Prime Minister Stephen Harper attends friends of democratic Pakistan meeting in New York

September 24, 2009

NEW YORK CITY – Prime Minister Stephen Harper today attended the first-ever meeting of leaders belonging to the Friends of Democratic Pakistan group, in New York City.

“Canada has a long standing and important friendship with Pakistan,” said the Prime Minister.  “This meeting was a valuable opportunity for leaders to show our commitment to working with the government and the people of Pakistan as they seek to build a more secure future.”

President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan, United States President Barack Obama and United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown co-chaired this first leaders’ meeting of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan.  It was convened to show the international community’s continued support at the highest level for Pakistan’s civilian and democratically-elected government as it faces complex security, economic development and humanitarian crises.

The discussions centred on combating violent extremism, addressing energy shortages and fostering socio-economic development in the Malakand District of the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  These have been the areas of focus of ministerial-level meetings of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan.

The Friends of Democratic Pakistan first met in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2008.  The founding members include Pakistan, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the United Nations and the European Union. 


Backgrounder

THE FRIENDS OF DEMOCRATIC PAKISTAN

The Friends of Democratic Pakistan first met in New York on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2008.  It was founded to show the international community’s support for Pakistan’s new civilian and democratically-elected government as it faces complex security, economic development and humanitarian challenges.  The founding members include Pakistan, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, the United Nations and the European Union.

Most recently, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lawrence Cannon participated in the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting on August 24-25, 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey.  The meeting, co-chaired by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, focused on a strategy presented by Pakistan for socio-economic development in the Malakand District in the North West Frontier Province, as well as on strategic issues concerning stability in the country overall.

During the meeting, Minister Cannon noted Canada’s endorsement for the Malakand strategy and underlined Canada’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions, fostering socio-economic development and broadening security and stability in Pakistan.  In addition, the Minister highlighted Canada’s $33-million contribution in humanitarian assistance to Pakistan since 2008.

Canada also participated in the Friends of Democratic Pakistan Ministerial Meeting and Pakistan Donors’ Conference in Tokyo in April 2009.  In Tokyo, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Cooperation, Jim Abbott, noted the significant costs Pakistan has borne in fighting terrorism, highlighted Canada’s support for strengthened border management between Pakistan and Afghanistan and expressed Canada’s hope that a strong democratic culture takes root in Pakistan.


Canada and Pakistan

Canada and Pakistan enjoy a long-standing and important relationship, underpinned by development cooperation, expanding trade and investment ties and people-to-people ties with close to 200,000 Canadians of Pakistani origin.
Pakistan is one of the world's most strategically important countries and vital to a range of Canadian interests.  Terrorism and extremism in the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area have major regional and international security implications.
Canada fully supports Pakistan’s efforts to counter violent extremism, within the norms of respect for human rights.

With a population of approximately 170 million, 29 per cent living in absolute poverty, Pakistan is among Canada’s oldest development partners, with an aid program that stretches back to the Colombo Plan of 1951.  Currently, Canadian aid to Pakistan is focused on improving the country’s democratic performance, enhancing economic opportunities and human rights for women and improving its education system, particularly its relevance to the poor.  In addition, Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency, is supporting socio-economic development in border districts adjacent to Southern Afghanistan and recovery activities in parts of northern Pakistan that were devastated by a major earthquake in October 2005. 

Given the links between poverty, social exclusion, instability and extremism, Canada has a clear interest in Pakistan’s long-term development as a moderate, democratic, inclusive and prosperous society.  As such, Pakistan was identified as one of Canada’s 20 countries of focus in 2008.  The Canadian International Development Agency bilateral programming in Pakistan totaled $33.7 million in 2008-09.

In addition to the bilateral program, Canada and Pakistan signed the Pakistan-Canada Debt for Education Conversion Agreement in 2006, which is converting $117 million of Pakistan's Official Development Assistance debt to Canada into tangible improvements in Pakistan's education system, with a focus on improving the competencies of primary and middle school teachers.

In August 2009, International Cooperation Minister Beverley J. Oda announced an additional $25 million to respond to the humanitarian needs of more than two million Pakistanis who were displaced by the conflict in the North West Frontier Province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  The new assistance was issued to help meet critical needs such as food assistance, clean water and sanitation services, shelter and basic health care.

For more information on Canada’s humanitarian assistance and development efforts in Pakistan, please visit http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/pakistan-e.