Pakistan reaffirms reform, partnership goals at FFD4

July 03, 2025 (MLN): Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to expanding international partnerships and advancing economic reforms to achieve sustainable development.

Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb made the remarks while representing the country at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) in Seville, Spain.

On the sidelines of the conference, the Finance Minister held a series of high-level bilateral meetings focused on development finance, trade, climate resilience, and institutional capacity-building.

He engaged in side events, policy dialogues, and multi-stakeholder roundtable discussions aimed at advancing Pakistan’s economic reform and resilience agenda, as per the press release issued today.

During a bilateral meeting with Mr. Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, both sides discussed strengthening ties in trade, development cooperation, climate resilience, and institutional capacity.

The Pakistani side expressed interest in Dutch expertise in agri-tech, water management, and digital public services, while the Dutch Minister reaffirmed support for Pakistan’s structural reform agenda.

In a separate meeting with Mr. Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, Minister Aurangzeb shared updates on Pakistan’s IMF EFF program review and the reforms under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).

He also highlighted the upcoming approval of Pakistan’s National Green Taxonomy, developed with World Bank support, to guide sustainable investments.

The World Bank endorsed Pakistan’s new 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF 2026–2035), covering priorities like child stunting, learning poverty, climate resilience, decarbonization, and private investment.

The Finance Minister also met with Mr. Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to review progress on 29 completed projects in Pakistan.

They also discussed six ongoing initiatives supporting rural development, climate-smart agriculture, vocational training, and value chain development.

Additionally, in a meeting with Mr. John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), both parties explored ways to enhance trade facilitation, SME development, investment promotion, and private sector engagement.

The discussions emphasized international best practices and institutional capacity building.

These engagements reflect Pakistan’s active pursuit of strategic cooperation to strengthen its economic transformation in alignment with global development goals.