Building Coalitions for Change to
Implement Pro-Poor Environmental
Fiscal Reforms: Lessons Learned
from Pakistan
Dr Usman Mustafa
Pakistan Institute of Development
Economics (PIDE)
Mahmood Akhtar Cheema
IUCN- Pakistan
Format
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Pro EFR and its benefits
Brief project profile - components
Key Achievements of EFR Project
Lesson learned
Way forward
Environmental Fiscal Reforms
Strengthening envir. management
can support econ. growth, while
improving
health
and
productivity.
Pro-poor EFR, can assist the govt.
in broadening the revenue base,
while achieving both poverty
reduction and envir. goals.
The envir. benefits of EFR
includes; pollution prevention
and improved natural resources
management; mobilization of
funds for investment in pollution
control and safe disposal of
waste; and mobilization of funds
for enforcement activities.
Environmental Fiscal
Reforms
Benefits of EFR
Poverty Reduction
•Improving environmental quality e.g. better natural resource management
or provision of environmental infrastructure:
–poor depend on environment for health, livelihoods and vulnerability
•Fiscal revenues: revenues for pro-poor expenditure on health, education etc
•Protection or compensation to protect poor from price rises
Environmental
Benefits
•Incentives for sustainable
natural resource management
•Incentives for curbing
pollution (air, water, soil)
•Funds for environment
agencies and investments
Fiscal Benefits
•Revenue mobilization
•Reduced distortions
•Reduced drains on
•public finances
Brief Project Profile
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Financial support: Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC)
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Budget: Pak. Rupees 53.450 millions (US $0.63 mil.)
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Duration: May 2006 to April 2009 - Extended to June 2010
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Research Partners: Pakistan Institute for Development
Economics & Sustainable Development Policy Institute
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Pilot District: Abbottabad
Aim: Poverty reduction and environmental improvement through
undertaking a set of environmental fiscal reforms initiatives.
Project Components
1.
Action Research and
Awareness Raising
2.
Enabling Institutional,
Legal and Policy Framework
3.
Capacity Building
4.
Piloting Select EFR Options
5.
Wider Dissemination for
Replications
Key Achievements of
EFR Project
1.
Overall Project
Management
Project Advisory Committee (PAC)
Meant to further develop increased ownership and linkages of EFR project with the
Federal Government, The PAC is also meant to provide vision to and act as think
tank and resource pool for the project
(2 meetings held)
Project Steering Committee (PSC)
Serves to guide, advise and facilitate the implementation of the project and ensure
linkages and information sharing to create an enabling framework for
implementation of EFR.
(3 meetings held)
Round Table on Water and Sanitation
Serve as a platform for consultation and establishment of linkages among
stakeholders, initiating ideas for planning and practical implementation of
measures for effective implementation of the project in water and sanitation
sector
(3 meetings held)
2.
-
Completion of action
research
Research reports on solid waste, drinking water, and quarrying and
mining, fiscal decentralization completed
Five (05) fact sheets completed (for easy understanding)
Sector wise recommendations translated into Urdu
Situation analysis of solid waste management in Nawanshehr town –
(study completed by COMSATS)
Water analysis of natural water resources (survey by PCRWR)
3.
Advocacy, partnerships
and capacity building
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Liaison with City District Government of Abbottabad
-
Research partnerships with PIDE, SDPI and COMSATS Institute
for Information Technology
-
Extensive awareness, community organization/ mobilization for
development participatory solid waste management system in
Nawanshehr (pilot)
- Trainings
(Community) waste segregation, reduction, disposal,
composting)
(Local administration) solid waste management, efficient
collection, waste segregation, safe disposal, route planning/
mapping
Piloting select
EFR options
(drinking water)
4.
- Improvements in existing
water supply system in
Nawanshehr~ pressure
distribution system installed,
2700 feet new supply pipes
- Provision of basic tools/
implements for repair of water
supply system/ solid waste
management
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Watershed rehabilitation and improvement (drinking water supply)
(4000 sapplings planted on 14 August 2009)
5.
Piloting select EFR options
(solid waste)- Development and operationalization of a
participatory solid waste management system in Nawanshehr
- Social Mobilization~
community groups, youth associations,
school children and women folks
dialogue conducted (70 shopkeepers)
door to door campaign (725 houses)
Citizens seminar, youth forum operationalized
- Social Organization~
sixty two (62) community activists
School Environmental Clubs (09 established)
Mohellah Environmental Committees (06)
- Capacity building
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training of staff of Town Committee
on participatory SWM, segregation,
recycling, and
coordination
with line agencies (district govt.) 16 staff members trained.
training community groups on
participatory SWM system,
developing and sustaining primary
collection system, organizational
management, financial
record
keeping, coordination and liaison
development (62 activists trained)
Other ~
training
of
communities (& women) on kitchen
gardening and compositing (90
trainees)
-
Improved measures for primary
collection of waste~
model system nine (09) ‘beads’ were developed in the area
(each comprising of around 120 households)- at source
segregation of organic and recyclables have also been introduced
in 09 beads
(08) mohellahs where communities have hired their own waste
collectors through nominal contribution (pro- poor initiative)
-
Development of secondary
waste collection system
-
Proper designed secondary collection points have been
developed in eleven (11) mohellahs,
- Route planning for waste collectors (map developed)
- Repair of tractor and improvisation of existing trolley
the change…
6. Pro-poor fiscal measures in
water supply
Existing system: 4300 water meters ~ flat rate payment
Proposed:
Progressive block tariff
- beneficiaries of ‘Zakat’ and ‘Bait ul Maal’ to be
exempted (pro- poor measure)
cattle
- Separate terrif for commercial users (poultry/
farms, car service stations)
7.
Propoor
measures
in SWM
fiscal
- Five (05) mohellahs have hired waste
collectors (paid from revenue)
- Revenue from selling recyclables by
School Environment clubs
- Nineteen (19 kitchen gardens from
organic compost)
- (17) garbage merchants have been
registered in lieu of payment of tax to
the Town Committee
- A frame- work for scavengers is also
being devised to regulate their
working
Research Achievements
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Research work received high appreciation
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Technical paper of EFR (Pakistan Engineering Congress
2010)
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Three papers on EFR presented in Special Technical
Session on EFR at the 23th Agm of “Pakistan Society of
Development Economics”
Paper on “Consumer Perceptions, Practices, Willingness
to Pay and Analysis of Existing Law for Safe Drinking
water in Pakistan” published in Oxford University Press,
UK (2009)
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Panel discussion were held on “Pro-poor Environmental
Fiscal Reforms” during Conference on “Peace and
Sustainable Development in South Asia: Issues and
Challenges of Globalization” held at SDPI
‘EFR’ introduced as subject at PIDE (M. Phil/ M. Sc. Env.
Economics Programme
Five students from COMSATS Abbottabad completed their
research thesis on EFR instruments (solid waste
management)
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Wider replication of EFR in IUCN’s on- going programmes
(BPSD)
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Strong urge from beneficiaries (community in Nawanshehr)
to continue support
Lessons Learnt
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Pilot testing has proved that
EFR is applicable in Pakistan
and has successfully
demonstrated improvement
of municipal services
(drinking water, solid waste
management)
EFR helped in generating
revenue for local Govt. and
can address issues like
poverty (jobs, savings on
access)
Research work actually takes
longer than expected
Sufficient time is required to
produce authentic,
comprehensive and factual
results
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EFR being a new concept~ implementation and
promotion of EFR options at local level has been a
huge challenge (complex socio- political
situation)
Consultations with local level are extremely
important to develop consensus among
stakeholders to select and adopt EFR options,
that are effective and applicable
Improved coordination mechanisms are essential
to obtain long term results for reforms
To obtain long term impact from EFR mechanism,
buy-in from policy-makers is essential to
institutionalise EFR.
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The findings of action-research must be tailored to create
real understanding and integration into policy and
decision making process.
Capacity building at all level needs continuation as an
essential and core component of the project, since
expertise at local level are not available anywhere in
Pakistan for implementing EFR options.
Any further EFR work must be done in close consultation
not only with the Project Advisory Committee, but also
the Provincial government bodies.
The EFR needs to be tested at a larger canvas (district /
provincial level) and tested for efficacy in other potential
sectors (eco- tourism, quarrying and mining etc.)
Proposed Way
Forward…
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Long term interest ~IUCN’s being pioneer
Strong justification of research findings ~ efficacy of EFR
instruments as a mean for environmental conservation,
reducing fiscal deficit and poverty
Pilot testing of EFR instruments have proven to be the most
effective tool and very successful in achieving the desired
results
To obtain long term impact from EFR mechanism, further
dedicated support to EFR work is essential, so as the EFR
options is effectively tested and completely adopted
Activities completed provide a platform for legislative
changes (institutionalization)
More resources and time required~ Institutionalization of
EFR concept would is must that needs buy- in from policy
makers
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As a sustainability mean, district govt needs to be
supported to integrate EFR concept in up- coming public
sector schemes (‘gravity flow scheme’ and ‘district solid
waste management system’)
Proposed~ up scaling of EFR work at district level/
explore other districts (Chitral). Other sectors (ecotourism and quarrying/ mining, NTFPs extraction have
huge potential)
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Possible replication of EFR work in other select U. Cs
of Abbottabad to spread the benefits
Explore resources for continued support to EFR
initiative
Thanks