Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Professor Ahsan Iqbal,  and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID Mission) Director Gregory Gottlieb participated in the “Resilience for Agricultural Growth, Food Security, Nutrition and Rural Development in Pakistan.” The conference was jointly organized by the USAID-funded Pakistan Strategy Support Program (PSSP) and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC).  The conference will provide a strong starting point to build a resilient economy for all the stakeholders involved such as the government, public and private organizations, academia and civil society organizations.

Prof. Ahsan Iqbal said that Pakistan’s biggest challenge today is building resilience to conflicts.  Pakistan’s economy has suffered a loss of more than $78 billion in the last ten years due to conflicts and terrorism and the lack of resilience capacities often limits the range of feasible policy options for the government.  “The Government of Pakistan has undertaken several initiatives to build an economic structure that is sustainable and prepared for future challenges, such as those outlined in the Vision 2025 strategy," he added.

The event was held as a result of a consultative process led by Planning Commission of Pakistan and the Ministry for National Food Security and Research with support from the USAID-funded Pakistan Strategy Support Program (PSSP), which is implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

“USAID is proud to be working closely with the Planning Commission and the Ministry of National Food Security and Research to build national resilience.  This collaboration involves comprehensive and cohesive planning for mitigating a myriad of economic, environmental, and natural shocks,” said USAID Mission Director Gregory Gottlieb at the inaugural session of the conference. “These efforts will pave the way for a more resilient Pakistan.”

Lastly, Mr. Sikandar Hayat Bosan, who also was present at the conference, emphasized the need to build resilience that encompasses all aspects of disaster preparedness, including agriculture, food security, nutrition, social safety nets, and health.  The PSSP program is a U.S. Government funded four year program launched in 2011 that aims to strengthen Pakistan’s economic research and policy analysis capacity.  The program is one of many initiatives that the United States and Pakistani partners carry out together to improve the economic status of Pakistani people.