29th SDPI Conference: Factors to bridge widening social-sector funding gap pinpointed

At the 29th Sustainable Development Conference in Islamabad, speakers called for structural reforms, mandatory corporate social responsibility rules and new financing to address Pakistan’s widening social-sector funding gap. Business Recorder reported that Finance Minister’s Adviser Adnan Pasha said international lenders want measurable implementation, not reform announcements, while fiscal pressure and weaker external development assistance increase the need for private funding.

Water experts urged Pakistan and India to cooperate on water security and protect treaty rights, noting that India has eight projects under way and one has reached the bidding stage. Speakers also highlighted Sindh’s flood-recovery housing programme: about 1.6 million homes are under construction, one million have been completed, and the overall target is around 2.1 million.

Development partners cited the programme as a climate-resilient recovery model, alongside a European Investment Bank financing agreement of 100 million euros with SPHF and one billion euros mobilised by Team Europe, mainly as grants. Other discussions covered women’s access to work and finance, renewable-energy integration, transmission investment, labour protections and the need for predictable policies to turn climate commitments into fundable projects.