 |  |  | | Praful Patel, World Bank Vice President for South Asia addresses Pakistan Development Marketplace. |
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Minister Zobaida Jalal,
Excellencies,
Colleagues and Friends, I am very happy to be here among you this morning, truly humbled and at the same time greatly encouraged by the indomitable spirit of so many among you who did not allow disability to become inability. I am especially proud this morning to be addressing you at the inauguration of the final national competition of the Pakistan Development Marketplace 2006, whose theme is “Mazoori Majboori Nahin” (Disability is Not Helplessness). This sums up the challenges faced by Persons with Disability. But it also sums up their resolve to overcome all hurdles in realizing their potential, fulfilling their dreams and joining the national endeavor for progress and development. This particular Development Marketplace is about giving impetus to that enterprising fire in Persons with Disability. It is about daring to challenge societal stereotypes. It is about thinking innovatively, and about coming up with solutions that may not appear so obvious at first. Above all, it is about Pakistan and its development partners finding meaningful ways to support ideas aimed at bringing self-reliance and independence in the lives of those facing the double whammy of poverty and disability. Natural disasters like the October earthquake leave in their wake many newly disabled persons and in some cases take away care givers of those already disabled. Yesterday, I visited the very well run Spinal chord Injuries ward in the National Institute for the Handicapped. Meeting women and children injured in the earthquake was a stark reminder that anyone among us can become disabled at any stage in life. We need to collectively emulate the dedication and public-private partnership evident in abundance at this center. Today, we have thirty three finalists, each of whom believes they can make a difference.
To my mind, each and every one of the finalists is ALREADY a winner. They have
impressed us with their ideas and they are all gathered in Islamabad today. I want to say what a privilege it is to meet you in person and to hear a perspective we probably don’t consider enough. Today is an effort to change that. The World Bank has often been accused of throwing large amounts of money at problems in the hope that they would eventually go away. Problems that WE think we understand
best, and solutions that WE tend to think we know best. The Development Marketplace
is an instrument that teaches us at the World Bank to listen to YOU more carefully; to learn from YOUR vast experience; and to support YOU in whatever small way to resolve what YOU think are YOUR most pressing problems. | |  | | General public checks out the finalists' booths at the Pakistan Development Marketplace 2006 in Islamabad on Wednesday, March 15, 2006. |
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I am particularly pleased that the event here in Pakistan has benefited from a solid
partnership with the Government of Pakistan, the Ministry of Social Welfare & Special Education, the Muslim Commercial Bank Limited/Nishat Group, the Oil & Gas Development Corporation, Crescent Standard Investment Bank, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, the Pakistan Center for Philanthropy, the singer and philanthropist, Jawad Ahmed, Handicap International, Serendip Productions, FM101 and The Nation Group of Newspapers. I am sure that this partnership has resulted in the process so far being transparent and technically rigorous. My hope for today is that each of the jury members will spare all the time and effort they can to listen to the presenters. This is your chance to try to resolve what are among the most pressing challenges with regard to mainstreaming Persons with Disability into society’s mainstream. I thank you all once again for your interest in the program and for your presence here today. |
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