ISLAMABAD: Economic Affairs Division (EAD) officials on Saturday apprised Finance Minister Ishaq Dar regarding the progress of a national action plan (NAP) being prepared for submission to the Open Government Partnership (OGP), saying the EAD is in the final process of gathering input from the relevant stakeholders.
A meeting chaired by the finance minister at the Ministry of Finance to discuss the progress regarding the Open Government Partnership initiative, the finance secretary and senior officials of the Finance Division and Economic Affairs Division (EAD) were present.
The representatives of the Finance Division and the EAD informed the minister that input for the NAP has been obtained from most of the stakeholders, and the EAD is in the process of gathering the remaining input. The minister was apprised that EAD has already organised a number of consultative meetings in Islamabad as well as in the provincial capitals for preparation of the action plan, with the support of federal ministries, provincial governments, civil society, academia and other stakeholders. This includes a national workshop held in Islamabad in July 2017.
Ishaq Dar directed the EAD to ensure that input and commitments from all stakeholders are incorporated in the NAP. He further directed that a broader-level consultation with all stakeholders may be held prior to the submission of the NAP to the cabinet for approval, and subsequent submission to the OGP Secretariat. The Finance Minister emphasized that the government is fully committed to ensuring transparency and adopting international standards of governance. He said that the government’s accessions to the OECD Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters and submission of letter of intent to join OGP are proof of the government’s commitment.
It may be recalled that Pakistan had already met the eligibility threshold for membership to OGP, achieving 15 out of the 16 criteria. The finance minister handed over Pakistan’s Letter of Intent to join OGP to the French president during the fourth biennial OGP Global Summit held in Paris in December 2016. An important requirement of OGP is for the government to develop a national action plan in consultation with civil society and private sector, and to define commitments to foster transparency, accountability and public participation in all government processes.
