On Thursday, 23 January 2025, Ambassador Dato' Azhar attended the launching ceremony of the World Bank's Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Pakistan, a 10-year, USD20 billion programme aimed at transforming the country's economy. The ceremony was held at Prime Minister House, Islamabad in the presence of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the WB’s Vice President for South Asia Martin Raiser. Other present were Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Ministers of Climate Change, Economic Affairs, Information and Boradcasting, Petroleum, Water & Power, State Minister for Finance and Revenue, members of Diplomatic Corps and senior government officials.
The World Bank’s Board of Directors approved the first-ever 10-year CPF for Pakistan on 14 January 2025, marking the largest commitment in the nation’s history. The extended framework focused on six key development areas, supported by a monitoring and evaluation scorecard to track progress. The programme for FY26-35 aimed to support inclusive and sustainable development through a strong focus on building human capital; fostering durable private sector growth; and building economic, social and environmental resilience in the country.
