Pak-Australian development partnership programme inked
ISLAMABAD: Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Pakistan’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar here on Friday strengthened cooperation between the two countries with the signing of the Pak-Australia Development Partnership.
Rudd said the four-year partnership lays the foundations for future engagement between Australia and Pakistan on aid and development. The partnership commits both countries to accountability and mutual responsibility for development results, including through joint reviews of progress against the partnership’s commitment to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goals. It will underpin activities in the health, education, and agriculture and rural development sectors, revealed a press release issued here on Friday.
An annual dialogue has been established between senior officials from Australia and Pakistan to review progress against jointly agreed development commitments. “Continued support for Pakistan is important given the scale of its development challenges and its pivotal place in the security of the region,” Rudd said. “Australia is committed to working with the Government of Pakistan to address key development challenges affecting its stability, as well as to support its recovery from devastating floods in 2010 and 2011. “Australian aid to Pakistan is achieving results and has had a real impact on the lives of communities.
“Australia has invested in research projects that have improved farming techniques and increased farmers’ incomes in the mango, dairy and citrus sectors, and has recently awarded 50 development scholarships for Pakistani nationals to study in Australia in 2012.
“The Partnership reflects Australia’s strong interest in a stable, democratic and prosperous Pakistan and the vital role it plays in the region,” Rudd said.
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Pak-Australian development partnership programme inked
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