ISLAMABAD, Jan 24: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and Aga Khan, chairman of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN), on Tuesday signed a joint declaration aims at broadening the scope of their collaboration on development endeavours, strengthening civil society institutions, promoting governance and social inclusion in Asian countries, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East.

The declaration seeks to extend the EC's partnership with the AKDN into areas of common concern and in a number of new fields of activity.

Since 1986, the EC has made grants totalling $153 million to AKDN programmes in education, urban and rural development, food security, livelihoods, infrastructure, microfinance, water and sanitation and disaster preparedness across Asia and Africa.