The governments of Pakistan and Germany launched their development partnership in 1961; thereby Pakistan was one of Germany’s first partner countries, said German Ambassador in Pakistan Dr Michael Koch while speaking in Karachi at the National Day and Reunification Day of Germany.
Koch said, “This cooperation has formed an important dimension in the relationship between the two countries and has significantly contributed to deepening the ties between their governments, as well as between the private sector and the civil society of the countries.”
Thus, he added, when celebrating five decades of development cooperation, both countries also celebrate a rich history of institutional and human interactions that have laid a solid foundation for a long-standing friendship between their peoples.
He said, “During these 50 years, we managed to adapt our cooperation to changing demands and new challenges while maintaining a continuity that is essential to achieve sustainable results.”
He also said, “Our cooperation initially focused on the energy, industrial, transport and telecommunications sectors with investments in Pakistan’s largest hydro-power station, Mangla Dam, and the introduction of a technical and vocational training system.”
Today, he added, Germany continues to support the Pakistani government in an effort to improve the supply of environmentally friendly energy and to provide for a more efficient energy use.
He said, “We also work together in the priority areas of good governance, basic and vocational education, and health.”
He also said, “Whilst the overarching objective is to consolidate democracy in Pakistan and to improve service delivery to the people, important reform and reconstruction efforts of the Pakistani government are supported within the priority areas.”
These reforms focus on energy, tax, implementing the 18th amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan and implementing a comprehensive peace-building strategy in the border regions, he added.
Koch said in addition to these sectors, the German government continues to assist Pakistan in providing services to Afghan refugees and displaced people as well as in responding to natural disasters that have hit the country during the past years twice – the earthquake in 2005 and the floods in 2010.
To date, he added, Germany has provided a total of 2.3 billion euros – around Rs 275 billion – for that development cooperation, whereas significant increases in development funds over the past few years illustrate the importance that both partners attach to this cooperation.
He said the regional focus of the cooperation has traditionally been – and still is – the north-western region of the country, notably what is today Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Individual measures are also carried out in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab and Sindh, he added.
“Thanks to our own implementing structures, the German development cooperation closely works with its partners on the ground and establishes long-lasting relations,” Koch said.
He said the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit is involved in institution-building, deploying experts for knowledge transfer as part of technical cooperation, whereas financial cooperation is carried out by the KfW Entwicklungsbank.
Moreover, funding is provided from the German federal budget to support the work of faith-based organisations, political foundations, institutions of higher education and other non-governmental organisations, he added.
Koch said, “The 50th anniversary of Pakistan-German development cooperation is also an excellent opportunity to thank all of our Pakistani partners at all levels, in particular our colleagues in the Economic Affairs Division in the Ministry of Finance, for many years of harmonious and fruitful cooperation.”
It is this positive experience that permits both countries to look ahead to the future with confidence for further joint efforts, he added.
