Quarterly Progress Report: Assessment and Strengthening Program

Implemented by Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN), Associates in Development (AiD), and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), the program aims to strengthen the management capacities of Government and civil society organizations. Significant progress has been achieved in the assignments awarded to ASP-RSPN. Under the Pre-Award Assessment component of the program, the vital assignment of Third Party Validation (TPV) of the Citizens' Damage Compensation Program (CDCP) progressed by completing one district in Sindh and twelve districts in Balochistan in the reporting quarter. Cumulatively, seventy-eight out of eighty districts have been completed under the TPV of CDCP, enabling the government and donors for the consequent release of cash assistance to the deserving flood-affected beneficiaries. The Capacity Building component of the program has also made significant progress. Provision of assistance to the Planning & Development Department and the Education Department Government of Sindh is continued under this component. The first two phases out of the three-phased capacity building plans for Municipal Services Delivery Program (MSDP) and Sindh Basic Education Program (SBEP) Sindh have successfully been completed. ASP-RSPN provided assistance to both provincial departments in the development of PC-Is for the above-mentioned development projects as Phase-I support, along with the streamlining of operational procedures in the form of development of manuals for Financial Management, Human Resource/Admin, Procurement Management, and Monitoring & Evaluation as Phase-II assistance. Additional Capacity Building assignments impacting the public sector, including the Provincial Public Procurement Regulatory Authorities (PPRAs), PaRRSA, SMEDA, and Health Services Academy (HSA), were initiated during the current quarter. The Federal Minister for Finance, Mr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, in a letter to the Chief of Party ASP-RSPN, expressed appreciation for the Research study conducted on 'Assignment Account/Revolving Fund Account', a landmark achievement by ASP-RSPN under its Research component. ASP-RSPN intends to share the conducted study and the recommendations contained therein at all the relevant strategic advocacy forums for adoption of the policy-level recommendations in this regard. The research on GOP Project Cycle and Project Management Unit (PMU) is in process, with the final recommendations/report expected to be completed during the next quarter. Upon USAID's request, a study on Public Financial Management through the development of an Assessment Framework has recently been initiated by ASP-RSPN, under the Research component. Furthermore, ASP-RSPN organized two trainings under the Awardees Capacity Building component, including an Advance Training on USAID Rules and Regulations and a training on Effective Monitoring and Evaluation Skills. The participants of the training included the staff of ASP, RSPN, NRSP, PPOs, and ASP-AiD. ASP-RSPN team is working to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National School of Public Policy (NSPP), the premier body imparting mandatory training to public service cadres in Pakistan. The MoU will open possibilities for both capacity building and research-based policy advocacy to ASP-RSPN through NSPP and its constituent bodies. The program has made significant progress in strengthening the management capacities of Government and civil society organizations. The assignments awarded to ASP-RSPN have been successfully completed, and additional capacity building assignments have been initiated. The research component of the program has also made significant progress, with the Federal Minister for Finance expressing appreciation for the Research study conducted on 'Assignment Account/Revolving Fund Account'.