ISLAMABAD: German Development Bank and the Ministry of Economic Affairs on Thursday signed three agreements with a cumulative value of 18.5 million euros to help Pakistan fight climate change, resolve the energy issues, provide extended health facilities and combat polio.

Under the Women Employment in Private Health Sector, the German bank will provide a grant of Euro 12million exclusively for the establishment of women’s health clinics in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab to promote self-employment of women in the health sector.

The funding will also go towards the training of qualified women to run the clinics and consulting services in relation to the coordination, monitoring and reporting of the measures implemented.

A statement issued here said through the bank the German government will provide an additional grant of 5 million euros to augment the existing support for polio eradication.

This will help Pakistan finance polio vaccines and meet the costs for vaccination campaigns for implementation of Pakistan’s National Polio Emergency Action Plan.

The World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) are the implementing partners.

Under the climate change and energy components, a grant of 1.5 million euros ghas been provided to Pakistan to implement Accompanying Services for the Harpo Hydropower Project in the Gilgit-Baltistan region.

These accompanying measures are meant to be carried out at the project site in support of the main Harpo Hydropower Project to ensure the project sustainability.

The statement said that accompanying services shall comprise assistance to strengthen the power utility at the Gilgit-Baltistan Power Department as well as accompanying investments in the social infrastructure including relevant consulting measures.

Historically, Pakistan and Germany have enjoyed warm friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1951. Earlier this year, the government of Germany, through its bank, signed agreements with Pakistan to provide 27 million euros for Gharo Substation in Sindh and 6 million euros for the regional infrastructure project.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2020