About Us
The Governance Research Institute Pakistan (GRI) is an independent development policy initiative that specializes in the design and implementation of public sector reform programs. GRI represents the efforts of like-minded professionals who collectively have decades of experience of multisectoral public policy initiatives. The team members of GRI specialize in interventions related to rule of law, human rights, criminal justice system, health, education, social inclusion, and governance. GRI is led by Barrister Ms. Mehr Saleem, presently serving as Chief Executive Officer and authorized to accept awards on behalf of the company.
GRI brings the unique ability to leverage the extensive networks that underpin service delivery in Pakistan. The core team is deeply embedded across the policy ecosystem, both in frontline and advisory roles. This includes accomplished lawyers, civil servants, who have served in leadership roles in the development sector as well, international development experts, policy researchers, as well as behavioral intervention and monitoring/evaluation professionals. GRI will continue collaboration with federal, provincial and local governments as well as international partners to deliver public services.
GRI’s primary geographical focus is Pakistan with work across the country’s tiers of government. Its team members have also worked with a range of partners, including Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the United States Institute of Peace, and the German Organization for International Cooperation; multilateral development institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia; and multilateral banks such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. GRI also recently worked with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in partnership with Musawi to deliver the Gender Responsive and Trauma Informed Policing project under the Police Awam Saath Saath programme in Punjab.
GRI is a private limited company registered in 2022 under the Companies Act, 2017. Its structure includes three tiers: a) Directors; b) Technical Experts and Engagement Advisors; and c) Project management staff. Its Board Members include Barrister Mehr Saleem and Barrister Maryam Mamdot.
Governance Research Institute (Ishtiraq) is an independent development policy initiative that specializes in design and implementation of a wide range of public-sector reforms. It brings together like-minded individuals who collectively have decades of experience for a range of sectoral interventions including rule of law, access to legal aid, criminal justice systems, primary and secondary healthcare, social inclusion of marginalized citizens, social protection, human rights, and environmental sustainability. Our team’s past work enables Ishtiraq to cover every aspect critical to governance and service delivery. Whether it is designing interventions, setting agendas for change, actually delivering public services, or monitoring effectiveness of past and existing policies, we have the expertise to do so.
Ishtiraq advocates for innovative policy design and implementation techniques to increase institutions’ capacity to deliver citizen-focused services. We believe in a whole-of-network collaborative approach, which employs citizen-, government- and market-based models to pursue public goals. We also bring the unique ability to leverage the extensive networks that underpin service delivery in Pakistan, with the core team deeply embedded across the development policy ecosystem, both in frontline and advisory roles. This includes sector-focused practitioners, lawyers, policy researchers, as well as behavioral intervention and monitoring/evaluation experts. We aim to continue our collaboration with federal, provincial and local governments as well as international partners to deliver change and create an impact.
Apart from leveraging networks to deliver change, we also strongly advocate the use of data to guide design and implementation. Our core team brings hard analytical skills that rely on creating and utilizing data systems to guide sustainable policy.
Our primary geographical focus is Pakistan with work across the country’s tiers of government. However, our team members have led cross-jurisdictional projects that focus on both bilateral and multilateral interventions. Our team members have also worked with a range of partners for reforms, including multilateral banks such as the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank; multilateral development institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; as well as bilateral-partnership focused donors such as the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the United States Institute of Peace, and the German Organization for International Cooperation.
We believe collaboration (اشتراک) is the key to respond effectively to complex issues of governance, build partnerships, understand and solve problems, and create public value.