KARACHI: Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb will discuss global finance challenges and meet policymakers from other countries at the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4) being held in Spain this week, the finance ministry said on Monday.
The conference, which is being held from July 1 to 3 in Seville, will bring together leaders, policymakers and international development experts to explore innovative and sustainable financing strategies to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly for developing and emerging economies, the finance ministry said.
Aurangzeb is scheduled to take part in several key conferences and high-level side events, where he will present Pakistan’s take on the prevalent global finance issues and greater cooperation among nations.
“The Finance Minister’s participation at FFD4 underscores Pakistan’s commitment to promoting innovative financing solutions, strengthening international cooperation, and enhancing the country’s voice in global development discourse,” the finance ministry said.
Sharing details of the finance minister’s engagements at the conference, the ministry said he will co-chair the multi-stakeholder roundtable on ‘Leveraging Private Business and Finance’ on July 1 and deliver a keynote address at the International Business Forum Policy Dialogue on ‘Accelerating EMDEs Investment: The Role of Credit Ratings.’
The minister is also scheduled to address the General Debate of the conference and participate in the roundtable discussion on ‘Revitalizing International Development Cooperation,’ the ministry said.
It added that as part of a UNICEF-hosted side event, Aurangzeb will speak on ‘Driving Capital Towards Children and Young People: A Dialogue on Innovative and Sustainable Financing for Children.’
It said the finance minister will also attend and speak as the chief guest at a special session titled ‘Swapping Out Debt for Development: The DCS Financing Approach,’ where he will highlight Pakistan’s perspectives on debt transformation and the potential of deposit protection mechanisms to support development finance.
He will also participate as a panelist at the International Business Forum’s side event on ‘Scaling Up SME Finance,’ focusing on enhanced financial inclusion for small and medium-sized enterprises, the ministry added.
“In addition to his conference engagements, the Finance Minister will hold bilateral meetings with key international figures, including Mr. John W.H. Denton AO, Secretary-General of the International Chamber of Commerce, and H.E. Mr. Steven Collet, Vice Minister for Development of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” the finance ministry said.
Pakistan has been navigating a tricky path to recovery from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis that has weakened its foreign exchange reserves, drained its resources and triggered a balance of payments crisis.
The government says it is committed to the reforms course, which includes privatizing state-owned enterprises incurring losses, widening the tax base and improving its energy sector.
