News from Pakistan: ADB and Pakistan - A Dynamic Partnership

Abstract

News from Pakistan, a periodic newsletter of the ADB Pakistan Resident Mission, aims to enhance communications between ADB and its client groups. The newsletter disseminates relevant information on ADB activities and provides a forum on development issues in Pakistan. Lead article in this edition. Over the last thirty years the partnership between the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Pakistan has provided a sound basis for the involvement of the Bank in the socioeconomic developments of the country. Within the context of the major social and political changes Pakistan has witnessed over the last few decades, the ADB has consistently reviewed its operational strategy in Pakistan to ensure that it meets Pakistan's development and social needs in critical times. The new Country Strategy and Program (CSP) for the next five years reflects the Bank's operational strategy for reviving growth and alleviating poverty in Pakistan. As detailed in the CSP, in the medium term ADB will focus on activities that promote macroeconomic stability and lay the basis for higher long term economic growth, including bringing about major governance reforms, promoting growth in labor intensive sectors to promote employment opportunities, particularly for those most vulnerable to the slowdown in the economy, and improving the delivery of basic public services with a view to bringing about long term improvements in Pakistan's social indicators. Thus, the key areas of ADB assistance have been defined around the strategic priorities of good governance, sustainable pro-poor growth, and inclusive social development.