ISLAMABAD: Although Balochistan was the first province to hold local government elections, the province`s fate has remained unchanged, and while three chief ministers have changed no one has tried to address the people`s issues, Barkhan district chairman Wadera Ameer Mohammad Khan Khetran said at a conference on Thursday.

Mr Khetran was participating in the three day Think Globally, Act Locally SDGs Implementation through Local Governments conference.

He said at the event that Rs30 million is given to each district every year, which does not meet the requirements of the large district areas.

`It would be better if the government stops giving us funds completely, because we cannot deliver with such a nominal amount and most people remain unhappy with us. One the other hand, most district governments do not have offices. It depends on deputy commissioners if they give us a room for an office or not; a number of offices of district chairmen are in tents, he said.

Mr Khetran said he was completely disappointed with the system, because of which hehad travelled 1,300 kilometres by bus to reach Islamabad and speak out.

`Unfortunately, in Balochistan local government has no role in decision-making. We do not get any salary, the police do not cooperate with us, and now we have been left with no option but to protest against the government.

Although there is local government in Balochistan, practically, it does not exist.

Also at the conference, which concluded on Thursday, foreign and local delegates resolved to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in the Asia Pacific region.

More than 60 delegates from over a dozen countries, including mayors from cities in England, Russia, Turkey, China, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal and Afghanistan, as well as directors of United Nations agencies, envoys from the European Union and other regional and international cooperation agencies attended the conference.

Heads of local governments from across Pakistan, such as mayors, chairpersons and nazims from various political parties were also present.

The conference was organised by NGOs, with support from the German Development Cooperation and the United Nations Development Programme.

Divided into various sessions that included speeches, presentations, interactive sessions, group discussions, study tours, plenary meetings and informal discussions, the conference discussed the role of local government in responding to the Agenda 2030and the challenges local governments face in implementing, monitoring and financing the SDGs.

On the last day, delegates were divided into groups, the first of which consisted of local delegates who attended symposium sessions highlighting problems facing local governments and suggesting solutions for them.

International delegates were split into three groups; one group visited the National Assembly and met with lawmakers and Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, while the other visited the Taxila Museum and the third visited Takht Bhai on the invitation of Marzan district nazim Himayatullah Mayar.

Earlier, United Cities and Local Government Asia Pacific Secretary General Dr Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi said the current development challenges facing countries in the region are inequality, unemployment, poverty, climate change and rapid urbanisation, and these require local governments to play a more developmental role for policy-making.

`Local government bodies have a critical role to play as a bridge between national governments and citizens as well as in global partnership to improve wellbeing of the citizens, she said.

UNDP Country Director Ignacio Artaza said the global mandate of local governments, irrespective of region and country, is to serve the people locally.

`But this cannot be done unless the local governments are provided with the necessary financial and human resources as well as the instruments and capacities to discharge their duty effectively,` he said.