Need of hour to forge partnerships among countries to develop effective strategies: Dr. Abid Qaiyum

ISLAMABAD, July 26 (SABAH): It is imperative to forge partnerships to develop effective strategies, resilience and policy recommendations and response to the triple C crisis confronting the global community.

This was said by Dr. Abid Qaiyum Suleri, Executive Director Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) on the MoU signing ceremony between SDPI and The KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific organized here on today.

The MoU was signed between SDPI and KSI to explore potential areas of cooperation in trade and investment by engaging private and public sector in renewable energy, agriculture, tourism, natural resources, digital technology, artificial intelligence and e-commerce. Shafqat Niazi, Trade and Investment Counsellor, Pakistan High Commission, Malaysia; Deddy Faisal Ahmed Saleh, Charge D’ Affairs, Malaysian High Commission, Islamabad, were also present on the occasion.

Dr. AbidQaiyumSuleri, Executive Director, SDPI said that in the wake of the triple C crisis, developing countries like Pakistan and Malaysia are at the bottom of the ladder and will be impacted severely which calls for enhanced cooperation on developing resilience and response.

He said that in past, ASEAN has demonstrated resilience to global economic crisis and set the example for other countries on how they can also bounce back from such adverse crisis. He expressed that SDPI and KSI have various complementarities in their roles and work for supporting governments in policy and corrective measures for the achievement of SDGs which brings the opportunity of learning from each other particularly on developing response to these challeges.

Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, President of KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific said that KSI has worked closely with UNESCAP to establish All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to localize implementation of SDGs at the community level which is a good example which can be adopted in Pakistan as well. He expressed the hope to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between the two countries through the forum of both institutes.

Deddy Faisal Ahmed Saleh, Charge D’ Affairs, Malaysian High Commission, Islamabad appreciated the role SDPI has played in strengthening the close and brotherly relations between the two countries. He said that the bilateral trade between Pakistan and Malaysia has increased by 36.3% in 2021 and is largely based on trade of palm oil, palm oil base and agricultural products.

He further said that there is immense potential for investment in Halal meat and other products and online shopping platforms in Malaysia. He urged business community, Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Business Councils, SDPI and KSI to strengthen relations and collaborate on identifying new avenues of cooperation and strengthening relations.

Shafqat Niazi, Trade and Investment Counsellor, Pakistan High Commission in Malaysia said that the ambassadors of both countries are eager to strengthen relations between the two countries. He also expressed that the MoU between SDPI and KSI will play an instrumental role in strengthening the brotherly ties between both nations.