Congratulations to the people of the Federal Republic of Germany on the “German National Day”. Twenty-six years ago today, on the night between October 2 and October 3, the world was overjoyed to hear about the reunification of Germany after long decades of painful division. The emergence of a Unified Germany as a developed economy, liberal democracy, and a multicultural pluralistic society, thereafter, is a testimony to the strength of German culture and the resilience of its people. This year has seen the attainment of a major milestone in German-Pakistan relation with the establishment of German-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and industry (GPCCI). It was established in Punjab and Islamabad regions and will ultimately cover all major regions of Pakistan.
German Development Cooperation- Working together for the best of Pakistan
Germany and Pakistan have been cooperating for 55 years in order to promote sustainable and equitable and inclusive grow for a brighter future of the people of Pakistan. The Islamic Republic of Pakistan was one of the first countries with which Germany began development cooperation in 1961. To date, more than EUR 2.5 billion have been made available by the German Taxpayer for the purpose of supporting Pakistan in implementing sustainable solutions for political, economic and social reforms.
The Pakistan German development cooperation is focused on three areas, good governance, especially support to local governments and revenue generation, renewable energies and energy efficiency and sustainable economic development which includes vocational training, financial system development, and social protection. In all areas, Germany aims at supporting the federal and the provincial governments in improving service delivery for the Pakistani people. Likewise, we work with the private sector in order to promote productivity, environmental and social standards and skills development which will ultimately support more jobs for the people of Pakistan.
In addition, the German development supports Pakistan with humanitarian assistance, for example for Afghan refugees and coping with natural disasters. Furthermore, a range of different projects is implemented in order to stabilize the country by supporting rule of law, human rights, civil society and the media.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the German Federal Foreign office for Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH is involved in institution building, deploying experts and knowledge transfer, whereas financial cooperation is carried out by KfW Development Bank which mainly supports infrastructure. Other important factors of the cooperation are the political foundations and non-Government organizations(NGOs). Many German INGOs and their Pakistani partner organizations work, for example, in the area of food security and nutrition in Sindh, but also in other provinces.
The regional focus for our Government to Government cooperation, which is implemented by GIZ and KfW is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA, and Punjab. Through our technical and financial cooperation arm, they can bring German and international expertise to Pakistan and support structural changes in Government and private sector operations.
German development cooperation implemented by GIZ and KfW aims at making a difference in people’s lives as well as contributing to a brighter future for Pakistan as a whole. Pakistan greatly values its cordial and cooperative relations with Germany and is keen to sustain and strengthen a broad-bases and mutually beneficial relationship. This keenness can be seen in the continuing exchange of high-level visits, which have served to maintain a positive trajectory in fostering greater cooperation.
