Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar met Mr. Yong Ye a newly appointed Country Director, Asian Development Bank, who called on him

Dated : 5 October 2021

Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar met Mr. Yong Ye a newly appointed Country Director, Asian Development Bank, who called on him in Islamabad on Tuesday. Secretary Planning Hamed Yaqob Sheikh and senior officials attended the meeting.

The role of private-sector financing for disaster risk management and climate resilience actions and new possibilities of economic cooperation in the post-COVID-19 situation was discussed during the meeting.

The Planning Minister welcomed the ADB Country Director and acknowledged the significant contribution of the ADB in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic through financing facility, knowledge sharing, and partnership. He appreciated the pivotal role currently being played by the ADB in strengthening governance and service delivery in Pakistan through institutional reforms being undertaken with the support of a development partner.

Federal Minister Asad Umar emphasized enhancing the capacity of NDMRF for effectively tackling and outreach for risk mitigation of calamities occurring though out the country. Asad Umar emphasized the collaboration of ADB in setting up a natural disaster fund to meet requirements of disaster risk reduction, mitigation, and rehabilitation. He further sought the cooperation of the Asian Development Bank for setting up a risk management unit for the public-private partnership ventures. They also discussed the support of Public-Private Partnership in Viability Gap Funding (VGF)and project financing facility to the Private sector too.

The Country Director ADB thanked the Planning Minister for a warm welcome and appreciated the Minister on government’s skillful handling of the COVID crisis which had resulted in containing the pandemic to a large extent. He said that ADB is fully committed to providing assistance to the developing countries for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.