Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy - IUCN

gular focus on the development of individual human
capacity, and proposes an expanded concept that
involves measuring the improvement of people's ability
to organize themselves, participate, network, and
take collective action. It implies that there must be
new ways to monitor and measure development. This
includes the need to evaluate participatory institutions,
improvements in systems of decision making,
and better governance.
As the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) points out in the Human Development Report
1994: “To address the growing challenge of human
security, a new development paradigm is needed that
puts people at the center of development, regards economic
growth as a means and not an end, protects the
life opportunities of future generations and respects the
natural systems on which all life depends.”
With reference to the NWFP, it seems obvious that
there is value in the kind of solutions offered by organizations
such as UNDP. Thus in the main body of this
report there is both a conventional emphasis on environment
and development and an overt emphasis on
people, peoples' organizations, and the mechanisms
to allow people to define their interactions and their
development priorities. This approach is embodied in
different sections of the report on governance, partnership,
communications, and assessing progress
towards sustainability.
The organizations in our society that are neither
political parties, Government agencies, nor profitmaking
private companies are commonly defined as
the ‘civil society’. In the NWFP these would include
chambers of commerce, rural development organizations,
labour unions, cultural organizations, environmental
groups, human rights commissions, and educational
associations. The strength of the sector determines
the extent to which private and Government
interests are balanced, and indeed determines the
strength of the democracy.
Thus, in addition to a theme of sustainable human
development as a thread running through much of the
SPCS, there is a well defined objective of strengthening
civil society. This has been embodied in the
process of developing the strategy itself, by consulting,
networking, and contracting NGOs to undertake
the work. More specifically, the entire NGO pro-
R E S P O N D I N G T O T H E I S S U E S 3
gramme and elements of the communication programme
are fundamentally geared to develop civil
society. Added to these are the proposed environmental
bill of rights, legally mandated environmental
assessment processes, and basic environmental quality
improvements envisaged in the proposed environmental
legislation for the NWFP.
A strong civil society, strong village organizations,
strong NGOs, and strong community-based
organizations—particularly where linked through
strong rural support programmes—are the areas
where the objectives of the SPCS are first likely to be
met. Equally important is the need for linkages
between Government and civil society.
There is a danger in developing too much new
language or terminology to define very basic ideas.
In essence, civil society is a concept of developing
partnership between people, organizations, and
Government. This need not be a complex subject, but
it is important to emphasize in the NWFP. Respect for
law is tenuous. Understanding of the underpinnings
of democracy is weak or deliberately undermined.
Pride in action is strong, but belief in good governance
does not transform a proud individual into a
good citizen.
In the NWFP, despite all the legal, political, financial,
and development problems, there appears to be
a distinct willingness to move forward. This was most
obvious in the overwhelming spontaneous response
to the public consultations held at both the district
and the village level, but it is also significant that the
political leadership and senior bureaucracy are consistently
supportive and enthusiastic.
The province faces overwhelming obstacles to
achieving sustainable development, but there is reason
for optimism.
3 . 4
C O N T E M P O R A RY DEVELOPMENT
WORK IN THE NWFP
The commitment of the Government of NWFP
towards environmental rehabilitation and resource
conservation has now attracted the interest of many
bilateral and multilateral foreign donor agencies that
provide financial as well as technical assistance. This
SARHAD PROVINCIAL CONSERVATION STRATEGY 21