Shoaib Sultan Khan
Encyclopedia
Shoaib Sultan Khan is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of rural development
programmes in Pakistan
.
He served for 59 years in various development organizations including Aga Khan Foundation
, UNICEF, UNDP, and Rural Support Programmes Network. As a CSP Officer, he worked with the Government of Pakistan
for 25 years, later on he served Geneva-based Aga Khan Foundation
for 12 years and UNICEF and UNDP for 14 years. Since his retirement, he has been involved with the Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) of Pakistan
full-time, on voluntary basis.
Shoaib Sultan is a recipient of numerous awards including the distinguished the United Nations Environment Programme
Global 500 Award in 1989, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz
in 1990, the Ramon Magsaysay Award
in 1992, the WWF Conservation Medal in 1994, "Man of the Year" Rotary International
(Pakistan) Gold Medal in 2005, Sitara-e-Eisaar and Hilal-i-Imtiaz
by the President of Pakistan in 2006. In 2009 he was elected as Senior Ashoka Fellow. He has penned numerous research papers and books and is considered as an authority in the field of ‘rural development’. In 2009, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
for "Unleashing the power and potential of the poor".
, India
. His childhood was spent traveling in the companionship of his elder brother, two uncles and his grandfather through the most beautiful rural areas of India
, from Shahjehanpur, to his ancestral village Muslim Patti, Dera Dhun.
He pursued academic studies from the Universities of Lucknow, Cambridge
, Oxford, Birmingham
and Peshawar. This includes Bachelor of Law degree from Peshawar University, Master of Arts in English from Lucknow University in 1953, and a Public Administration Course from the University of Cambridge
, UK in 1956-57. He has also done academic work at University of Birmingham
as well as at the Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford.
His career in rural development
started in 1959 when he came in contact with Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan. Under his guidance he established the Daudzai Pilot Project of the Integrated Rural Development Programme in 1972 on the pattern of Comilla Project. In 1978, he was deputed to Nagoya, Japan
, as a consultant to the United Nations Center for Regional Development. As the UNICEF consultant, he worked in Sri Lanka
during 1979 and 1982 on the Mahaweli Ganga Development Project.
He learned from Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan that democratic village institutions can play a significant role in empowering the rural poor to become masters of their own development. He adapted his mentor's insights to mountain communities in the northern areas of Pakistan
and in Sri Lanka, where he lived in a forest village to assist UNICEF devise an effective social development program for the rural settlers. He was thus an experienced development professional when, in December 1982, the Aga Khan Foundation
asked him to introduce income generating activities for nearly a million people in Pakistan's vast and rugged northern areas.
(AKRSP), a citizen sector organization that targets poverty-stricken villages and engages their inhabitants in development programmes, with the larger goal of involving the public in policy change. Based on the philosophy that the poor are willing to overcome barriers to sustainable livelihood but lack the capacity to do so, the interventions of AKRSP have particularly focused on monetary independence through community organization, capacity building and fostering human capital.
He believes that investment in community organization projects can prove to be the best catalysts for collective decision making and accountability in the underprivileged rural communities. In his initial dialogues with the community, he clarified that the Programme would give each village a one-time-only grant for such a project -- but on certain conditions. He guided them to choose the project collectively keeping in view that the project must benefit everyone; for that they must form a community organization to plan, build, and maintain the project; they must meet regularly with everyone present; and they must make systematic contributions to a common fund so that there would be savings and collateral to help meet future needs.
As the projects got underway, his team carefully monitored the construction of each new irrigation channel and link road, and subsequently funneled equipment, supplies, and essential expertise to the villagers. As the new land was opened to irrigation, he urged them on to the next stage. "The sooner you develop the land," he used to inform them, "the sooner you will benefit from it." The programme also introduced new strains of plants, taught villagers new skills, and encouraged the illiterate and ever-toiling women of the area to assert themselves and participate in collective initiatives of their own.
As a result, more than one thousand local projects funded by AKRSP brought 100,000 hectares of new land under irrigation. More than seven thousand community members were successfully trained as managers, accountants, and specialists in farming, animal husbandry, forestry and marketing. Local organizations of around 1,400 villages are now managing livelihood projects, generating their own capital, and conserving local resources. In addition to that, millions of trees provided by the programme anchor the thin mountain soil and yield apricots and apples for selling "down country," as well as fuel and timber for the future.
His efforts have clearly made a difference to the livelihood of millions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. As his working method is attracting the attention of other development professionals globally, his vision is spreading.
At the behest of United Nations Development Programme, he undertook through South Asian Poverty Alleviation Programme (SAPAP), setting up demonstration pilots on the pattern of AKRSP in Bangladesh
, India
, Maldives
, Nepal
and Sri lanka
and replication of AKRSP in Pakistan
. AKRSP is now a national programme in Pakistan
. In South Asia, India has now launched a countrywide programme called National Rural Livelihood Mission based on SAPAP principles of development, to benefit over 300 million poor.
, Institute of Rural Management, Sarhad Rural Support Programme, Punjab Rural Support Programme and Balochistan Rural Support Programme. He also served as the Director of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Member of the Advisory Group of the World Bank sponsored Community Development Carbon Fund, Member of the Government of Pakistan Advisory Committee on Millennium Development Goals and Chairman of the Pakistan Government’s Vision 2030 Group on Just Society.
Global 500 Award in 1989, Sitara-i-Imtiaz
by the President of Pakistan in 1990, the Ramon Magsaysay Award
by the President of Philippines
in 1992 and the World Conservation Medal by the Duke of Edinburgh
in 1994, the Rotary International
(Pakistan) awarded Man of the Year 2005 Gold Medal in 2006, Sitara Eisaar for earthquake work and Hilal-i-Imtiaz
on Pakistan Day in 2006 by the President of Pakistan. In 2009 he was elected as Senior Ashoka Fellow.
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
programmes in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
He served for 59 years in various development organizations including Aga Khan Foundation
Aga Khan Foundation
The Aga Khan Foundation is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by . AKF seeks to provide long-term solutions to problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill health in the poorest parts of South and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and...
, UNICEF, UNDP, and Rural Support Programmes Network. As a CSP Officer, he worked with the Government of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
for 25 years, later on he served Geneva-based Aga Khan Foundation
Aga Khan Foundation
The Aga Khan Foundation is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by . AKF seeks to provide long-term solutions to problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill health in the poorest parts of South and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and...
for 12 years and UNICEF and UNDP for 14 years. Since his retirement, he has been involved with the Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
full-time, on voluntary basis.
Shoaib Sultan is a recipient of numerous awards including the distinguished the United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
Global 500 Award in 1989, the Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-i-Imtiaz , is the third highest honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes the individuals who made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavors"...
in 1990, the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
in 1992, the WWF Conservation Medal in 1994, "Man of the Year" Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
(Pakistan) Gold Medal in 2005, Sitara-e-Eisaar and Hilal-i-Imtiaz
Hilal-i-Imtiaz
The Hilal-i-Imtiaz, English: Crescent of Excellence, Urdu: هلال ا متيا ز , is the second highest civilian award and honor given to both civilians and military officers of the State of Pakistan|Pakistan armed forces by the Government of Pakistan...
by the President of Pakistan in 2006. In 2009 he was elected as Senior Ashoka Fellow. He has penned numerous research papers and books and is considered as an authority in the field of ‘rural development’. In 2009, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
for "Unleashing the power and potential of the poor".
Early life
Shoaib Sultan Khan was born on July 11, 1933 in Moradabad, a town in Uttar PradeshUttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His childhood was spent traveling in the companionship of his elder brother, two uncles and his grandfather through the most beautiful rural areas of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, from Shahjehanpur, to his ancestral village Muslim Patti, Dera Dhun.
Education
He pursued academic studies from the Universities of Lucknow, Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Oxford, Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
and Peshawar. This includes Bachelor of Law degree from Peshawar University, Master of Arts in English from Lucknow University in 1953, and a Public Administration Course from the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, UK in 1956-57. He has also done academic work at University of Birmingham
University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Birmingham Medical School and Mason Science College . Birmingham was the first Redbrick university to gain a charter and thus...
as well as at the Queen Elizabeth House, Oxford.
Career
He started his career as a lecturer in 1953, however in 1955 he joined the Civil Service of Pakistan and remained in it till 1978. During his tenure with the Government of Pakistan he served at various senior level positions which includes service as Deputy Director of Civil Service Academy, Deputy Commissioner Kohat and Peshawar, Commissioner of Karachi Division: Secretary Department of Health, Education and Social Welfare, Government of North West Frontier Province and Director for the Pakistan Academy of Rural Development.His career in rural development
Rural development
Rural development in general denotes economic development and community development actions and initiatives taken to improve the standard of living in non-urban neighbourhoods, remote villages and the countryside...
started in 1959 when he came in contact with Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan. Under his guidance he established the Daudzai Pilot Project of the Integrated Rural Development Programme in 1972 on the pattern of Comilla Project. In 1978, he was deputed to Nagoya, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, as a consultant to the United Nations Center for Regional Development. As the UNICEF consultant, he worked in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
during 1979 and 1982 on the Mahaweli Ganga Development Project.
He learned from Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan that democratic village institutions can play a significant role in empowering the rural poor to become masters of their own development. He adapted his mentor's insights to mountain communities in the northern areas of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and in Sri Lanka, where he lived in a forest village to assist UNICEF devise an effective social development program for the rural settlers. He was thus an experienced development professional when, in December 1982, the Aga Khan Foundation
Aga Khan Foundation
The Aga Khan Foundation is a private, not-for-profit international development agency, which was founded in 1967 by . AKF seeks to provide long-term solutions to problems of poverty, hunger, illiteracy and ill health in the poorest parts of South and Central Asia, Eastern and Western Africa, and...
asked him to introduce income generating activities for nearly a million people in Pakistan's vast and rugged northern areas.
Rural Support Programmes: Evolution & Success
In 1982, he laid the foundation of Aga Khan Rural Support ProgrammeAga Khan Rural Support Programme
The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme was founded in the early 1980s in what is now Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Created by the Aga Khan Foundation, it worked on agricultural productivity, natural resource management, small-scale infrastructure and forestation...
(AKRSP), a citizen sector organization that targets poverty-stricken villages and engages their inhabitants in development programmes, with the larger goal of involving the public in policy change. Based on the philosophy that the poor are willing to overcome barriers to sustainable livelihood but lack the capacity to do so, the interventions of AKRSP have particularly focused on monetary independence through community organization, capacity building and fostering human capital.
He believes that investment in community organization projects can prove to be the best catalysts for collective decision making and accountability in the underprivileged rural communities. In his initial dialogues with the community, he clarified that the Programme would give each village a one-time-only grant for such a project -- but on certain conditions. He guided them to choose the project collectively keeping in view that the project must benefit everyone; for that they must form a community organization to plan, build, and maintain the project; they must meet regularly with everyone present; and they must make systematic contributions to a common fund so that there would be savings and collateral to help meet future needs.
As the projects got underway, his team carefully monitored the construction of each new irrigation channel and link road, and subsequently funneled equipment, supplies, and essential expertise to the villagers. As the new land was opened to irrigation, he urged them on to the next stage. "The sooner you develop the land," he used to inform them, "the sooner you will benefit from it." The programme also introduced new strains of plants, taught villagers new skills, and encouraged the illiterate and ever-toiling women of the area to assert themselves and participate in collective initiatives of their own.
As a result, more than one thousand local projects funded by AKRSP brought 100,000 hectares of new land under irrigation. More than seven thousand community members were successfully trained as managers, accountants, and specialists in farming, animal husbandry, forestry and marketing. Local organizations of around 1,400 villages are now managing livelihood projects, generating their own capital, and conserving local resources. In addition to that, millions of trees provided by the programme anchor the thin mountain soil and yield apricots and apples for selling "down country," as well as fuel and timber for the future.
His efforts have clearly made a difference to the livelihood of millions in the Northern Areas of Pakistan. As his working method is attracting the attention of other development professionals globally, his vision is spreading.
At the behest of United Nations Development Programme, he undertook through South Asian Poverty Alleviation Programme (SAPAP), setting up demonstration pilots on the pattern of AKRSP in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and Sri lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
and replication of AKRSP in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. AKRSP is now a national programme in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. In South Asia, India has now launched a countrywide programme called National Rural Livelihood Mission based on SAPAP principles of development, to benefit over 300 million poor.
Positions he holds
He has been closely associated with policy making and development planning in Pakistan and is currently serving as honorary Chairman, Board of Directors of the Rural Support Programmes Network, National Rural Support Programme, Ghazi Brotha Development Organization, Sindh Rural Support Organization and Director of the Aga Khan Rural Support ProgrammeAga Khan Rural Support Programme
The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme was founded in the early 1980s in what is now Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. Created by the Aga Khan Foundation, it worked on agricultural productivity, natural resource management, small-scale infrastructure and forestation...
, Institute of Rural Management, Sarhad Rural Support Programme, Punjab Rural Support Programme and Balochistan Rural Support Programme. He also served as the Director of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, Member of the Advisory Group of the World Bank sponsored Community Development Carbon Fund, Member of the Government of Pakistan Advisory Committee on Millennium Development Goals and Chairman of the Pakistan Government’s Vision 2030 Group on Just Society.
Awards and Honors
In recognition of his services, he has been awarded at various platforms including the United Nations Environment ProgrammeUnited Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme coordinates United Nations environmental activities, assisting developing countries in implementing environmentally sound policies and practices. It was founded as a result of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in June 1972 and has its...
Global 500 Award in 1989, Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-i-Imtiaz , is the third highest honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes the individuals who made an "especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of Pakistan, world peace, cultural or other significant public endeavors"...
by the President of Pakistan in 1990, the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
by the President of Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
in 1992 and the World Conservation Medal by the Duke of Edinburgh
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh is a British royal title, named after the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, which has been conferred upon members of the British royal family only four times times since its creation in 1726...
in 1994, the Rotary International
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
(Pakistan) awarded Man of the Year 2005 Gold Medal in 2006, Sitara Eisaar for earthquake work and Hilal-i-Imtiaz
Hilal-i-Imtiaz
The Hilal-i-Imtiaz, English: Crescent of Excellence, Urdu: هلال ا متيا ز , is the second highest civilian award and honor given to both civilians and military officers of the State of Pakistan|Pakistan armed forces by the Government of Pakistan...
on Pakistan Day in 2006 by the President of Pakistan. In 2009 he was elected as Senior Ashoka Fellow.
Publications
- The Aga Khan Rural Support Programme- A Journey Through Grassroots Development
- Rural Change in the Third World: Pakistan and the Aga Khan Rural Support Program
- Andhra Pradesh Revisited and meetings at Delhi
- NRSP BANK
- Advocacy and Replication of AKRSP Strategy
- THE AGA KHAN RURAL SUPPORT PROGRAMME, GILGIT
- Asian Seminar on Community Participation organized by EDI, World Bank, IFAD, Asian and Pacific Centre for Development
- Discussion Between MG and Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan
- Dr. Akhter Hameed Khan Memorial Lecture
- Andhra Really Shining
- NRSP Bahawalpur Region: Incredible Achievements
- Speech at UN General Assembly "Eradicating Poverty through Enterprise"
- RSPs at the United Nations
- Two Days with Mr. Rahul Gandhi, MP
- Internally Displaced Persons
- American Odyssey
- Invitation by Cherie Blair
- Rajiv Gandhi Mahila Vikas Pariyojana