Embassy of Denmark marks completion of 7-year Development Program in Pakistan which benefitted around 5.7 million people.
The Embassy of Denmark in Pakistan celebrated the completion of its development programme 2010-2017 in Pakistan.
Around 5.7 million people have benefited from the Danish Government’s support to the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) which helped revitalise the economy, and improve education and health services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Balochistan.
Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs thanked all of Denmark’s partners in Pakistan in a special video message on the concluding ceremony of development program in Pakistan.
Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal was the chief guest, who along with Danish Ambassador Ole Thonke inaugurated the event.
The Ambassador H.E Ole Thonke highlighted that Denmark’s partnerships with Pakistan were at a cross road as it was phasing out of traditional development aid but would now focus more on creating government and business partnerships, which will result in knowledge sharing, job creation and innovative solutions.
He said that human rights were the backbone of Denmark’s development strategy, as social justice was a key pillar in building democratic societies.
Ambassador Thonke also underlined the benifits of instilling the youth with democratic values such as equality, freedom and justice.
“Our future focus will be on creating government and business partnerships, which will result in knowledge sharing, job creations and innovative solutions. By doing so, we hope to support Pakistan with key challenges in energy, water and health. We will continue to be a partner for a sustainable, peaceful and progressive Pakistan”, Ambassador added.
While addressing the ceremony, Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Dr. Ahsan Iqbal said that “Pakistan is overcoming its challenges and is on the path of progress. Pakistan 2025 Vision is our roadmap to ensure that we achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are particularly important for Pakistan. We sincerely appreciate the support provided by Denmark to Pakistan at all levels. We value our partners and look forward to further enhancing our cooperation in all sectors”.
The Government of Denmark launched its first development program for Pakistan in 2010 with a total budget of USD 28 million, which aimed to support Pakistan within the areas of human rights, democracy, and peace and gender equality. After three years of successful partnerships and development interventions, the Danish Government expanded its collaboration and engagement in Pakistan and launched a new programme up to 2017 with a budget of USD 50 million.