Sustained Growth and Improved Competitiveness: The principal focus of this pillar will be to support investments and reforms needed to sustain rapid, private sector-led growth. The Bank will provide support to key sectors such as agriculture and infrastructure, and help the government strengthen macroeconomic management through improving public expenditures and supporting ongoing tax reforms; Strengthened Governance and Service Delivery: Priorities in this area will be to support further reforms and investment to increase efficiency, transparency, and accountability in the use of public resources; and Improved Lives and Protection of the Vulnerable: The Bank will focus on increased investment to education and health sectors, which are necessary to build the skilled, healthy work force necessary to sustain recent growth performance. This area of the CAS also features targeted interventions to help the poor, including strengthening safety nets and targeted interventions and community-based approaches in rural areas. The World Bank release said the IFC strategy in Pakistan, as expressed in the CAS, will increase investments with a target range of $500-600 million during the FY06-09 period. IFC activity will focus on three main sectors: financial, Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), and infrastructure. IFC has also initiated a substantial Technical Assistance programme in Pakistan to build capacity and address constraints of the SME, infrastructure, and financial sectors. The World Bank Group's assistance programme will be aligned with the respective responsibilities of national and provincial governments and tailored to meet the needs of the individual provinces. Around half of the lending will be channeled to the provinces which bear most the responsibility for delivering public services such as irrigation, education, health, and water supply and sanitation. Preparation of the CAS benefited from consultations with Federal and Provincial governments, the private sector, donors, and civil society. Consultations were carried out using a two-stage process consisting of a client survey to solicit input on Pakistan's development challenges and the role of the World Bank in Pakistan, and stakeholder consultations workshops.
