New Partnerships, new opportunities

A new year inspires us to both reflect on the past and to imagine new possibilities for the future. 2016 was an exciting year for us, as we faced old challenges with new innovations and opened a new chapter in a longstanding partnership. Working together for nearly seven decades, the US and Pakistan have improved the lives of millions of Pakistanis through our shared pursuit of security, democracy, and prosperity. Among the many lessons we have learned along the way is that the US and Pakistan must tap into the potential of communities and industries outside of traditional development circles. As we welcome 2017, we resolve to build on these new partnerships.

The pursuit of sustainable development is a dynamic endeavor, which demands involvement from all levels of society. As a country’s political dynamics shift, as its economy grows or contracts, or as unforeseen events occur, new challenges and opportunities develop. Natural disasters demand immediate relief at the same moment as long-term planning is underway. Advances in science and technology generate opportunities that previously might have seemed impossible and regional developments often have implications for domestic industry. Such complexity demands diverse and readily available expertise.

In response to this imperative, over the last year we have expanded our network of partners, leveraging new opportunities with the private sector to make smart investment decisions to create jobs, spur economic growth, and generate profits for investors. This enhanced role for the private sector demonstrates how the US and Pakistan are moving beyond a traditional aid-based relationship toward a more mature relationship that includes mutually-beneficial business opportunities.

We saw a promising example of the potential of these new partnerships in the Baltoro Growth Fund, one of three funds created under the US Agency for International Development’s Pakistan Private Investment Initiative (PPII), which announced an investment in the OBS Group, a Pakistani pharmaceutical manufacturing company. This $8 million transaction is the first investment under the PPII programme and will advance the program’s goal of supporting access to capital for key sectors of Pakistan’s economy while also providing greater access to healthcare.

We also made exciting progress in our engagement with the Pakistani diaspora, who have valuable expertise and resources to invest in their home country. In August, we signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent in North America (APPNA) to improve health services in Pakistan. Through this agreement, USAID will support APPNA in its provision of telemedicine and web-based training to health practitioners and in-person health services. In December, we launched the inaugural activity under this MOU in Gharo, Sindh, at an eye clinic specialising in preventive, curative and surgical eye care. More than 250 patients received treatment at the event. This is only the beginning of our partnership with APPNA and the diaspora community.

In reflecting on the past year I am proud that our work has advanced Pakistan’s development, including in the key sectors of energy, health, and education. Among those benefiting from our program include: Priya Rani, who completed her business degree with a Merit and Needs Based Scholarship; Shaheen Munawar, who opened a school with the help of a loan from Khushalibank, a partner of the USAID-funded US-Pakistan Partnership for Access to Credit; and the PhD students traveling to the US this year to work on research in energy, water, and agriculture.

In 2017, the US government will continue its work to support initiatives to improve critical infrastructure, create economic opportunities, and pursue economic and political reforms that promote prosperity. I look forward to the work ahead and the new partnerships we will cultivate along the way.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2017.

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