Pakistan sends delegation to Saudi Arabia following PM Sharif’s high-profile visit

ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will arrive in Islamabad today, Wednesday, to co-chair a high-level strategic cooperation council focusing on bilateral trade, investment and other priority sectors, and also oversee the signing of several agreements, the foreign office has said. 

The Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Cooperation Council (HLSCC) was established in 2009. Several joint standing committees under the HLSCC cover vital sectors such as trade, investment, banking, finance, culture, tourism, energy, defense, agriculture and others. 

Six sessions of the HLSCC have been conducted since it was founded, with the last one held in Islamabad in 2020. 

“During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Erdogan will co-chair the 7th Session of the Pakistan-Turkiye High Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC),” the foreign office said on Tuesday. 

“At the conclusion of the Session, a Joint Declaration and a number of important agreements/MoUs are expected to be signed. The two leaders will also address a joint press stakeout.”

Erdogan will hold bilateral meetings with Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari, the foreign office said, and address the Pakistan-Turkiye Business and Investment Forum, which will bring together leading investors, companies and businesspersons from both sides.

“The visit of Turkish President and the holding of the 7th Session of the HLSCC would serve to further deepen the brotherly relations and enhance multifaceted cooperation between the two countries,” the foreign office said. 

Turkiye and Pakistan enjoy cordial relations and last year agreed to enhance bilateral trade to $5 billion when Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan visited the Pakistani capital. 

Pakistan has been eagerly reaching out to international partners and allies in recent months as the South Asian nation, currently bolstered by a $7 billion facility from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) granted in September, navigates a narrow economic recovery path.
 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Tuesday said it hoped the UN’s Second World Social Summit to be held in Doha later this year would be a “turning point” in stepping up financial and structural support for developing nations to achieve the goal of inclusive social development.

On Feb. 26, 2024, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 78/261, officially establishing the “World Social Summit” under the title “Second World Summit for Social Development.” The summit, running from Nov. 4-6, will be a significant global event aimed at fostering inclusive social development and addressing key challenges to achieve well-being for all. It will serve as a platform for governments, civil society organizations, private sector actors, and other stakeholders to collaborate on creating policies and strategies that promote inclusivity, equity, and sustainability.

“While we [developing nations] are strongly committed to inclusive social development, the financial and structural resources required to achieve that are lacking,” Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan’s Alternate Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said while speaking at the 63rd Session of the Commission on Social Development.

“The Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha later this year must serve as a turning point. It must move beyond aspirations and deliver tangible outcomes to bridge the growing social divide.”

Ahmad said despite decades of international commitments to social progress, inequality remained widespread, pointing out that 65 percent of the world’s population lived in countries where income disparities were growing while 57 percent people in these nations reported distrust in public policies, making social cohesion even harder to achieve.

“We are conscious of how indispensable social cohesion is to achieving prosperity and sustainable development,” Ahmad said, adding that Pakistan has prioritized poverty eradication, employment generation and social inclusion through national initiatives such as the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), the Prime Minister’s Youth Program, micro-financing schemes, universal health coverage, and e-governance reforms aimed at improving public service delivery and economic stability.

At the upcoming Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, Ahmad called for stronger commitments to expanding social safety nets, greater support for labor rights, including minimum wage guarantees, protections for informal workers and equal pay policies, arguing that these measures were essential for sustainable economic development.

The diplomat also stressed the need for greater transparency and accountability in governance, linking these to efforts to combat corruption, improve public service delivery and reform tax policies.

Ahmad also called for an overhaul of the global financial system to make it more equitable, pressing for comprehensive debt relief for developing nations and the reallocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) toward social welfare programs.