 6 FGDs were planned, two from urban and
four from rural settlements. The FGDs were conducted for feedback of rehabilitation and reconstruction
work, livelihood support and other gender sensitive intervention undertaken and the status of BISP
unconditional cash transfer (UCT) and the conditional cash transfer (CCT) cash grant to encourage
children’s education. For each FGD, 4-12 participants selected to have a manageable group with
maximum attention to get the participants feedback/ views.
4 This summary report was prepared by Dr. Nasira Malik, District Supervisor for Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Appendix 4
47
Findings from Focus Group Discussions:
Table A4.3. Village-Wise Participant Profile
Village/Union Council
(UC)
Number of
participants
Number of UCT
beneficiaries
Number of CCT
beneficiaries
Age profile of participants
Up to 35 36–50 Above 50
Dhaka Mohalla, Chitta
Bhatta, UC Sandesar
12 12 11 2 10 0
Babar Colony, Village
and UC Garhi
Habibullah
4 4 2 1 3 0
Gran Thalli/
Bhogarmang village, UC
Bhogar Mang
12 12 5 1 7 4
Kotli Bala, UC Ichrian 12 12 10 1 10 1
Ochri (Ochir+Bari),
UC Mohandri
12 12 8 4 6 2
Sandu (Sangar),
UC Ghanool
12 12 7 4 6 2
CCT = conditional cash transfer, UCT = unconditional cash transfer.
Source: Independent Evaluation Department.
A total of 64 women between the ages of 35–60 years (up to 35 years-30, between 35 to 50 years-66
and above 50 years-14) were selected at two urban and 4 rural locations from over 90 beneficiaries who
were approached for the focus group discussions. Most of the women were of 35-50 yrs. age group. All
were getting UCT, while only 43 were receiving CCT for school going children between the ages of 5-12
years. All the participants were affected by the October 2005 earthquake.
FGD Questions on BISP
1. Beneficiary feedback on eligibility
For eligibility criteria of BISP grant-UCT question related to survey methodology, inclusion and exclusion
of deserving beneficiaries and undeserved beneficiaries were asked. The majority of the participants
(67%) were of the opinion that the Poverty score card survey conducted in 2010 was not up to mark in
relation to the methodology, (door to door). It was performed in clusters with political influence and
biases. At most of the places communities were gathered at one main point/house of well-known person
/ community center etc by the surveyor, “The surveyor sat in one location and asked us to come and
enroll in the survey [did not visit door-to-door]”, “we all were called at Qari Hameed’s house at main
Balakot-Naran Road for survey”. Only 33 % participants stated that the surveyor visited their houses.
“Survey was done door to door, but results are not transparent”, “Door-to-door survey was conducted
and they came to our house”. Over 30% deserving families headed by women/widows were either left
out of the survey or not included in cash grant due to ineligibility, “All women were included in the
survey, all received survey receipt, but many are not receiving Cash from BISP”, “More than 30 most
deserving and poorest women are not receiving BISP grant”, “my mother and brother live separately but
do not receive BISP benefits, while I do”, “About 80 HHs are deserving but not receiving cash, they were
surveyed but are not in eligible category”. 10 % undeserving women who are well off and have male
members in armed forces or abroad etc were included in the survey for cash grant, “There are people in
our village who should not be entitled but are included in BISP list. Most of them are from families of
people who are working in Saudia (Saudi Arabia) or in the army and are still receiving BISP grants”, sardar
caste is living in our near-by mountain, most of their women are receiving BISP grant, while in our village
out of 150, only 15 women are receiving BISP grant.” The survey conducted in 2010 has more errors of
exclusion of deserving women than errors of inclusion of undeserved ones.
Appendix 4
48
2. Regularity of cash transfer payments
The UCT payment is received quite regularly by all women but CCT payment is irregular. Only 40% of
participants reported they were receiving CCT payments on regular basis, “UCT Regularly received.” “The
CCT is received when the attendance is verified. The first installment was received with the UCT but one
received it after six months, while the majority receive both in time on quarterly basis.” 50 % have
irregular payment, “I have received only first installment of CCT”, “only received two instalments.” 10 %
did not receive it at all even their children are admitted in schools, “our children are registered and we
also received admission slips, by we did not receive CCT”, “and don’t receive CCT while our children were
registered”. Furthermore the CCT payment is not received with UCT and they have to visit the ATM point
separately, “Do not get it with UCT, and comes separately.”
3. Ease and cost of access of payment
Initially all the women received payment through Post office and they were charged Rs. 50-500
depending upon the amount paid; if large amount then more deduction, “We used to go to the post
office to collect our money. The postal worker used to charge us Rs. 50-200 to give us our BISP money.”
19% of the women considered it better option as they had easy access to the post office in the village
even they had to wait for quite some time and pay the amount to PO staff, “Post office was very good,
no wait, no time, no rush”. 81% of the women preferred ATM/ Ufone even though an average of 2 visits
are needed for cash withdrawal, difficulty in travel, biased attitude of bank and Ufone staff and payment
of Rs. 50-500 to facility staff, “The debit card is better than payment through the post office. The post
office made us wait till late and used to charge more money”, “ATM & Ufone is better than post office”.
55% of the women themselves visit the Bank/ Ufone and 91% draw amount with the assistance of staff
by paying the fee, while 9% by themselves. 45% of the cash withdrawal through ATM/Ufone is made by
male members of the family.
4. Use of funds
The BISP grant is used mainly for children’s expenses, groceries, loan repayments, and health expenses.
75% of the grant is for groceries, children expenses, loan payment, “My husband is handicapped, his one
leg was amputated in the earthquake. Due to poverty, I sent my two sons in Madrassa (Balakot) and
other two are studying in the village. My whole cash is spent on my children and grocery”, “we always
wait for our installment, upon receipt, we purchase food and other household stuff to pass our time.
20% is for personal and family’s treatment and health expenses, “I am sick, BISP money is totally used
on medicines”, “I am suffering from hepatitis C, all is spent on my treatment, that cost 8000-
9000/month”, “My husband is suffering from epilepsy, I use my cash on his treatment.” “My daughter-
in-law is also BISP beneficiary and she has cancer, her installment is also used for her treatment”, “My
husband is suffering from mental disorder, he works casually to earn money.” Only 5% of the cash is
spent on livelihood and income generation, “I purchased 1 hen, I now have three; they lay eggs and full
fill our food and nutritional needs”, “we purchased goats a year ago from our installments, both goats
have 2 baby goats each, after about 1 year, we will sell them, from each we will earn Rs. 12,000/- besides
the number of goats, we get milk for our home use.
5. Benefit of the BISP Beneficiary Committee
All the participants (100%) mentioned the main benefit of the BBC is the opportunity for social
networking, “we got introduced especially with Bari Mohalla Beneficiaries”, “BBC has organized us and
gave chance to meet each other”, “We get to know each other and also get information about
surroundings”.
50% have the benefit of better communication with the BISP program staff for solving their
issues and exchange of information about program benefits and problems: “We go to BISP office
Appendix 4
49
for any issue related to debit card and payment“, My daughter in law is a women’s leader
(president of BBC) she attended the Women leaders Training and learned a lot about BISP and
its waseelas (channels) and she shared all of her learning with the rest of us”.
50 % of beneficiaries have never visited BISP office but know about the programme. 80 % of the
BBCs are not mature enough and still need assistance to conduct their meetings and also to visit
BISP office at tehsil for resolving their issues.
20% have been visiting the offices with their women’s leader and are confident to run the BBC
meetings on their own.
FGD Questions on Earthquake Reconstruction and Livelihoods Support
6. Impact of the 2005 earthquake:
In October 2005 an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck the northern areas of Pakistan. District Mansehra
which was the worst affected district of NWFP in terms of 15,997 human lives lost, 9,903 major injuries
and great destruction to physical infrastructure: 108,283 (71%) houses were completely
damaged/destroyed and 34,001 (22%) were partially damaged, while 10,673 (7%) were negligibly
damaged. Education sector faced very heavy losses in terms of destruction of school buildings. Besides,
loss of lives of the students and teachers was unimaginably higher. There were 935 institutions recorded
as fully destroyed and some 624 partially damaged by the earthquake. The district also suffered
significant loss of livelihood due to the earthquake that has caused damage to the land, crops, livestock,
and infrastructure. The earthquake created thousands of widows due to death of the husbands. Many
became the household head and bread earner due to disabilities of men in the family.
The table below shows the overall and personal damage and loss of infrastructure, deaths, injuries,
livestock and socioeconomic impact of earthquake in the villages where FGDs were conducted.
Table A4.4. Damages from 2005 Earthquake
Village &
Union Council Loss/damage to house
Loss or injury to member
of household Loss of livestock
Damage to public services
(such as roads, schools, etc)
Dhaka
Mohalla,
Chitta Bhatta,
UC Sandesar
11 houses fully
destroyed and people
relocated; 1 home
partially destroyed
5 households suffered loss
of life, and one injured.
One extended family from
Balakot lost 14 people
9 households
suffered loss of
livestock and
property
All public infrastructure was
destroyed for 11 households
Temporary camp after
earthquake washed
away by flood; two
families lost all
belongings in the flood
Babar Colony
UC
Garhi
Habibullah
1 house fully damaged
3 houses partially
damaged
3 households suffered
from Injuries
3 people died in 1
household
No livestock Hospital
School
UC Office
Road
Gran Thalli &
Botang UC
Bhogar Manag
9 houses were fully
damaged and
destroyed, 3 were
damaged but were not
livable
2 died in two beneficiaries
houses
9 injured in 4 HHs
1 participant injured due
to leg fracture
Did not have
livestock
School, Mosque dispensary
at Bhogarmang
Kotli Bala,
Ichrian
5 houses of
participants totally
destroyed
5 houses partial
2 women were
tenants/houses
destroyed
5 injured in 4 HH 0 School,
Drinking Water Supply
Scheme
Appendix 4
50
Village &
Union Council Loss/damage to house
Loss or injury to member
of household Loss of livestock
Damage to public services
(such as roads, schools, etc)
2 children of 1 woman
came under school wall
but remained safe
Ochri+Bari 12 houses fully
destroyed
4 died in 4 HH
3 women injured in 3 HH,
1 woman’s son’s arm
separated, he is disabled
and can’t do anything
2 cows
2 goats
School,
Drinking Water Supply
Scheme (DWSS)
Sandu
(Sangar),
Ghanool
12 houses fully
destroyed
1-2 deaths and injuries in
all participants’ houses
All cows and
goats
GPS,GGPS
Almost all the women were earthquake affectees; 20% have been relocated to other villages and tehsils
of Mansehra and 29 % are still living in shelters/ incomplete or rented houses. After the earthquake they
were shifted to camps for over 6 months and later relocated due to floods to other camp areas. 81 % of
the infrastructure was completely damaged and destroyed. 19% was partially damaged but was not in
livable condition. 23% of the families had casualties in the form of deaths, 77% suffered major injuries
and disabilities. 64% of the livestock and property destroyed. Most of the public infrastructure, schools,
roads, hospitals, water source, mosques and government buildings were completely destroyed.
7. Assistance for house reconstruction
20% of the women do not recall who provided the assistance after the earthquake, “we don’t know, as
we were in tents away from here”. 80% reported that ERRA, Army, NGOS and Mr. Adnan (a
philanthropist) provided support for reconstruction, rehabilitation and livelihood restoration. 23 families
received 3 cheques (25, 000, 50,000 &75,000) for construction of houses according to seismic
specification. 31 male members were trained and only 18 constructed houses as per specification.
8. Assistance for reconstructing public works
At almost all the places schools, roads, mosque, water supply and other public facilities were
reconstructed by ERRA, Army, an NGO and a philanthropist. No hospital facility is available at most of
the places. At Ghari Habibullah, one Rural Health Centre was reconstructed but there is no doctor in the
hospital and patients have to travel to Mansehra for treatment, No health facility and roads constructed
except the jeep road was repaired”, “Not much work done apart from houses reconstruction”. At Jared
Balakot children are still studying under shelter and in open places.
9. Additional benefits or programs for women
No formal additional measures and programs by the government were initiated specifically for women’s
involvement in income generation. Few NGOs provided support of livestock (cows, goats), skill
development for tailoring, gardening and donated sewing machines, gardening kits, seeds etc. Water
supply schemes provided at one or two location save time spent on bringing water from nearby streams.
The few vocational centers established are located far away, and young girls and women cannot access
it due to security reasons, “One vocational Training center was established but cannot go as it is far and
not safe to go there. (Garhi Habibullah)”
10. Participant recommendations to improve future programs:
The next survey should be conducted door-to-door, or gather all of us in one place so that we
can answer all the questions correctly. That will ensure that the poor women who are left out
of BISP can be enrolled.
Appendix 4
51
Political agents should be avoided during survey to avoid favoritism, so that all deserving could
be surveyed properly and non-deserving could be prevented from becoming eligible.
Undeserved families should be excluded from BISP grants
BBCs should be involved in the survey as they know all the people in the village
Schools for boys and girls should be reconstructed (Jared, Sandu)
Livelihoods support and trainings for women should be focused in future, e.g. household level
income generation activities, hand embroidery, food preservations, marketing (Jared)
Hospital facilities should be provided along with Doctors and staff
Multiple ATMs should be installed at places for easy access
A vocational center (for tailoring training) is needed in the village, where we and our daughters
can learn sewing and cutting, which will help us to save dress sewing costs. We will also start
tailoring on commercial basis”
Observations and Comments by Evaluation Team:
BISP In most locations more women than expected participated in the FGDs. Many visited just to record
their concerns pertaining to poverty and issuance of BISP grant. Women even waited for hours to meet
the team. BISP cash grant has provided many families with means of living, and improved their social
status, mobility and empowered them to raise their voices for their betterment and resolving their issues.
However in one location only 4 members of the BBC could attend the FGD because the research team
arrived late and other women had to return to their homes located at greater distance from the main
village.
In the 2010 national socioeconomic survey many deserving families were missed and some undeserving
women were included. The future survey should be monitored more carefully and conducted door-to-
door to reduce the errors of inclusion and exclusion.
The irregularity in CCT payment may be due to delay in release of payment by BISP, or school change by
the beneficiaries, leading to lengthy process of case management, or sometimes due to attendance
compliance for two quarters being combined due to vacations (summer and winters) in schools.
Earthquake assistance Apart from the infrastructure damage, human lives and livestock loss in
participants’ houses many village infrastructure was completely destroyed along with other livestock and
public infrastructure as in Sandu, Ochri and Kotli Bala. The rehabilitation and reconstruction work was
undertaken in the earthquake-affected areas of Mansehra but still many villages are lacking basic public
facilities, safe drinking water, schools, hospitals and proper roads. The houses were not reconstructed as
per seismic specification due to lack of training and funds provision. Negligible support was provided for
livelihood restoration and women’s skill enhancement. Training was not provided to most of the women.
Appendix 5
52
List of Persons/Organizations Met Ministries and Government Agencies Ministry of Finance Tariq Bajwa, Secretary Economic Affairs Division Anjum Assad Amin, Additional Secretary-I, Economic Affairs Division Amjad Mahmood, Joint Secretary, Finance Division Ministry of Planning, Development & Reform Yousaf Naseem Khokhar, Secretary Nisar Ahmed, Deputy Chief, Planning Commission, Planning and Development Division Naeem uz Zafar, Member Social Sectors, Planning Commission Ministry of Human Rights Humera Azam Khan, Joint Secretary Arshad Mahmood, Director General Ministry of Law & Justice Nayla Qureshi, Acting Secretary Raja Naeem, Legislative Advisor Moazzam Warraich, Assistant Director Iftikhar Anjum, Deputy Secretary Development, Development Wing National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Khawar Mumtaz, former Chairperson, NCSW Samina A. Hasan, Secretary, NCSW Shahid Iqbal Khan, Director, NCSW, Ministry of Human Rights Suleman, Director Programmes Shahid Iqbal Khan, Director Administration and Finance Khalid Imran, Programme Officer Fareeha Bajwa, Consultant, Research Alam Bajwa, Consultant, Research Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Marvi Memon, Chairperson Dr. Muhammad Tahir Noor, Director General – National Socio-Economic Registry/Management
Information System (NSER/MIS) Humaira Mufti, Director General (Cash Transfers) Dr Muhammad Najeeb Khan, Director, Waseela-e-Taleem (Education) Dr. Iram Shaikh, Director, Waseela-e-Sehat (Health) Syed Asif Ali, Director, Waseela-e-Rozgar (Livelihoods) Syed Ahmad Mumtaz, Director, Donor Coordination Zeba Sathar, Country Director, Population Council, Pakistan, and Member, BISP Board of Directors National Highway Authority Abdul Ghaffar, General Manager (EALS) Aamera Riaz, Deputy Director (LM&S) (focal point for ADB) Shaukat Ali Shahid, Resettlement Specialist (SSMC) Saira Roohi, Gender Specialist (SSMC) Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority Lt. Gen Nadeem Ahmed, Managing Director & CEO Mari Petroleum Company Ltd. (former Director
General, Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority and Director General National Disaster Management Authority)
Appendix 5
53
National Institute of Management Muhammad Naeemul Haq, Director General (former member National Reconstruction Bureau) Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad Dr. Farzana Bari, Director, Gender Studies Department, Government of Punjab Dr. Mahmood Khalid Qamar, Member (Social Sectors), Planning and Development Department Muhammad Irfan Elahi, Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat (Aviation Division), former Chair, Planning &
Development Department, Government of Punjab Fauzia Viqar, Chairperson, Punjab Commission on the Status of Women Development Partners The World Bank Illango Patchamuthu, Country Director, Pakistan Anthony Cholst, Operations Adviser Imtiaz Alvi, Senior Rural Development Specialist Amena Raja, Operations Officer Sana Shahid Ahmed, Operations Analyst Department for International Development Dr. Louise Walker, Group Head, Economic Growth Group Mazhar Siraj, Team Leader and Social Development Adviser, Economic Inclusion and Poverty Shamas Bajwa, Infrastructure Adviser, Economic Growth Group UN Women Fareeha Ummar, Programme Specialist – WLSR, UN Women Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund Qazi Azmat Isa, Chief Executive Officer Samia Liaquat Ali Khan, Group Head, Compliance and Quality Assurance National Rural Support Programme Dr. Rashid Bajwa, Chief Executive Officer Jawad Ahmed, Director Operations Malik Fateh Ali, Manager Operations (former Project Director, Sustainable Livelihoods Barani Areas
Development Project) Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN) Shoaib Sultan Khan, Chairman, Board of Directors, RSPN/NRSP Khalil Ahmed Tetlay, Acting Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officer, RSPN Muzaffar Ud Din, General Manager, Aga Khan Rural Support Programme Aurat Foundation M. Younas Khalid, Chief Strategy & Policy Simi Kamal, Chief of Party, Gender Equity Programme Asian Development Bank, Pakistan Resident Mission (PRM) Sunil Mitra, Deputy Country Director Donneth A. Walton, Unit Head, Project Administration Guntur Sugiyarto, Principal Economist Ismat Shahjehan, Project Officer (former Gender Specialist PRM) Munir Abro, Head, Social Sectors M. Shaukat Shafi, Disaster Relief Management Specialist Uzma Altaf, Gender Consultant
Appendix 5
54
Field Visits District Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Ms. Afandi, Assistant Director, Benazir Income Support Programme, Bagh Mohammad Ajmal Khan, Assistant Compliance Officer, BISP Bagh Raja Maroof, Data Entry Operator, NADRA (based at BISP Bagh) Syed Shafqat Gardezi, District Programme Officer, National Rural Support Programme Shabbir Sheikh, District Programme Officer, AJK Community Development Programme Masood Ahmed, Manager, SAMBA Bank Members of BISP Beneficiary Committee at one urban and one rural location District Mansehra, Khyber Pakhtunkwa Mohammad Ali, Assistant Director, Balakot Muhammad Hussain, Assistant Director, Mansehra Members of BISP Beneficiary Committee at one urban and one rural location