USAID Gives 17 Grants To NGOs To Promote Safe Drinking Water And Hygiene In Pakistan
The USAID-funded Pakistan Safe Drinking Water and Hygiene Promotion Project awarded here today 17 grants to Pakistani non-governmental organizations for awareness and mobilization of communities to practice good hygiene and sanitation, and to sustain water filtration plants. “Unsafe drinking water is world’s second biggest killer of children,” said USAID/Pakistan Mission Director, Anne Aarnes, in her remarks on the occasion. “There is no question that the NGOs present here today will play an important role in helping communities sustain and better manage the filtration plants installed by the Government of Pakistan throughout Pakistan.”(complete text)
Khabr-o-Nazar’s Current Issue Highlights Role Of Information Resource Centers, Lincoln Corners
The latest issue of the U.S. Embassy’s new-look monthly magazine, “Khabr-o-Nazar” (News and Views), features the role of American Information Resource Centers (IRCs) and the Lincoln Corners in Pakistan, the U.S. Embassy announced today. “IRCs and Lincoln Corners in Pakistan are forums where Americans can interact with local people and discuss issues of common interest,” Mary Nell Bryant, Information Resource Officer for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia, said in her interview to the magazine. “It is not only a way to advertise America but really a way to come to understanding with other people through discussions, talks, and seminars.”(complete text)
U.S., Pakistan Sign Agreements To Increase Aid By $194 Million
Representatives of the United States and Pakistan today signed five amendments to existing bilateral agreements that add an additional 194 million dollars in U.S development assistance to Pakistan. These agreements are part of the $1.5 billion assistance program to support Pakistan’s development objectives. The bilateral agreement was signed by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Pakistan Mission Director, Anne Aarnes, and Secretary Economic Affairs Division, M. Akram Malik. These Strategic Objective Agreements (SOAGs) are part of the $1.5 billion assistance program that the U.S. Government is providing to Pakistan through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) over five years to improve education, health, economic growth and governance, and to support earthquake reconstruction.(complete text)
USTDA Grant To Support Integrated Coal Mining, Power Generation Project In Pakistan
The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a $810,000 grant to Habibullah Energy Limited (HEL) to address critical power shortage and promote energy security in Pakistan under the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue. The grant will partially fund the early investment analysis on a proposed 150 megawatt (MW) power plant, as well as develop a detailed plan to ensure the reliable supply of coal for the plant from the Lakhra coalfields in Pakistan. The grant document was signed in Arlington, Virginia, on September 12 by USTDA Acting Director Leocadia I. Zak and Managing Director of HEL Saeed Khan Peracha. The Economic Minister of the Embassy of Pakistan, Abdul Wajid Rana; Foreign Affairs Officer of the U.S. Department of Energy, Tom Cutler; and Executive Director of the U.S.-Pakistan Business Council, Esperanza Gomez Jelalian, were also present on the occasion.(complete text)
9/11 Memorial Ceremony Held At U.S. Embassy, Islamabad
Ambassador Anne W. Patterson joins visiting members of the United States Congress, Representatives Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), Todd Platts (R-PA), Brian Higgins (D-NY), and staff of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad to commemorate the lives lost to terrorist attacks and events that occurred on September 11, 2001. A moment of silence was observed and members of the mission read passages from the Quran and the Bible in English, Urdu and Arabic.(complete text)
U.S.-Pakistan Relationship Represents Long-Term Commitments To Progress, Peace: Ambassador Patterson
The broad-based relationship between the United States and Pakistan represents “a series of long-term commitments to progress and peace,” U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson told new Pakistani diplomats. “We cannot talk about democracy, or education, or economic growth, as a one-time event. These are processes that will yield results over time,” the Ambassador said in a speech on “The Human Dimension of Diplomacy” at the Foreign Service Academy in Islamabad today. Ambassador Patterson observed that all nations base their foreign policy on national interests. “For us, the U.S.-Pakistan long-term relationship means a reduced terrorist threat and a strong, democratic, prosperous Pakistan. I believe this relationship will also yield substantial benefits for your country: more two-way trade, more U.S. investment, and stronger people-to-people contacts – to name just a few,” she said.(complete text)
USTDA Awards Grants To Pakistan’s Power Sector
The United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) on Monday signed two grants with Pakistan that are part of a $1.4 million package supporting President George W. Bush’s commitment to Pakistan’s economic development under the U.S.-Pakistan Energy Discussions framework. “These grants are concrete expressions of our commitment to Pakistan’s economic development under the U.S.-Pakistan Energy Discussions framework,” the U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson said in her remarks on the occasion. The first grant of $325,000 to the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) will assist Pakistan in developing new electric power supplies through a detailed evaluation of a five to ten megawatt waste-to-energy power plant near Karachi.(complete text)
U.S. Diplomat Opens Exhibit And American Film Festival In Faisalabad
U.S. Consulate’s Public Affairs Officer Kathleen Eagen said that she was “honored to showcase American culture in Faisalabad” as she inaugurated an exhibit and American Film Festival in this major industrial city today. “As Pakistan celebrates its 60th Birth Anniversary and looks towards the future, it is interesting to watch classic American movies that capture the colonial era in South Asia,” remarked the U.S. diplomat at the Faisalabad Arts Council, venue for the film festival “Raj in the Eyes of Hollywood.” Inaugurating an exhibit at the Faisalabad Art Gallery earlier, Ms. Eagen said that the work displayed “reflects the great imaginative variety” of the contemporary American art scene.(complete text)
U.S. Embassy’s Intellectual Property Rights & Cyber Investigation Training Program Concludes
Intellectual property rights protection drives the growth of Pakistan’s advanced manufacturing as well as its local software, biotechnology, and cultural industries, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires Peter Bodde said here Saturday. The U.S. envoy spoke at the concluding session of a week-long IPR Law Enforcement and Cyber Investigation training organized by the U.S. Embassy for law enforcement professionals from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the provincial police, the Ministry of Interior, and representatives from the higher education and legal professions. “This IPR law enforcement training program has exemplified the collaboration between the governments of Pakistan and the United States to create a better climate for economic growth, innovation, and safety,” Mr.Bodde said.(complete text)
Pakistani Educators Complete Course At Plymouth State University
A group of 15 Pakistani educators returned home recently after completing a 3-week summer course at Plymouth State University (PSU), New Hampshire U.S. Funded by the U.S. State Department, the summer institute is a collaboration between PSU and Lahore-based NGO Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA). Talking about the program, ITA’s Saima Hasrat remarked that “people-to-people interaction is significant to remove misconceptions about each other,” while Assistant Professor Mubasher Nadeem, from Lahore’s University of Education, said that the program “broadened his vision.” Other participants termed the program a “wonderful experience” and the graduation ceremony a “memorable event.”(complete text)
Remarks by U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard A. Boucher at the Press Conference in Islamabad
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. It’s a pleasure to see all of you again. This, I think, is my tenth trip to Pakistan since I started in this job 18 months ago, and it’s a good occasion to visit. It’s been so far a very interesting visit. I was able to congratulate the President, the Foreign Minister, and the Foreign Secretary, and other people I’ve met with on the 60th anniversary of Pakistan’s Independence. It truly is an historic anniversary, and the nation has come a long way and achieved a lot in those 60 years, and I think we all need to remember that. It was also an interesting moment to come because the jirgas had just concluded among people from both sides of the border in Pakistan and Afghanistan. President Karzai, as you know, participated in that, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and, of course, President Musharraf went there just the other day. We think this was quite a success.(complete text)
MoU Signed For Improving Pakistan's Investment Climate
The USAID-funded Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF) and the Board of Investment signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support structured economic reform processes for improving Pakistan’s investment climate and enhancing its economic competitiveness. Witnessed by U.S. Embassy Counselor for Economic and Commercial Affairs, Amy E. Holman, the MoU was signed by Federal Minister for Privatization and Investment, Zahid Hamid, and Minister of State for Finance and Chairman of the Competitiveness Support Fund (CSF), Omar Ayub Khan. “Competitiveness is the key to long-term economic growth,” said Amy Holman while speaking on the occasion. “We are pleased to see that the Government of Pakistan’s policies of de-regulation, liberalization and privatization are working and providing concrete results.”(complete text)
Khabr-o-Nazar's Current Issue Highlights Sixty Years Of Pak-U.S. Friendship
The latest issue of the U.S. Embassy’s new-look monthly magazine, “Khabr-o-Nazar” (News and Views), features the sixty years of Pakistan-U.S. friendship and a pictorial collage of the landmark contacts between the two leaderships, the U.S. Embassy announced today. “These historical photographs provide us an opportunity to peep into the past and cherish the mutual friendship and cooperation based on shared values and mutual interests,” Press Attaché and Editor-in-Chief of “Khabr-o-Nazar,” Elizabeth O. Colton, said. The August issue also highlights the restoration of the façade of the Lahore Fort’s Alamgiri Gate from the U.S. Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation.(complete text)
U.S. Embassy Launches Intellectual Property Rights & Cyber Investigation Training Program
Pakistan has taken “steps in the past two years to move its Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) program forward” and the United States recognizes this progress, the U.S. Charge d’Affaires Peter Bodde said here Monday. The U.S. envoy was speaking at the inaugural session of the week-long IPR Law Enforcement and Cyber Investigation training organized by the U.S. Embassy for law enforcement professionals from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the provincial police, the Ministry of Interior, and representatives from higher education and legal professions. “This IPR law enforcement training exemplifies the collaboration between the governments of Pakistan and the U.S. to create a better climate for economic growth, innovation, and safety,” Charge d’Affaires Peter Bodde said. “There is so much more that Pakistan can do to enhance its IPR regime and reap the full benefits of legitimate industries that are competitive worldwide,” he added.(complete text)
USAID Teachers Training Workshop Concludes
As part of USAID-funded Interactive Teaching and Learning Program, approximately 150 school teachers and head teachers completed here today a 12-day training workshop on interactive teaching and learning methods and were awarded certificates of achievement. “As teachers, you have a heavy responsibility to contribute in building the future of Pakistan,” USAID/Pakistan Mission Director Anne Aarnes said while addressing the trainee teachers. “It is your dedication, talent and energy that will give children the skills and confidence they need to meet the challenges of the 21st century.” Appreciating the Program implemented by USAID’s partner Children’s Resource International (CRI) Pakistan, Ms. Aarnes informed that it had trained over 1,600 teachers in 399 schools of Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Karachi in child-centered teaching and learning.(complete text)
State Department Sponsors Local Girls Football Club
The U.S. Embassy’s Minister Counselor for Public Affairs, James H. Williams, said that by supporting Pakistan’s efforts to develop women’s football, “we hope to inspire another generation of young girls in the same way that young girls in the U.S. have been inspired by the generations before them.” The American diplomat was speaking here Thursday at the send-off ceremony of the Young Rising Stars Female Football Club of Rawalpindi to the National Women’s Football Championship, beginning August 16. Also speaking on the occasion, the Federal Minister for Sports, Shamim Haider, said that the program will encourage Pakistani women to enter into mainstream of sports. “We would like to offer more of such programs to the Pakistani youth in future so as to highlight the soft image of the country,” he added.(complete text)
U.S. Ambassador Stresses Need For Strong Democratic Institutions, Encourages Inter-faith Dialogue
U.S. Ambassador Anne W. Patterson encouraged “strong, vibrant institutions essential for democracy in Pakistan” as she inaugurated the Punjab Assembly’s new Parliamentary Resource Center on the second day of her visit to Lahore. “The Pakistan Legislative Strengthening Program demonstrates U.S. commitment to assist the people of Pakistan in building such institutions,” the U.S. Ambassador said. “The Resource Center will provide support and information to members of the assembly as they debate and legislate on important issues.” Ambassador Patterson congratulated the multi-party steering committee and the Provincial Assembly Secretariat for their “strong interest in and support” to the project.(complete text)
U.S. Ambassador Highlights Respect For Islam, Terms Interfaith Dialogue Critical
U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson stressed that the “United States has great respect for Islam and its ideals of justice, tolerance, and peace” during her visit to the historic Badshahi Mosque. “Islam is the second largest religion in the United States and I look forward to working closely with Islamic leaders in Pakistan during my time here. Dialogue with religious leaders from all faiths is critical,” stated Ambassador Patterson after she was received at the mosque by Imam and Khateeb Maulana Abdul Khabeer Azad. “No religion tolerates, promotes, advocates, or approves of the use of terrorism or violence. The United States has no quarrel with Islam. Our quarrel is with those from any faith who attempt to misuse religion to justify violence or terrorism for political ends,” she remarked.(complete text)
Ambassador Patterson Presents Credentials To The President Of Pakistan
The new U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson, presented her credentials to the President of Pakistan at a formal ceremony held at the Presidential Palace here in the capital today. On her arrival at the palace, Aiwan-e-Sadr, the American ambassador was driven in a horse-drawn carriage to a dais where a trumpet sounded the fanfare before the military band played the national anthems of both United States and Pakistan. She then inspected the guard of honor of the Pakistani Army before she was escorted to present her credentials to President Pervez Musharraf. “It’s a great honor to serve in Pakistan,” Ambassador Patterson remarked afterwards. “I look forward to working with Pakistanis to continue building our strong and important partnership.”(complete text)
Ambassador Patterson Urges Stronger Bonds Among Women To Build Bridges Of Understanding
U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson has underlined the need for creating stronger bonds between the women of Pakistan and the international community “to build bridges of understanding.” She was speaking on “women in the workplace” at a networking event organized by the Federal Women’s Program at the U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission’s residence here Tuesday. Over sixty women representing a range of professional backgrounds gathered to network and socialize with women in the Islamabad community. “Women are natural networkers, who understand the importance of supporting one another. Theses bonds reinforce our common goals, values, and ideas: caring for our families, contributing towards our nations’ development, and growing our own leadership skills and careers,” Ambassador Patterson said.(complete text)
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