Abstract

Examine The Importance of Parliament in Building Cross-boundary Collaboration for Sustainable Development. This paper examines the role of Pakistan's legislature in two global development initiatives and identifies several challenges it faces as well as potential ways to strengthen its contributions. This study contributes to this literature by exploring several key narratives across Pakistan's legislative framework, core policies, and international engagements to inform in understanding of why parliamentary engagement is necessary for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs).

 1. Introduction

 1.1. Background

Sustainable development is a global imperative, and thus the need for coordinated action by all nations. Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity that outlines the universal challenges faced concerning poverty, inequality, climate change, Clean Water & Sanitation (UNICEF), environmental degradation, and political stability. National parliaments, as legislative and budgeting arms involved in the development process with mandated powers to oversee development policies, quite naturally stand out among actors essential for these ends.

1.2. The Role of Parliament in Sustainable Development

Parliamentary institutions are vital to making the entire idea of development all about a major balance between national interests and global commitments. Parliaments can shape the course and results of sustainable development by passing legislation, promoting budgets, and overseeing executive action. Another important role of parliaments is the review and ratification of international agreements, which allows them to contribute significantly to building global partnerships.

 1.3. Objective of the Study

This research seeks to explore the importance of the Parliament of Pakistan in follow-up and review, based on global partnerships for sustainable development. It will examine the work of national legislatures to assist in meeting SDGs, their constraints, and prospects for advancing a role in global development initiatives.

2. The Pakistani Legislative System

 2.1. Parliament of Pakistan Structure and Functions

Pakistan's National Assembly and the Senate together constitute a bicameral legislature, which is referred to as Parliament. The National Assembly (the lower house) has the authority to legislate on issues such as the budgets and to pass laws, whereas The Senate carries out provincial representation responsibilities where it reviews all legislation previously passed by The National Assembly. Collegially, they make up the constitutionally established federal legislative system of choice which is necessary for implementing national-level policies concerning sustainable development.

 2.2. Sustainable Development and Legislative Processes

The Parliament of Pakistan has passed many laws and regulations for promoting sustainable development. These include environmental, climate change, and energy-saving laws on one hand; and social welfare legislation on the other. The Pakistan Climate Change Act of 2017 has to its credit the establishment of Canal Governors, amongst others — key coordinating institutions in climate space.

2.3. Role of Parliamentary Committees

Within the Pakistani Parliament, parliamentary committees play a crucial role in reviewing bills/policies or examining any government action that has been taken to ensure sustainable development. The Standing Committee on Climate Change is a good example, as it also reviews all environmental policies to ensure that whatever policy the federal or provincial governments might adopt conforms to international promises. Likewise, the budget allocations were approved by the Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue & Economic Affairs to ascertain that these are contributing towards SDGs.

 3. Global partnerships for sustainable development in Pakistan

3.1. Treatises and Conventions Internationally

Seven International Agreements & conventions signed by Pakistan for Sustainable Development Every country that is a part of the UN has its duties, responsibilities, and obligations toward each other. Pakistan needs to be able to deliver on its global development commitments, so the role of Parliament is to ratify these agreements & make sure that they are implemented by the government.

 3.2. Joint effort with International financing institutions

The Parliament of Pakistan has been presented as a case, demonstrating the experience and good practices in getting enablement from multilateral entities including United Nations (UN) based agencies such as the World Bank or Asian Development Bank. These partnerships have translated into many poverty reduction, infrastructure enhancement, and environmental conservation projects. That goes a long way in aligning these projects with national priorities and global goals, something which is overseen by who else but Parliament.

 3.3. Bilateral Partnerships

Apart from these multilateral partnerships, Pakistan is also working on bilateral partnership with countries such as China, the US, and the UK. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a prominent example of such partnership that can contribute immensely to sustainable development in Pakistan. Parliament's oversight plays a key role in the monitoring & evaluation of these bilateral agreements to deliver toward national development goalposts.

4. Global Partnerships: A Challenge for Pakistan's Parliament

4.1. Political Instability

Political instability is one of the main difficulties, which Pakistan's Parliament encounters in framing global partnerships. The widely fluctuating governance and the political instability prevent development policy formulation and continuity of partnerships. This instability is often responsible for delays in instituting international accords along with infrastructure projects.

 4.2. Resource and Capacity Constraints

Low resources and limited capacity are the main obstacles to ensuring efficient Parliamentary contribution to sustainable development initiatives. Restricted data, depth of knowledge, and access to financial resources hinder complete engagement with global partnerships by the Parliament.

4.3. Bureaucratic Hurdles

An inefficient bureaucratic procedure and the red tape are going to be some major hindrances in the working of Pakistan Parliaments for global partnerships. These cumbersome processes and slammed files are a recipe for delay, cost overrun, and bad project execution due to the absence of coordination among different departments in government agencies.

 4.4. Geopolitical and External Pressure

Pakistan's strategic location in geopolitics and pressure from the essence of neighboring countries and international powers limits the role of its Parliament for global partnership. These pressures can very easily sway national priorities and come in the way of an independent decision-making Parliament to decide according to a mix of national development goals, coupled with global requirements.

5. Ways to Strengthen the Role of Parliaments in Sustainable Development.

 5.1. Increasing Legislative Oversight

Among the most notable areas for improving Pakistan's Parliament´s role in and contributions to sustainable development is strengthening legislative oversight. For the Parliament to play a greater oversight role over development projects, it needs to strengthen its committees including through training and access to reliable information and strategic advice.

5.2. Improving Cooperation with Civil Society

Parliament would be significantly more effective only if it collaborated with civil society organizations in sustainable development initiatives. Civil society can offer useful information and data to Parliament to help it make better decisions, while also scrutinizing the government on its promises towards global development goals.

5.3. Technology and Innovation-ready

The use of technology and innovation has the potential to make the parliamentary process dealing with sustainable development more efficient and effective. It is relevant so as to have the best of communication and co-ordination facilities between Parliament, Government ministries (both at Union level also later on would be connected State) and foreign partners; thereby facilitating timely implementation of development projects.

5.4. Developing International Parliamentarian Networks

International parliamentary networks, for example can help Pakistan's Parliament to share experiences of other countries and play a greater role in global partnerships. Forums like the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) are good platforms to participate in knowledge sharing & collaborations.

 6. Conclusion

The Parliament of Pakistan is vital in building global partnerships for sustainable development. Despite the prevailing chaos, bleak human capacity abnormality, and bureaucratic procedures are cumbersome with scarce resources aplenty, however little tangible legislative results towards national development became relatively visible. By reinforcing legislative oversight, improving collaboration with civil society partners, incorporating technological advances and further strengthening its links at the international level Pakistan's Parliament can improve on its impact to help drive progress in not only achieving SDGs but also adding a meaningful contribution towards global development agendas as well.

 7. Recommendations

1. Capacity Building: Support capacity-building programs for parliamentarians and parliamentary staff aimed at increasing their knowledge of sustainable development issues, and global partnership opportunities.

2. Better Empowered Committees: Provide parliamentary committees with sufficient resources and information to effectively monitor development projects

3. Transparency: To promote transparency in the legislative process, discussing with civil society and media their participation regarding projects related to sustainable development.

4. Encouraging International Collaboration: to increase participation of parliamentarians in international forums and networks working on sustainable development taking best practices back home.

5. The Fast Track Task Force will work as a single window to bring down cascading/redundant decision-making layers in the bureaucratic chain, which makes it necessary for the same DV Act 2005 despite so much discourse post-independence in India.

Zara Shahid is pursuing his bachelor's in economics from National Defence University Islamabad.

References

United Nations (2015). Transform our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. New York: United Nations.

Government of Pakistan (2017) the Pakistan Climate Change Act, 2017 Islamabad: Government of the Pakistan.

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) 2020 (38) Global Goals or Golden Goodbyes: Between Sustainable Development and Exquisite Corpse in the Art of Persuasion *The Role of Parliaments in Achieving the SDGs.

World Bank (2022). Pakistan Partnership Framework 2022-2026. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

Asian Development Bank (2021). Country Partnership Strategy: Pakistan, 2021–25 Manila: The Asian Development Bank.