Karachi, October 6, 2026:
A delegation of UNDP and FCDO associated with the National Governance Programme (NGP) met called on the Speaker Provincial Assembly of Sindh Syed Awais Qadir Shah at Speakers Office in the Provincial Assembly of Sindh.
The delegation comprised Dr. Dominic Pereira, Head of Governance, British High Commission Islamabad; Mr. Ozan Erder, Second Secretary, British Deputy High Commission Islamabad; Ms. Anita Bakhtiar, Project Manager, UNDP; and Mr. Malick Zulfiqar Ahmad, Senior Strategic Advisor, UNDP.
The delegation briefed the Speaker on the ongoing support being provided under the National Governance Programme to parliamentary institutions, particularly the National Assembly, as well as its work in the energy and governance sectors. The delegation also briefed him on the support being provided to the Finance Committee of the National Assembly for pre-budget and post-budget reviews.
The delegation expressed interest in further expanding its engagement with the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, particularly in working with standing committees dealing with climate change, gender-related matters and governance. The delegation also discussed understanding the Assembly’s priorities and requirements and exploring potential areas of technical and institutional support.
Speaker Syed Awais Qadir Shah said that climate change and environmental protection were among his key priorities. He stressed the need to further strengthen the standing committees and make their parliamentary oversight role more effective.
He said that maximum possible technical support would be sought in the area of environmental protection to enhance the Assembly’s capacity to address climate change and environmental challenges.
The delegation also sought information about the structure and functioning of parliamentary committees. The Speaker briefed the delegation on the roles and responsibilities of the standing committees, special committees and other task-based committees.
The meeting also discussed opportunities to strengthen parliamentary oversight, enhance institutional capacity and promote collaboration between the Provincial Assembly of Sindh and development partners.
On the occasion, Director General Media, Provincial Assembly of Sindh, Irfan Ahmed Memon, was also present with the Speaker.
