VZCZCXYZ0018
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHOT #0505/01 1021813
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111813Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY OTTAWA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7672

UNCLAS OTTAWA 000505 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR S/P (GORDON); SCA/PB 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AF CA EAID PGOV PK PREL
SUBJECT: CANADA DEVELOPMENT AID FOR PAKISTAN 
 
REF: A. STATE 29860 
     ¶B. 07 OTTAWA 1881 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect accordingly. 
 
(sbu) This message responds to Ref A request for an overview 
of Canada's development assistance to Pakistan.  Post's 
response is keyed to reftel questions, and is based on both 
public information and information provided by Blaine 
Marchand -- the Canadian International Development Agency's 
(CIDA) Senior Program Manager for Governance (Pakistan and 
Central Asia). 
 
-- HOW MUCH DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE DID CANADA PROVIDE TO 
PAKISTAN IN 2007 AND IN WHAT FORM? 
 
Canada currently provides C$47 million a year to Pakistan in 
development assistance.  Bilateral aid for 2007-2008 was C$43 
million. 
 
Breakdown of Bilateral Aid 
-------------------------- 
 
Governance 
C$12.1 million 
 
Health 
C$5.8 million 
 
Education 
C$6.5 million 
 
Improving Gender Equality 
C$4.0 million 
 
Post-Earthquake Recovery 
C$7.1 million 
 
Border Area Development 
C$5.1 million 
 
(Note:  Canada has several small projects that are not 
captured in the above figures.) 
 
CIDA Senior Program Manager Marchand states that "the 
Canadian Partnership Branch (CPB) delivers about $0.5 million 
annually" and that almost 70 percent of this "partnership 
programming aligns with the bilateral program focus on local 
governance and education/health priorities.  CPB presently 
funds more than 60 partners delivering 70 projects that touch 
Pakistan.  Notable partners in governance are Canadian Labour 
Congress (C$0.4 million) and Care Canada (C$0.3 million). 
Multilateral Programmes Branch (MPB)'s financial expenditures 
in Pakistan have been around C$1-2 million annually (with the 
exception of roughly $40 million in earthquake relief in 
2005/06." 
 
-- HOW MUCH ASSISTANCE IS CANADA PROVIDING IN THE FORM OF 
DEBT RELIEF OR DEBT RESCHEDULING? 
 
Through a debt swap, Canada is providing C$117 million over a 
five-year period.  Most of the assistance focuses on 
education efforts in Punjab province. 
 
-- HOW DOES CANADA PRIORITIZE AMONG SECTORS AND REGIONS IN 
ALLOCATING DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE? 
 
Canadian assistance to Pakistan has three primary objectives: 
 (1) Good Governance (i.e., promoting "democratic local 
governance through support to devolution and effective 
citizen participation, especially that of women;" (2) Basic 
Human Needs (i.e., improving "the quality and delivery of 
social services, especially for the female population, and to 
increase access to those services by the poor;" and (3) 
Gender Equality (i.e., contributing "to the improvement of 
women's human rights, health and education, and economic 
empowerment." 
 
Projects promoting these objectives can be found at 
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/CIDAWEB/acdicida.nsf/En/J UD-328225-HB3. 
 
-- WHAT STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES IS CANADA PURSUING IN ITS 
ALLOCATION OF AID TO PAKISTAN?  IN WHAT FUTURE AREAS MIGHT 
CANADA EFFORTS BE FOCUSED?  ARE THEY OPEN TO DOING MORE OR 
UNDER PRESSURE TO REDUCE THEIR ACTIVITIES? 
 
Canada targets much of its aid in Baluchistan province, south 
of Afghanistan's Kandahar province (where Canadian military 
forces operate).  Much of this aid deals with economic 
advancement programs (e.g., job skills and training) and 
delivery of social services.  Overall for Pakistan, Canada 
plans to continue focusing on the three primary objectives 
described above, but will reduce spending on health.  CIDA 
also plans to broaden "good governance" to include more 
support for democratic governing structures and rule of law 
initiatives by the end of this summer.  Under "good 
governance," Canada had focused on promoting the devolution 
of social service responsibilities to local and provincial 
governments. 
 
 
Canada is also helping both Afghanistan and Pakistan to 
improve border security with technical assistance and 
infrastructure funding (Ref B). 
 
-- WHAT IS THE BREAKDOWN BETWEEN AID ALLOCATED ON A BILATERAL 
BASIS AND THROUGH MULTILATERAL INSTITUTIONS? 
 
Canada currently provides C$47 million a year to Pakistan in 
development assistance.  Bilateral aid for 2007-2008 was C$43 
million. 
 
-- HOW MUCH OF THE ASSISTANCE IS "TIED" TO PURCHASES OF 
CANADIAN GOODS AND SERVICE AND HOW MUCH IS ACTUALLY SPENT IN 
PAKISTAN? 
 
Canada has no "tied" aid. 
 
-- TO WHAT EXTENT IS CANADA ABLE TO HELP PAKISTAN DEAL WITH 
IMMEDIATE AND CRITICAL SHORTAGES IN ITS ENERGY AND FOOD 
SECTORS AND WITH DEFICIENCIES IN ITS PUBLIC HEALTH SECTORS? 
 
CIDA's Marchand stated that Canada does not focus its 
development assistance in these areas, except for aid going 
to primary health care.  The health aid includes assistance 
for primary health care workers and HIV/AIDS programs. 
 
-- HOW MUCH ASSISTANCE DOES CANADA PROVIDE FOR EDUCATIONAL 
REFORM?  WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THIS ASSISTANCE AND HOW IS IT 
TARGETED GEOGRAPHICALLY? 
 
Canada's C$117 million debt swap arrangement goes to 
educational reform in Punjab province. 
 
-- WHAT ARE THE CHIEF MODALITIES FOR DELIVERING ASSISTANCE 
AND DO MECHANISMS EXIST FOR ANY OF THIS AID TO BE DELIVERED 
QUICKLY FOR IMMEDIATE IMPACT? 
 
Canadian executing agencies work through NGO's and local 
Pakistani organizations to deliver development assistance. 
Canada also delivers some bilateral funds for good governance 
and gender equality through the Asian Development Bank. 
 
-- WHAT MEASURES, IF ANY, HAVE CANADA AND PAKISTAN AGREED ON 
FOR ENSURING THAT AID ACHIEVES ITS INTENDED RESULTS? 
 
For each development project, Canada hires a Canadian and 
Pakistani individual as monitors.  The monitors make 
scheduled reports and are able to make recommendations.  Each 
project also receives a separate mid-term evaluation by a 
contracted Canadian entity.  Once a development project is 
completed, a Canadian contractor prepares a final evaluation 
and audit. 
 
-- DID CANADA PROVIDE SECURITY ASSISTANCE TO PAKISTAN IN 
2007?  IF SO, WAS THIS IN EQUIPMENT, TRAINING, OR OFFICER 
EDUCATION EXCHANGES? 
 
None known. 
 
-- WOULD CANADA BE WILLING TO COLLABORATE WITH OTHER DONORS 
TO BRING MORE COHERENCE AND PRIORITIZATION TO INTERNATIONAL 
EFFORTS IN PAKISTAN? 
 
Yes.  Canada already has -- or is exploring -- cooperative 
efforts with Switzerland, the Netherlands, the World Bank, 
UNDP, and the Asia Foundation.  With the latter two entities, 
cooperation included civic education relating to elections as 
well as election monitoring. 
 
-- HAS CANADA COORDINATED PREVIOUSLY WITH OTHER DONORS IN 
PAKISTAN?  ON WHAT PROGRAMS? 
 
Yes.  See above. 
 
Visit Canada,s Economy and Environment Forum at 
http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/can ada 
 
WILKINS