PESHAWAR - Honorary Consul General of Japan Nawab Zada Fazal Karim Afridi said on Thursday that the Refugee Affected and Hosting Areas (RAHA) Programme was a major step towards the development of Fata in general and Khyber Agency in particular.
Speaking at a community consultation with CBOs and tribal elders from Jamrud, Landi Kotal and Mullagori regions of Khyber Agency, Nawab Zada Afridi said that the Japanese government, which has funded the $12.8 million programme being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), wanted to extend maximum cooperation for the uplift of Fata. Speaking on the occasion, GIZ Fata Development Programme Coordinator Stefan Schmid hailed the event as an excellent opportunity to hear more voices from Fata and learn more about the region’s development needs, according to a press release issued here.
Earlier, Fata Deputy Director (Projects) Dawood Afridi welcomed the participants and hoped that the consultation would achieve its objectives. UNDP Media and Communication Officer Mustafa Nazir Ahmad gave a detailed overview of the programme and shared its salient objectives. The event was moderated by GIZ Social Mobilisation Coordinator Mumtaz Ahmad Mehsud.
During the consultation, the participants prepared and presented concrete action plans based on the challenges faced by their communities in the areas of social cohesion, sustainable livelihoods and the environment; and how they would like to meet them in the next year. The three working groups for Jamrud, Landi Kotal and Mullagori also identified areas in which they would like to bring about behavioural and attitudinal change.