Mission Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad Gregory Gottlieb addressed an audience of Pakistani civil society members at the Serena Hotel regarding the progress and impact of the Citizens’ Voice Project. The Citizens’ Voice Project is a U.S. Government sponsored program which seeks to facilitate and improve engagement between citizens and government officials.
“Our work with civil society partners has promoted improved democratic governance by strengthening the role of citizens in government planning and decision-making. These efforts lead to increased accountability, reduction in corruption, and improved public service delivery,” said Gottlieb.
The five-year program is managed by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability. It provides support to Pakistani non-governmental organizations throughout the country which seek to improve governance in the energy, economic growth, agriculture, education and health sectors. The project is working with 210 civil society organizations in more than 100 districts across Pakistan.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability, Shahid Fiaz, commented, “This project is unique in the way that it has enabled citizens to become part of the solution to many of the issues this country is facing. We are now able to translate citizens’ voices into constructive engagements with elected and public officials. This leads to meaningful dialogue and decisions.”
The United States regularly partners with organizations from Pakistan’s civil society to improve governance throughout the country by bolstering partnerships between Pakistani citizens and their elected government officials. For more information on U.S. assistance to Pakistan’s governance and resilience sector, please visit:http://www.usaid.gov/pakistan/stabilization
