Issue
Vulnerable groups and marginalised communities that are disproportionately affected by the Covid-19 pandemic in Pakistan are not always able to benefit from government response plans and policies, despite government initiatives to coordinate response efforts.
How we are helping
This project will facilitate engagement between government and civil society to identify the gaps in pandemic policy responses in meeting the needs of vulnerable and marginalised groups. These findings will be used to develop and implement more inclusive plans and policies.
About the project
The Government of Pakistan, with support from international development partners, responded swiftly to the Covid-19 pandemic by strengthening response coordination and health systems. The government implemented plans and policies to contain and control the spread of the pandemic including an emergency cash programme to address the economic hardship being experienced by vulnerable populations.
A National Command and Control Centre was established to ensure effective coordination between national and provincial governments and implementation of the decisions of the National Co-ordination Committee on Covid-19.
Government response efforts could be improved with the ability to identify and address the impact of the pandemic and associated response policies on vulnerable groups and marginalised communities.
This project aims to enable civil society to engage with government to identify gaps in pandemic policy responses and to assess both the effectiveness of policy implementation and the impact of policies, in order to make recommendations for improvements.
This will be achieved by:
- collecting and analysing data on the government’s policies, administrative measures and their implementation, including tracking national budget allocations for the pandemic
- consulting with stakeholders (policy makers, officers of implementing agencies, civil society organisations, health practitioners, and vulnerable and marginalised groups) on policies and their implementation
- developing an assessment report on government policies regarding the pandemic with focus on policy gaps, implementation challenges and the impact on vulnerable groups
- undertaking dissemination and discussion of the assessment report leading to recommendations for improvements and the development of an advocacy strategy for civil society engagement with government
- publicising civil society recommendations via print, electronic and social media to increase awareness among the government ministries, officials and other key stakeholders
- convening advocacy meetings between civil society and government to discuss improved policy response to the pandemic
Project Partners
Centre for Peace and Development Initiatives (CPDI) was constituted in 2003 as a civil society organisation with focus on issues of peace and development. It seeks to inform and influence public policies and civil society initiatives through research-based advocacy and capacity building in order to promote citizenship, build peace and achieve inclusive and sustainable development. CPDI's pioneering work, with government and civil society, on the right to information (RTI) legislation has resulted in the enactment of RTI laws at the national level and in all four provinces in Pakistan.
We support people's participation in democracy and development by providing grants, platforms, and expertise.
