- Danish team arrives to identify new areas of cooperation within peace, stabilization
A team sent by the Danish government to identify new areas for further cooperation in terms of peace and stabilization in Pakistan arrived here on Friday. The initiative is part of the Peace and Stabilization Fund developed by the Danish government. The fund is a cross-government funding pool to support peace, stabilization, and conflict prevention initiatives.
The defence attaché at the Embassy of Denmark, Colonel Thor Hilton, said about the visit: “Effective stabilization requires many tools and commitment from different actors and it is not a quick fit. We need to use all instruments we have in the toolbox – from political, diplomatic, security, to development and humanitarian. A key objective of creating the peace and stabilization fund has been to promote collaboration of all relevant tools in achieving peace and stabilization.”
Together with the Danish Embassy, the team will identify and design activities that will be a part of the next phase of the stabilization program, which will run between 2016-2017. Since 2012, Pakistan has been a part of Denmark’s Peace and Stabilization Fund, which focuses on a regional perspective whereby its activities are primarily implemented in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The Executive Director of Centre for Research & Security Studies Imtiaz Gul met the team in Islamabad. He said, “It is good to hear that the Danish government is now focusing on medium to long term educational and developmental engagements in Pakistan as it deserves continued support from friendly countries particularly in areas of rights, awareness, constitutional literacy and the rule of law”.
As part of the current program, Denmark has supported a counter-IED project and UNODC’s law enforcement activities in counter-narcotics and border management. In November 2014, Denmark also launched a “women’s leadership and social reconstruction” program, which is now being implemented by UN Women.
The Counsellor of the Development Department at the Danish Embassy Darrian Riber stressed that the program is one element from Denmark’s multi-faceted support to Pakistan. “Denmark wants to support the people of Pakistan in its quest for stability and prosperity. At the same time such cooperation helps build closer people-to-people ties between our two countries”.
Riber also stressed that gender is a cross-cutting feature in all of Denmark’s activities around the world: “By integrating gender concerns in the mainstream planning of peace, security and humanitarian actions, we do we not only promote women leadership and participation – we also help build stronger communities”.
