A. Objective
Led by the World Bank Group (WBG), a series of consultative discussions and surveys began in December 2020. These discussions will continue until February 2021, with the purpose to engage and hear from all stakeholders to share inputs on Pakistan’s development priorities. To learn more, see also the frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the CPF and how to share your ideas. The online survey is open from December 15 through February 19, 2021, available in Urdu or English. [Click to participate: English | Urdu]
B. Country Partnership Framework | Overview
A Country Partnership Framework (CPF) is the central tool of the World Bank Group for reviewing and guiding the WBG’s country programs and gauging their effectiveness. The CPF identifies the key objectives and development results through which the WBG intends to support a member country in its efforts to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. When preparing a CPF, the WBG starts from the member country’s own vision of its development goals, which are laid out in a poverty focused national development strategy. The WBG and the country draw upon the Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) to develop the CPF objectives together; deriving them from those country development goals that reflect the WBG’s comparative advantage; as well as alignment with the twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity and taking into account opportunities for leveraging the private sector to provide sustainable solutions to development problems. The CPF then outlines a selective and flexible program that will help the country achieve the CPF objectives.
C. Country Partnership Framework | Pakistan
The Pakistan team is engaging with key stakeholders on the next Country Partnership Framework (CPF), 2022-2026 planned for board approval by the end of this fiscal year (FY21). The CPF will draw from the Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD), Country Private Sector Diagnostic (CPSD) and the flagship Pakistan@100: Shaping the Future initiative which seeks to identify the main changes necessary for Pakistan to become an upper middle-income country by the time it turns 100 years old in 2047.
Prepared jointly by the International Development Association (IDA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), this CPF represents a shared view of how resources across the entire Bank Group can best support the Government of Pakistan’s effort to achieve its national goals.
D. Systematic Country Diagnostic | Overview
The Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) informs the strategic dialogue between the World Bank Group and its clients about priority areas for WBG engagement. The SCD is a diagnostic exercise conducted by the WBG in consultation with national authorities, the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders. It presents a systematic assessment of the constraints a country has to address and the opportunities it can embrace to accelerate progress toward the goals of ending extreme poverty and promoting shared prosperity in a sustainable way. It is not limited to areas or sectors where the WBG is currently active or where the WBG expects immediate country demand.
The SCD presents the best possible analysis based upon available evidence. It includes a thorough discussion of the drivers of sustainable poverty reduction and the constraints the country faces in achieving the inclusive growth needed to attain a sustainable reduction in extreme poverty and increase in shared prosperity. The analysis of sustainability accounts for environmental, social and economic sustainability. The SCD identifies a set of priorities through which a country may most effectively and sustainably achieve the poverty reduction and shared prosperity goals and serves as the reference point for consultations when developing the CPF.
E. Purpose of Stakeholder Consultations | Pakistan
The World Bank Group (WBG) is in the process of preparing a new Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Pakistan that will outline its strategic support in the country for the period 2022-2026. The CPF provides an opportunity to create a five-year engagement plan based on consultations from various stakeholder groups, which helps the WBG to validate (or re-orient and adapt) its portfolio to the evolving political and economic contexts. The WBG updates its strategy and work plan every four to five years to reflect the evolving priorities of its client countries. The CPF will closely align with Pakistan’s development agenda.
As it elaborates its new CPF, the WBG has planned countrywide consultations with key stakeholders, including government, parliamentarians, private sector, civil society organizations including women and youth groups, international financial institutions and the diplomatic community, media and academia. The consultations aim to gather diverse views from stakeholders on Pakistan’s economic and social challenges and the ways in which the World Bank Group can best address them.
F. Expectations
Through our activities around the CPF consultations, we aim to support awareness and provide updates about the CPF process, creating the space for citizens to share their priorities for Pakistan’s development agenda. The consultations and national outreach aim to increase transparency around the preparation process, solicit feedback on identified focus areas. The consultations for Pakistan ensure a wide range of citizens can participate and provide their inputs towards developing the next CPF.
The next Country Partnership Framework (CPF), 2022-2026 will be submitted to the Executive Directors of the WBG Board by the end of Fiscal Year 21.
G. National Stakeholders
- Government
- Private sector
- Youth / university students
- Politicians
- Women
- Academia
- Civil society
- Development partners
- Media
- General public
H. Five Focus Areas | Origins of the ‘5Gs’
The recently published Systematic Country Diagnostic (SCD) will inform the partnership framework. The SCD analyzes the challenges faced by Pakistan and presents priority interventions for ending extreme poverty and increasing shared prosperity in a sustainable manner. Based on the SCD and CPSD findings, emerging challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as ongoing discussions with the government, the new CPF will largely focus on the Five Gs: Girls’ and boys’ education, Growing healthy, Green and clean Pakistan, Growth that is inclusive, and Governance.