PAKISTAN, 29 DECEMBER 2004

Details and Press Materials

The Commission Report was launched in Pakistan in December 2004. It was the first country launch of the Report in South Asia, and was organized jointly by the UNDP Pakistan Country Office and the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry, the country's premier representative association of the business community.

The launch event was Chaired by Dr. Ishrat Husain, Governor, State Bank of Pakistan and Mr. Pasha, Assistant Administrator, Regional Bureau for Asia Pacific(UNDP) represented the Secretary General at the launch. The event was attended by a large, diverse audience consisting of members of the FPCCI Executive Committee, CEOs of various banking, service and manufacturing institutions, members from SME and microfinance sector, heads of provincial and district chambers of commerce from across the country as well as Presidents and members of various industry specific trade associations. UNDP and FPCCI had arranged for the translation and publication of an Urdu version. An encouraging aspect of the event was the participation of women from the private sector and civil society.

The ensuing strategy for outreach of the report's recommendations involves organisation of 5 regional workshops over the next 3 months, in cities that are hubs of private sector activity or which serve as centres of industrial clusters, such as Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore and Sialkot. These workshops will be co-organised by UNDP, Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA), FPCCI and local/district Chambers of Commerce and the Enterprise & Investment Promotion Departments in the District Governments. These workshops will allow for more focused, intensive deliberations and will aim to develop at least one project idea from each workshop, which will be led by the consortium of stakeholders that participate in these events, including members of the civil society. .

Press

The Report launch in Pakistan generated widespread press attention, including coverage in the two leading English dailies:

30 Dec 2004 Dawn

"UNDP sets up development fund to cut poverty: Private sector"

31 Dec 2004 The News

"UNDP report on SMEs launched in Urdu"