Senate Parliamentary Development Unit convenes meeting with Italian Agency for Development Cooperation at the Parliament House

ISLAMABAD, Oct 24 (SABAH): The Senate Parliamentary Development Unit (PDU) convened a meeting with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) on Tuesday at the Parliament House.

The meeting was attended by Director General (COORD/PDU) Senate Mir Shai Mazar Baloch, the PDU team, Head of Office AICS, Francesco Zatta, and Senior Advisor Imran Ashraf.

The Director General (PDU, Coord) welcomed AICS at the Parliament House and introduced them to the working of the Senate of Pakistan and PDU. He also acknowledged the work of AICS in varied areas in Pakistan.
Francesco Zatta highlighted that AICS is actively engaged in areas like; education. Agriculture, irrigation, cultural heritage, Climate change, and soft loans and grants programs in Pakistan and so far have completed 49 projects. The main focus is to provide technical support, emphasizing innovative solutions and sustainable growth in all these areas.
The discussions during the meeting underscored the alignment of shared visions and common goals between the two entities. The pivotal role played by Standing Committees and the Education Parliamentary Caucus (EPC) within the Senate was highlighted by DG (PDU). Both parties emphasized the need for collaboration in areas of mutual interest, paving the way for comprehensive discussions on potential projects within key thematic areas. These areas include the proposed International Conference on Climate Change besides seminars addressing environmental issues, offering technical support to the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), and fostering cooperation between the Senate’s Education Parliamentary Caucus (EPC) and AICS’s radio program. Italian government project “OliveCulture – Holistic and Multiprofessional Mechanism for a Pakistani Olive Oil Value Chain” supervised by AICS was also discussed along with its positive contribution in Pakistan’s economy. This proposed collaboration presents promising opportunities, notably with the Senate of Pakistan in the process of establishing its Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), mirroring Italy’s robust PBO.

In a notable development, AICS expressed its keen interest in incorporating the Senate of Pakistan into its new year plan, strengthening the collaborative efforts between the two entities, and extending the collaboration with Italian Parliament as well. Both parties are eager to formalize their collaboration and take concrete steps toward realizing their shared goals for the betterment of Pakistan.