Note for Record

By: Shoaib Sultan Khan

November 12, 2007

Subject: RSPs at the United Nations

Three years ago, MNA Dr. Doonya Aziz, on return from participation in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the UN at New York, expressed her dismay at lack of affiliation of Pakistani civil society organizations with ECOSOC. She promised to pursue NRSP’s application pending with ECOSOC and a year ago, it was granted. I sent her a letter of thanks and congratulations on the achievement.

I was not aware that in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the UN at New York, Rashid (CEO NRSP) also had a friend in the person of Navid Hanif, who on the first available opportunity invited NRSP to participate in an event being organized by ECOSOC, in the form of a letter from the Under Secretary General for me to the Special Event of the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly on November 2, 2007 at New York.

The invitation came to me in London from where I did not return till mid October. I was most pleased when AMEX Islamabad changed the date for my interview for the visa from October 23 to 22 as I had invited Chairman WAPDA for a visit to Ghazi Brotha Development Organization on October 23 and being the Chairman of the organization, my presence was essential. Thanks to SP Ashfaq of Islamabad Police whom I had met on Trail 3 while walking, I was saved of the hardship of going to US Embassy by the Diplomatic Shuttle. I drove to the embassy in my car avoiding a two hours wastage of time. However, to my great dismay being first in the queue, with 250 persons behind, I was informed by the AMEX Officer that my visa form was nowhere in sight. AMEX had changed the date but forgot to include the form in the bundle of applications for October 22. However, the AMEX Officer was very cooperative and rang AMEX Islamabad to send my form. I asked my Secretary Rauf to rush to AMEX and bring it personally where the form was picked up by RSPN driver and brought to the embassy. Without Ashfaq’s security clearance for my car, I would have had to wait longer than three hours in the queue.

After the interview which took place behind glass by telephone, I was told about the approval of visa but the printing of visa on my passport was not likely before one month. I rang Additional Secretary Zamir in PM Secretariat for help who asked Director Mansoor and Assistant Director Haseeb to do their best. I spoke to Humayun, my batchmate and ex-Foreign Secretary who requested Special Secretary Sher Afgan. The Foreign Office asked our Ambassador in Washington DC to intercede. Navid Hanif informed me about Shaukat Fareed’s presence in New York and his expressed wish to meet me. Shaukat had spent a year as a PFS probationer in 1966 when I was Deputy Director in the Civil Service Academy. I Spoke to Fareed who promised to speak to Ambassador General Durrani, a good friend of his. I suddenly remembered Mark Ward ex-Director USAID now posted in Washington DC. I sent him an email that you are the only American of influence I know who can pull strings for me to get the visa. Prompt came his reply don’t pin too much hope followed by en email next day that “your security checks have been completed”. Zamir from PM’s Secretariat sent a communication to our Ambassador also emphasizing the importance of my participation in the event for Pakistan. Director Mansoor rang me up on October 26 about the approval of the visa and sent a Foreign Office Assistant to the US Embassy to get the visa printed on my passport. As Mansoor was leaving town midday, he asked Haseeb not to leave the office till the passport was delivered to me. The Foreign Office Assistant along with Rauf sat in the embassy for four hours to get the visa printed. Without the good offices and unbelievable perseverance of my friends and well wishers, getting the visa would have been impossible. My debt of gratitude to everyone is fathomless. It is only through their help and tenacity that I made it by midnight November 1, 2007 to New York.

The Special Event on “Eradicating Poverty through Enterprise” was scheduled at 1000 hours and was held in the impressive meeting room of the Second Committee of the UN General Assembly which is an exact replica of the General Assembly with desks displaying names of each of the 194 countries who are members of the UN. The Podium seated the four speakers myself included and the Chairman from the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) Mr. Sundram and Navid Hanif representing DESA.

Around 80 country delegates were present with a number of other participants on the sidelines. I made the first presentation followed by Prof. Aneel Karnani of Michigan University, Ms Shula Ferdman of Israil and Ms Wolloughby of World Resources Institute, Washington DC.

I highlighted the importance of social mobilization for implementing holistic development with enterprise playing an integral part in poverty reduction of the poor rural households. To illustrate my point, I described the achievements of RSPs in Pakistan with special reference to AKRSP and SAPAP in South Asia. NRSP’s Vocational Training Programme powerpoint presentation was followed by the Cascade approach initiated by Baadban in using COs to identify Activists who in turn identified entrepreneurs capable of fostering producers after appropriate training. I demonstrated how socially mobilized communities helped NRSP to impart employment generating vocational and technical training to over 75,000 men and women and equipped it to train millions, if resources are made available. The Cascade approach helped SRSP in one district to train nearly 1000 entrepreneurs who in turn fostered in a short period of three years 4000 producers conceived by consultant Shahnaz Kapadia actively supported by Chairperson SRSP. Thus an investment of US$ 17 per capita increased the businesses of nearly 1000 entrepreneurs and increased livelihood of another 4000 all women in a short period of three years.

I had no idea that Prof. Karnani had come to demolish the model propounded by the World Resources Institute (WRI) who were advocating that in the face of failure of Public Sector and the Civil Societies to eradicate poverty from the world, Private Sector had the answer through a Base of Pyramid (BoP) approach model, which claimed 4 billion people of the world could be made solvent. Two of Prof. Karnani’s university colleagues were behind this model besides others. The two wisely decided to miss the event but that did not deter Prof. Karnani from making frontal attack on the assumptions of the model. There was lot of substance in what he propounded. His argument that it is the responsibility of the Public Sector to provide services and supplies in terms of basic needs to the population, building communications and other infrastructure, maintaining law and order and the Private Sector would never do this especially for the poor. He ridiculed the whole idea of business sector or multinationals having primary concern for reduction of poverty through their commercial sales of fair and lovely creams for beautification or other products. The example of mobile phone marketing does not necessarily mean reduction of poverty.

Prof. Karnani also lamented the hype about micro credit. At best, in his view, it only makes a marginal difference. He made a strong case for employment generation and gave the example of China of dramatic reduction in poverty compared to India, Bangladesh or Africa. He also disagreed with the belief that everyone can be an entrepreneur; he however, conceded that entrepreneurs can foster producers. His best example was Amul of India. The sparring match between Prof. Karnani and WRI being represented by Ms Wolloughby was most unequal in the absence of Prof. Prahlad, the exponent of BoP and a colleague of Prof. Karnani at the Michigan University. Prof. Karnani attacked BoP relentlessly and it turned out to be a fight between a lion and a sheep. BoP was totally demolished.

On Chairman Sundram asking for my comments, I fully agreed with Prof. Karnani’s arguments about the responsibility of the public sector and the futility of the pious hope of the Private Sector doing much for the reduction of poverty. However, I did make a plea for giving a chance to BoP but certainly not by exonerating the Public Sector of its responsibilities. The RSPs conviction is that without Public Sector taking the lead role, there is no chance of countrywide reduction of poverty. I shared my experience of micro credit and agreed that micro credit alone was not enough to reduce poverty and at best is an important component of the holistic approach.

However, I pleaded to Prof. Karnani not to write off the potential of the people at the grassroots and only advocate jobs and employment, even to the exclusion of self employment, as the only way to reduce poverty. I quoted to him the example of AKRSP and SAPAP in Andhra Pradesh and NRSP’s Vocational Training Programme, even the poorest of the poor had achieved success given the support and fostering an enabling environment. Prof. Karnani need to be exposed to field realities. I would seriously urge Shandana (CEO RSPN) to invite him to visit RSPs and also SAPAP in Andhra. He seemed very perceptive and RSPs might benefit from his analytical approach to what RSPs are doing. When I mentioned the idea of a visit to Pakistan to him, he was very enthusiastic.

Ms Shula Ferdman of Israel has extensively worked at the grassroots in many countries and she was most supportive of the holistic approach and commended my grassroots experience.

In the discussion hour comments, observations and questions were asked by delegates from Togo, Pakistan, Israel, Senegal, Syria, Cambodia and some representatives of US NGOs. Some made political statements like the rights of indigenous communities etc.

The delegate from Pakistan spoke of the contribution made by persons like Akhter Hameed Khan and the commendable way in which his work has been carried on by RSPs specially focusing on the individual and how to help poor households to get out of poverty.

The delegate from Israel praised what he heard me say about the work done and asked about the sustainability of such initiatives. I informed him about the fostering of institutions of the people to substitute the initial support institutions created for the people and gave examples of local support organizations as federations of community and village organizations or the Mandal Samakhyas in Andhra as federations of self help groups and village organizations.

At the end of the session, quite a few delegates came to me and appreciated what I had presented and commented on. I was happy when the Pakistan Mission delegate Mr. Asad proposed that the Pakistan Mission would like to arrange a gathering of donor countries for me to present the RSPs as a tried and tested strategy to reduce poverty. I welcomed the idea and suggested such an event either in the week before Christmas holidays or thereafter whenever it may be convenient to the Mission. Zamir had asked me to meet Head of the Pakistan Mission at UN Mr. Munir Akram but I was so monopolized by Shaukat Fareed after the event that I forgot to get in touch with him. I rang him up to apologise. However Asad had already spoken to him and he welcomed the idea of a presentation on RSPs to donors at an appropriate time.

I have always declared that my years at the Civil Service Academy from 1965-69 made me over 200 friends who genuinely and sincerely like to see me and pamper me. Shaukat Fareed is one of the special ones amongst them. He treated me to a lunch in an exclusive restaurant just across the UN Building and amongst other things we discussed along with Navid, the need for someone in New York to represent NRSP at ECOSOC events now that NRSP had the consultative status. Since Shaukat and Navid are both involved in UN, Shaukat suggested Tariq Farooqi’s name who after retirement from UNICEF was settled in New York. I know Tariq from UNICEF days and consider him an excellent choice. Shaukat promised to sound Tariq Farooqi and get back to NRSP.

I am most grateful to UN Under Secretary General Mr. Sha Zukang for extending me the invitation (“copy attached”) to participate in the Special Event of the Second Committee of the General Assembly and to Ms Cheryl Stafford for all the arrangements. The help and support I got from Navid Hanif and Victoria Tangonon from DESA indeed made my visit most enjoyable. I was sorry to miss Navid’s dinner because of the late arrival of United flight to New York. My special apologies to Mrs. Navid who had specially arranged the dinner at their residence.

The delegate from Cambodia requested for copies of all the presentations. He was informed by Chairman Sundram that these would all be put on the DESA .UN.ORG. website.