Finance Minister Advances Strategic Partnerships During High-Level Bilateral Meetings on Sidelines of FFD4 in Seville
Seville : Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has held a series of high-level bilateral meetings and strategic engagements on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), currently underway in Seville, Spain.
These meetings were aimed at fostering deeper strategic cooperation with partner countries and institutions across areas such as development finance, trade, climate resilience, and institutional capacity-building. The Finance Minister is representing Pakistan in the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), as well as in various side events, policy dialogues, and multi-stakeholder round-table discussions.
As part of his bilateral meetings, the Finance Minister met with Mr. Eelco Heinen, Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, for a detailed bilateral exchange. The meeting focused on further strengthening the long-standing and cordial ties between the two countries, particularly in the domains of trade, development cooperation, climate resilience, and institutional capacity-building.
Both sides shared perspectives on enhancing economic engagement, technical collaboration, and the potential for deepening partnerships in areas such as blended finance, climate finance, and digital transformation. The Pakistani side expressed keen interest in leveraging Dutch expertise in agri-tech, water management, and the digitization of public services.
The Finance Minister appreciated the Netherlands’ continued technical and financial support in diverse sectors, including public financial management, SME development, renewable energy, and climate-smart agriculture. The Dutch Finance Minister reaffirmed his country’s support for Pakistan’s structural reform agenda and emphasized the importance of policy continuity, transparency, and facilitation of investment flows.
Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb also held a detailed meeting with Axel van Trotsenburg, Senior Managing Director of the World Bank, on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development. The Minister appreciated the World Bank’s continued support for Pakistan’s development agenda and shared updates on the successful review of the IMF EFF program and ongoing reforms under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF). He also highlighted the launch of Pakistan’s National Green Taxonomy, developed with World Bank support, which aims to guide sustainable investments and is expected to be approved soon.
The Finance Minister welcomed the World Bank’s endorsement of the new 10-year Country Partnership Framework (CPF 2026–2035), which focuses on key areas including child stunting, learning poverty, climate resilience, fiscal space, decarbonization, and private investment. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to closely working with the Bank to deliver on these priorities and achieve lasting development impact.
In a separate meeting, the Finance Minister held in-depth discussions with Mr. Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized UN agency focused on rural development and food system transformation. The two sides reviewed the long-standing collaboration between Pakistan and IFAD, which has seen the implementation of 29 projects to date, benefitting approximately 2.8 million rural households.
The Minister also acknowledged IFAD’s ongoing support through six active projects in Pakistan. The meeting covered a wide range of IFAD-supported initiatives in Pakistan, including policy support, vocational training, community infrastructure, access to finance, climate-smart agriculture, value chain development, and resilience against climate shocks. The Minister expressed Pakistan’s appreciation for IFAD’s efforts in supporting poverty reduction and sustainable rural development.
Additionally, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb met with Mr. John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The two discussed avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade facilitation, SME development, investment promotion, and the role of the ICC in supporting Pakistan’s economic transformation. Particular emphasis was placed on private sector engagement, international best practices, and institutional capacity building to unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth and inclusive development in Pakistan.
These bilateral interactions reflect Pakistan’s commitment to expanding international partnerships, promoting development finance, and advancing its economic reform and resilience agenda in alignment with global sustainable development goals.0
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
