Aurangzeb advances strategic partnerships on sidelines of FFD4
These meetings were aimed at fostering deeper strategic cooperation with partner countries and institutions across areas such as development finance, trade, climate resilience, and institutional capacity-building, according to press release issued by the Finance Ministry here.
The Minister is representing Pakistan at FFD4, as well as in various side events, policy dialogues, and multi-stakeholder round-table discussions.
Aurangzeb urges global push to revive development cooperation at FfD4
As part of his bilateral meetings, the minister met with Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, for a detailed bilateral exchange.
The meeting focused on further strengthening the long-standing and cordial ties between the two countries, particularly in the domains of trade, development cooperation, climate resilience, and institutional capacity-building.
Both sides shared perspectives on enhancing economic engagement, technical collaboration, and the potential for deepening partnerships in areas such as blended finance, climate finance, and digital transformation.
The Pakistani side expressed keen interest in leveraging Dutch expertise in agri-tech, water management, and the digitization of public services.
Aurangzeb appreciated the Netherlands' continued technical and financial support in diverse sectors, including public financial management, SME development, renewable energy, and climate-smart agriculture. The Dutch Finance Minister reaffirmed his country's support for Pakistan's structural reform agenda and emphasized the importance of policy continuity, transparency, and facilitation of investment flows.
Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb also held a detailed meeting with Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development.
The Minister appreciated the World Bank's continued support for Pakistan's development agenda and shared updates on the successful review of the IMF EFF programme and ongoing reforms under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF).
He also highlighted the launch of Pakistan's National Green Taxonomy, developed with World Bank support, which aims at guiding sustainable investments and is expected to be approved soon.
The minister welcomed the World Bank's endorsement of the new 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF 2026–2035), which focuses on key areas including child stunting, learning poverty, climate resilience, fiscal space, decarbonization, and private investment. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to closely working with the Bank to deliver on these priorities and achieve lasting development impact.
In a separate meeting, he held in-depth discussions with Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized UN agency focused on rural development and food system transformation. The two sides reviewed the long-standing collaboration between Pakistan and IFAD, which has seen the implementation of 29 projects to date, benefitting approximately 2.8 million rural households.
The Minister also acknowledged IFAD's ongoing support through six active projects in Pakistan. The meeting covered a wide range of IFAD-supported initiatives in Pakistan, including policy support, vocational training, community infrastructure, access to finance, climate-smart agriculture, value chain development, and resilience against climate shocks. The Minister expressed Pakistan's appreciation for IFAD's efforts in supporting poverty reduction and sustainable rural development.
Additionally, the minister met with John W H Denton AO, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
The two sides discussed avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade facilitation, SME development, investment promotion, and the role of the ICC in supporting Pakistan's economic transformation. Particular emphasis was placed on private sector engagement, international best practices, and institutional capacity building to unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth and inclusive development in Pakistan.
These bilateral interactions reflect Pakistan's commitment to expanding international partnerships, promoting development finance, and advancing its economic reform and resilience agenda in alignment with global sustainable development goals, the statement added.
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