ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Masood Khan, met with World Bank’s Vice President for the South Asia Region, Martin Raiser, in Washington D.C to enhance cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank in the development and climate response sectors.
During the meeting, Ambassador Khan expressed his gratitude to the World Bank for its contribution of 2 billion dollars towards flood recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction during the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in Geneva.
The funds would support housing, water and agriculture, social protection, and health, among others.
Khan requested additional financing and assistance for health-related projects, particularly to address water-borne diseases in flood-affected areas.
He also solicited the Bank’s support in transitioning from adaptation and mitigation to building resilience, saying that Pakistan was committed to ensuring a transparent and effective mechanism for the disbursement of funds for flood affectees.
Khan also announced the establishment of an International Partners Support Group (IPSG) for this purpose.
He thanked the Bank for releasing around 1.2 billion dollars of committed funds for various ongoing projects in Pakistan.
Raiser reaffirmed the World Bank’s commitment to Pakistan’s long-term development, with an emphasis on transitioning to renewable energy, especially hydro and solar power.
He appreciated the existing cooperation between the Bank and the relevant agencies of the Government of Pakistan and said that this cooperation would be optimized in the years to come.
