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October 28, 2003Oct. 31, 2003: Strengthening Civil Society: A Recipe for Sustainable Democracy in Pakistan
28 Oct 03
STRENGTHENING CIVIL SOCIETY
A RECIPE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY IN PAKISTAN
with
Mr. M. Tahseen, Executive Director, South Asia Partnership Pakistan
Mr. Irfan Mufti, Program Manager SAP-PK and Secretary for the Pakistan Social Forum
Date: October 31, 2003
Where: 1 Nicholas St., Suite 1200, Ottawa
Time: 12:00 – 2:00
The 2002 general national elections in Pakistan marked a beginning of yet another �civilian and democratic� rule. These elections witnessed the lowest voter turnout in the 56-year electoral history of Pakistan and the formation of coalition governments in two provinces (Sindh and Balochistan) as well as in the central government.
Notwithstanding people�s apathy for the elections and weak governments, Pakistan civil society can claim some significant victories such as the election of more than 60 women in the National Assembly and about 180 women in the four provincial assemblies in 2001-2002. This change has the potential for new opportunities for women�s voices to be heard.
In this context, the Pakistan NGO Support Program (PNSP), a bilateral program funded by CIDA and managed by South Asia Partnership Canada and implemented by SAP Pakistan, continues to provide support for civil society organizations in Pakistan to build their capacity and strengthen their programs.
The focus of the program is to contribute to people-centred development based on a high level of participation and ownership by the community– women and men. It not only provides training for its partner organizations and their members, it also supports research, advocacy and public debate on a wide range of development issues, including governance, peace, gender, human rights (specifically minority, women and child rights), small farmers and fundamentalism.
For more information and RSVP please contact:
Isabelle Valois, Pakistan Program Manager, SAP Canada
Phone: (613) 241-1333 ext 227, Fax (613) 241-1129
https://www.sapcanada.org
Email: mailto:ivalois@sapcanada.org