Peshawar, July 6: The Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy, phase IV of IUCN Pakistan has mobilized a grant assistance of rupees 5 million for the Provincial Sustainable Development Fund.

Representative of IUCN Sarhad Programme Office Mr. Hameed Hassan presented a cheque of Rs. 5 million to the Additional Chief Secretary NWFP Mir Laiq Shah, who is also Chairman of the PSDF, on behalf of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.The fund has been created in pursuance of the section 9 of the Pakistan Environmental Protection Act (PEPA-1997), under which every province has to establish a Provincial Sustainable Development Fund with the objective to foster an independent funding body, which will provide financial assistance to projects designed for the protection, conservation, rehabilitation and improvement of the environment.

The fund is also PSDF aimed at prevention and control of pollution as well as towards promotion of sustainable use and development of the resources. Under the Section 10 of the PEPA –97, a board of directors has been created to manage the Provincial Sustainable Development Fund.

WFP is the first province to establish the Provincial Sustainable Development Fund and notify its Board. The Additional Chief Secretary Govt. of NWFP is the Chairman and Director General, NWFP Environmental Protection Agency is the Secretary of the PSDF, which also have representation from public, private sectors and the civil society organizations. The Government of NWFP has allocated a sum of Rs. 3 million for the Fund as its contribution from the Annual Development Program 2004-2005. While the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Pakistan through IUCN-World Conservation Union Pakistan's Sarhad Provincial Conservation Strategy Phase-IV also dedicated a grant of Rs. 5 million to support Govt. of NWFP's efforts for sustainable development in the province.