Zubair Qureshi Islamabad
In 2023, the United States and Pakistan strengthened their partnership for mutual benefit and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) played a pivotal role in this success, consistently supporting the pursuit of a prosperous, healthier, safer, and more robust Pakistan. Through various collaborations, projects, and programmes, the USAID contributed significantly to Pakistan’s development goals. The USAID and the Pakistan government inked a new five-year bilateral Development Objectives Assistance Agreement under which Pakistan would be provided a $445.6 million grant.
According to the USAID, there are some notable highlights from the shared journey. In January, during the International Conference in Geneva focused on Climate Resilience in Pakistan, Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman of USAID pledged an additional $100 million commitment from the United States to support Pakistan’s climate initiatives.
This contribution supplements the more than $215 million already provided by the United States for flood relief, disaster resilience, and food security initiatives. Furthermore, American citizens and U.S. companies extended their support with an additional $37 million in funding to assist the people of Pakistan in their time of need.
In addition to these contributions, the US-Pakistan Green Alliance initiative represents a significant stride toward enhancing the country’s capacity to proactively prevent and mitigate future floods. In March, 2023, malnutrition and food security in regions affected by devastating floods were addressed. In order to combat malnutrition among these young ones, BHFA secured an impressive 1.5 million Ready to Use Therapeutic Feeding (RUTF) sachets.
These nutritional supplements served as a lifeline for 6,250 Severe Acute Malnourished (SAM) children and 12,500 Moderate Acute Malnourished (MAM) children. In June 2023, Deputy Administrator USAID Isobel Coleman also traveled to Pakistan to underscore the United States’ relationship and partnership with Pakistan and highlight U.S. efforts to support Pakistan’s flood relief and recovery efforts. Deputy Administrator Isobel Coleman during her visit to Pakistan participated in the health dialogue where the United States and Pakistan reaffirmed their commitment to advancing healthcare.
The dialogue highlighted efforts in combating diseases, tackling malnutrition, and improving health services, especially in the aftermath of the 2022 floods. Looking ahead, the partnership strengthens with a focus on maternal and child health, combating malnutrition with a $16.4 million investment, and a $30 million initiative for health programming.
In Women Empowerment, while marking the International Women’s Day, the United States, in collaboration with Higher Education Commission (HEC), awarded more than 500 Merit and Need Based Scholarships to the students from the flood-affected areas, out of which 50pc scholarships were reserved for female students. The Programme has so far awarded more than 6000 fully-funded merit and needs-based scholarships in 30 public and private participating universities under the programme.
July marked a significant moment in the empowerment of girls’ education. USAID launched a powerful public service message (PSM) across mass media, directly speaking to fathers about the importance of their daughters’ right to education.
