AKHTAR HAMEED KHAN NATIONAL CENTRE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT & MUNICIPAL ADMINISTRATION
 

Introduction

Akhtar Hameed Khan National Centre for Rural Development & Municipal Administration (AHK NCRD & MA) is situated at a distance of 10 km. from Islamabad on Park Road, Chak Shahzad. The Campus consists of  administrative block, auditorium, conference room, classrooms, faculty offices, Library (with nearly 25000 books, publications, Journals, training manuals and CDs on training courses) and hostel apart from a small residential colony for the employees. NCRD’s sanctioned staff consists of 81 persons (19 officers + 62 staff). The Annual Revenue Budget of NCRD amounts to   Rs. 13.532 million for the year 2005-2006.

For more information about faculty please see the Organogram of AHK NCRD & MA.

  AHK NCRD & MA was established as a federal training and research institution in 1979 and became operational in 1983. It was declared as an attached department of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in 1988 and was renamed as Akhtar Hameed Khan National Centre for Rural Development & Municipal Administration (AHK NCRD & MA) in the year 2000 in recognition of invaluable services rendered by late Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan for the cause of community development, strengthening of civil society and socio-economic empowerment of the poor.

 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

(1)     Training of senior and mid level functionaries belonging to the Federal and Provincial Departments in areas of

(2)      Training of trainers of Provincial Local Government Training Academies / Institutions in the various disciplines of local government and rural development.

(3)      Orientation training to the officials of the nation building departments, development planners, policy makers, community leaders and functionaries of NGOs etc.

(4)      Assistance in curriculum planning and coordination with the training programmes of national and provincial training institutions in the field of local government and rural development.

(5)      Research on various aspects of rural development, agrarian reforms and local government.

(6)      Liaison with international organizations/institutions particularly in the Asian Pacific Region in the field of local government and rural development.

(7)      Supplementing training endeavours of provincial training institutions / academies in the orientation of elected councilors and Nazims/Naib Nazims of the City/ District Governments, Tehsil Municipal Administrations and union councils in various aspects of local government system and Good Governance.

(8)      Training in I.T. related courses for the functionaries of Nation-Building Departments.

 FOCUS OF ACTIONS

 

            The Centre’s activities are focused on six inter-related programmes: - 

  1. Training Courses.

  2. Conferences, Seminars and Workshops (National & International).

  3. Research.

  4. Liaison with International Agencies and Organizations

  5. Collaboration with Provincial Local Govt., & Rural Development  Academies/Institutions

AHK NCRD & MA has so far organized nearly 450 training courses/computer courses, seminars and workshops in rural development and allied disciplines. More than 12,500 participants attended these courses/ workshops. The participants included elected representatives, officers from  Federal, Provincial and District Governments nation building departments, functionaries of NGOs and International Agencies (primarily from Asian-Pacific Region). In the field of Research, AHK NCRD & MA has contributed a number of national and regional research studies on various aspects of Local Govt. & Rural Development, besides preparing training support material for the training activities. Recently, the  Rural Development Strategy been prepared for the Ministry of Local Govt. & Rural Development.

A Development Project titled “Setting up of Computer Lab in NCRD” is being implemented in collaboration with Pakistan Computer Bureau with a total cost of Rs.12.139 million. The objective is to set up two Computer Labs of 65 Computers with Local Area Networking facility for providing training to NCRD’s officers and staff and functionaries of Federal and Provincial Nation Building Departments and NGOS from in the field of Information Technology.

The Centre has so far organized more than 50 international training courses, workshops, conferences, and seminars on behalf of national and international organizations. Additionally, the Centre’s faculty has participated in nearly 100 training programmes and meetings pertaining to its sphere of activities organized by various international organizations held in various countries of the world.

TRAINING AND RESEARCH THEMES

 For details please see:

·        Annual Training Calendar 2006-2007(updated)

·        QUARTERWISE GOALS & TARGETS FOR THE YEAR 2007-08

·        List of Reading Material on CDs Available in NCRD Library

 

MEMBERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

 

AHK NCRD & MA is a link institution of various International Organizations details of which are given  
        as under:

·         CIRDAP

The Centre of Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) is a regional, inter-governmental, and autonomous institution, established in July 1979 at the initiative of the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations with support from several other UN bodies and donors. Its member countries include Afghanistan, Bangladesh (Host State), India, Indonesia, Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. The main objectives of CIRDAP are to (i) assist national action; (ii) promote regional cooperation, and (iii) act as a serving institution for its member countries for promotion of integrated rural development (IRD) through research, action research, pilot project, training, and information dissemination. Amelioration of rural poverty in the Asia-Pacific region has been the prime concern of CIRDAP.

AARDO

Afro-Asian Rural Development Organization (AARDO), formerly, Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organization, formed in 1962, is an inter-governmental organization comprising twenty eight members from Africa and Asia. AARDO is devoted to develop understanding among members for better appreciation of each other’s problems and to explore, collectively, opportunities for coordination of efforts, for welfare and eradication of thirst, hunger, illiteracy, disease and poverty amongst rural people. AARDO implements its activities mainly through Human Resource Development (HRD) Programmes and Development Pilot Projects. Under HRD, it organizes international workshops, seminars and training programmes, participative cooperation for technical assistance programme, study visits on agricultural cooperatives, dissemination of information, etc. whereas under Development Pilot Projects, AARDO provides financial assistance to implement development projects in member countries.

AHK NCRD & MA in collaboration with AARDO is implementing Action Research Pilot Project on “Provision of Micro Credit Facility and Enhancement of Local Level Savings for Poverty Alleviation in the Selected Villages of District Chakwal”. This project aims at poverty alleviation through promotion of micro credit for setting up of micro enterprise and enhancement of local level savings.

 LOGOTRI

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) had informed Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development that they were in the process of establishing a Data-Base and Networking of Local Government Training and Researching Institutions in Asia and the Pacific titled as LOGOTRI. For this purpose ESCAP identified 123 such Institutions within the region, including NCRD from Pakistan in December, 1997.

A Charter of Networking of LOGOTRI was initially signed by 11 member countries in March, 1999. Under the Charter, the Secretariat of the LOGOTRI has been set up at Local Government Training Academy in Nepal and Executive Director, Local Government Training Academy, Philippines nominated as the first President of this Networking. The membership agreement was also signed by Pakistan later on. The member countries will have interactive access to the information of other member institutions via the internet and expertise in the development and conduct of series of HRD training courses and workshops and their faculty shall participate in various training programmes/activities. In this way the Charter focuses on the agreement to implement operational, institutional and governmental policies in Local Government and Rural Development. The member institutions will, therefore, benefit from the contact and information that they shall receive as the communication hub for Local Government Training Institutes in Asia and the Pacific. AHK National Centre for Rural Development and MA being the federal apex research and training institution of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development will be certainly benefited from the proposed networking of 124 member training institutions in the Asian Pacific Region through sharing of knowledge and experience and mutual collaboration in training and research programme. The existing membership of LOGOTRI is 27 institutions including AHK NCRD & MA. Its headquarter is located at Pokhra, Nepal.

SAARC

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Katmandu, Nepal, with eight member countries namely Afghanistan (recently inducted), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It has its headquarter at Katmandu, Nepal. SAARC Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC) is located within the campus of AHK NCRD & MA.

 

Important Contacts