Annual Partner's Assembly (July, 2006)
 
Sungi’s Annual Partners’ assembly is a regular feature to advocate for and enhance support for empowerment of the poor and marginalized groups of the society. This event provides opportunity to discuss, debate and identify the way forward about the priority concerns and challenges facing the civil society such as issues of social injustice, vulnerability, unequal distribution of resources and violation of basic rights of people, especially in disasters. Furthermore, the event provides an opportunity to promote transparency and mutual accountability for Sungi partners to review Sungi’s and their joint efforts in identifying areas for improvement. It helps the partners to assess the effects and impacts of their efforts and interventions for empowering the poor and improving sustainability of all the interventions.

The main theme for the 2006 partners’ assembly was “The Role of Civil Society and the Government in Disaster Management”. It focused on issues arising from rehabilitation, reconstruction like land tenancy and access to compensation for vulnerable groups.

Among the participants were Sungi’s partner community from the earthquake affected areas, local CBOs, working partners, Sungi Board of Governors, elected representatives, government officials, donors, media, representatives of NGOs from across the country. Similarly, experts, practitioners, academics, journalists, exponents of traditional knowledge such as artisans and musicians, actively participated in this important event. Besides discussions, panels and experience sharing sessions, cultural events and theater performance on the key social issues were also organized.

The partners’ assembly for the 2006 took place on July 1-3, 2006 at Sungi’s Head Office, 880 Mansehra Road, Abbottabad. The delegates reached Abbottabad on July 1, 2006. Several activities took place on first July afternoon, the formal proceedings commenced on 2nd July morning and were concluded on 3rd July afternoon.

Speakers including civil society representatives, experts and poets on Monday 4th July' urged the need for transparent utilization of the earthquake funds as well as the consent of the quake survivors in the reconstruction and rehabilitation process.

Addressing the second day sessions of the Partners Assembly, organized by Sungi Development Foundation here, they observed that people of Pakistan, specifically the quake affectees know nothing about the extent of the funds collected for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the earthquake affectees.

In his address renowned economist Akbar Zaidi said that first the government had put the total amount of quake funds at $6 billion and then it was stated that $3 billion were collected but no one exactly know the volume of the real total amount. “Neither people are being provided with accurate data,” he regretted.

The event was dedicated to late Omar Asghar Khan - the founder member of Sungi, and it is being organized around his birthday, to formulate an advocacy campaign for right to shelter for every citizen of the country, starting with the landless of the earthquake affected area.