Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening Support (SUCCESS) Project
Duration: Oct 2015-Sept 2021
Budget: €82 million
Location: Sindh: Kambar Shahdadkot, Larkana, Dadu, Jamshoro, Matiari, Sujawal, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan
Implementing Partners: Rural Support Programmes Network (RSPN); National Rural Support Programme (NRSP); Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO); Thardeep Rural Development Programme (TRDP); Ernst Young (EY).
The EU is working to support integration of poor regions into the national development agenda of Pakistan by enhancing opportunities for economic growth and sustainable livelihoods in rural areas. This support also includes improving access to basic public services, reducing social and economic inequality between households and communities and increasing income generating activities.
The challenge
A large number of Sindh's rural population - up to 70 percent by some estimates - live in poverty. People lack the technical skills and resources to get employed or start their own businesses and earn a livelihood that would allow them to support their families. The EU supports the Government of Sindh in addressing these challenges, building upon their previous work on poverty reduction.
How do we address the challenge?
The Sindh Union Council and Community Economic Strengthening (SUCCESS) Programme aims to enable the Government of Sindh to support and sustain development initiatives driven by the communities themselves in the province. The project aims to reduce poverty in 8 districts in Sindh and promote women's empowerment and help them engage more efficiently with the local government.
The SUCCESS Programme will lead to increased levels and diversified sources of income for beneficiary communities and households. The SUCCESS programme is based on the concept of community empowerment – with a particular focus on empowering women. Organisations are set up at the community, village and union council levels – the latter of which communicates with the district and local government to address the needs of local communities.
Support to policy
Through the SUCCESS programme, the EU has supported the Government of Sindh in the development of a Poverty Reduction Strategy and a Community Driven Local Development Policy, which the Sindh Government has approved. It is the first such strategic framework for poverty reduction developed in Pakistan.
What can we learn from this project?
Skill trainings are one of the most crucial activities of the SUCCESS project. Based on the experiences of the first three years, this aspect of the project is currently being strengthened to address better, for instance, adult literacy and synergies with other skills training efforts.
EU in Pakistan
The European Union (EU) funds projects and programmes around the world in order to help addressing global and local challenges. The reduction of poverty and the respect of fundamental rights and freedoms are key objectives in this context.
In Pakistan, the EU is committed to a stable, democratic and pluralistic country that respects human rights and benefits from its full economic potential by supporting sustainable and inclusive development for all its citizens. The EU provides Pakistan with about €100 million annually in grants for development and cooperation. Among other issues, the EU supports Pakistan in its efforts to tackle poverty, increase education, promote good governance, human rights, rule of law and ensure sustainable management of natural resources. EU-funded projects are covering all of Pakistan with a special focus on Sindh and Balochistan.
The collaboration between the European Union and Pakistan is grounded in the Strategic Engagement Plan (SEP) signed in 2019. Areas of cooperation under the SEP include peace and security, democracy, rule of law, human rights, and migration but also sectors such as energy, climate change and science and technology.
The EU is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners. The EU supports Pakistan’s integration into the world economy and its sustainable economic development, namely by granting it preferential access to the European single market under the GSP+ system since 2014. Under this scheme almost 80% of Pakistan’s exports enter the EU duty and quota free. In 2018, Pakistani exports to the EU were worth €6.9 billion.
In order to enjoy the trade preferences under GSP+, Pakistan needs to demonstrate progress on the implementation of 27 international conventions on human rights, good governance, labour rights and environmental protection.
Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan
House 9, Street 88, G-6/3, Islamabad
Phone: +92 51 227 1828, Fax: +92 51 282 2604
Email: Delegation-Pakistan@eeas.europa.eu
To report any irregularities contact us on DELEGATION-PAKISTAN-IRREGULARITIES@eeas.europa.eu
