ADB, UNICEF join forces for clean water & sanitation in Pakistan's punjab cities

March 06, 2024 (MLN): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) signed a Letter of Understanding (LOU) to collaborate on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) and solid waste management interventions under an ADB-funded project in the cities in Punjab province of Pakistan.  

The agreement was signed by Yong Ye, ADB Country Director for Pakistan, and Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF’s Representative in Pakistan, at UNICEF’s Pakistan office in Islamabad.

“The collaboration will enable us to support the government’s efforts to address water supply and solid waste management challenges in these two important and rapidly growing cities,” said Yong Ye.

Under the new partnership, ADB and UNICEF will collaborate to support inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban infrastructure and services in Rawalpindi and Bahawalpur through public awareness and communication campaigns that will improve behaviors and practices related to water, sanitation, and solid waste management.  

The understanding reached between ADB and UNICEF Pakistan offices will help promote sustainable, inclusive, and low-carbon municipal services that will benefit up to 1.5 million urban dwellers in the two cities of Punjab, the most populous province of the country.  

“Signing of this agreement further strengthens the existing collaboration between ADB and UNICEF in Pakistan,” said Abdullah Fadil.

“Both organizations are committed to leveraging collective expertise and knowledge to help increase equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene services and to reduce the vulnerability of citizens, especially children and women, to growing climate change and environmental degradation,” he noted

The close synergies between ADB’s DREAMS project and UNICEF's WASH program present a significant opportunity to enhance the impact of the programs, ultimately leading to positive outcomes in water, sanitation, and hygiene that will benefit communities in Pakistan.

The agreement will also pave the way for collaboration in future phases of the DREAMS project and other projects in Pakistan.  

This is the second formal agreement between the two organizations at the country level, following the collaboration to procure emergency medical supplies and equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.   

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