ISLAMABAD: The European Union (EU) would contribute an extra EUR 100 million to help Pakistan recover from the catastrophic floods that struck the country hard in 2022.
In this context, five new EU grant agreements were signed by EU Ambassador to Pakistan, Ms. Riina Kionka, and Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dr. Kazim Niaz, according to a press release published by the Economic Affairs Division.
The announcement continued, “These agreements represent a substantial commitment of nearly EUR 100 million (equivalent to over PKR 30 billion), under Team Europe’s response to the 2022 post-flood Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Framework.”
With the addition of this new EU funding package, Team Europe’s response to the floods in 2022 will now total over EUR 930 million, with the goal of strengthening Pakistan’s resilience in the wake of the disaster.
Reviving the rural economy in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and reestablishing the broken livestock value chains in flood-affected Balochistan are two of the specific emphasis areas.
Interestingly, these initiatives are in line with the EU Global Gateway, the biggest investment program in the EU created to accelerate the global green transformation. Additionally, by strengthening Pakistan’s long-term resilience through targeted investments in gender equality, human rights, and civil society, the package increases its impact.
Dr. Kazim Niaz expressed gratitude to the EU for their support on the occasion and emphasized that development partners were needed to address unmet needs in the areas devastated by flooding.
Dr. Riina Kionka, the EU ambassador, spoke on the occasion and emphasized that Pakistan was not alone in overcoming its difficult period of economic crisis and flood recovery.
She continued, “The most affected communities in KP and Balochistan are committed to rebuilding better, sustainably improved lives, thanks to the efforts of the EU and Team Europe partners.”
The ideal of a peaceful, democratic, multicultural nation that upholds human rights and realizes its full economic potential is embodied in the EU’s commitment to Pakistan.
Every year, Pakistan receives grants from the EU totaling over EUR 90 million for development and cooperation. These grants help Pakistan’s efforts to fight poverty, improve education, advance human rights, good governance, the rule of law, and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
While all of Pakistan is included in the EU’s collaboration, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan, Balochistan, and Sindh are given particular attention.
