Finance
Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired a meeting at the Ministry of
Finance regarding Open Government Partnership (OGP) initiative.
Finance
Secretary and senior officials of the Finance Division and Economic Affairs
Division (EAD) attended the meeting.
EAD officials
briefed the Finance Minister on the progress of the National Action Plan (NAP)
being prepared for submission to OGP. They informed the Minister that input for
the NAP has been obtained from most of the stakeholders, and EAD is in the
process of gathering the remaining input. The Minister was apprised that EAD
has already organized a number of consultative meetings in Islamabad as well as
in the provincial capitals for preparation of the National 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.
Finance Minister directed 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
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.
