Sindh govt to organise SDF on Mar 28

KARACHI: The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in Sindh is set to organise Sindh Development Forum (SDF) 2018  with the support of United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and other development partners.

The forum will suggest the Sindh government and its partners on the priorities and strategies for a recurring basis. In the long run, SDF is envisaged to transform the nature of development and planning in the province, which includes to become a proactive, coherent and strategic endeavour.

The inaugural event of the SDF 2018 will be a one-day conference, hosted by the Sindh Government, on March 28, 2018 at a local hotel in Karachi.

The conference aims to bring together international delegates – including the country-based directors of World Bank and Asian Development Bank, the USAID mission head, ambassador of European Union to Pakistan, NGOs and civil society organisations, business entities, academia and the provincial government.

It will allow the planning of development in the province, recognise the development gaps, and formulate common strategies. The conference also aims to establish a broad framework for the partner co-operation in Sindh for the next 10 years.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah will be the chief guest on the occasion.

The specific objectives include sharing of development priorities, key reforms, and an outline of priority initiatives needed to be achieved. There will be a sharing of development strategies for provincial the development and it will highlight lessons learned from the past experiences.

The conference will have two kinds of sessions. The first include plenary sessions for a broad level development discourse and cross-cutting themes, sectors and issues. The second include parallel, breakout and sessions for more detailed working group discussions on agriculture and food security, health, education, energy and infrastructure, water, sanitation and municipal service, economic growth, the private sector, jobs & skills, public finance management, poverty reduction, and nutrition.

The development partners and the government are expected to agree on the modus operandi for enhancing their consultation to formulate a comprehensive growth strategy for the province.