ISLAMABAD — Pakistan and the World Bank have reaffirmed their long-term development partnership with a renewed focus on implementing the newly launched $40 billion Country Partnership Framework (CPF) 2026–2035, during high-level talks held in Washington, D.C., according to a statement issued Friday by the Economic Affairs Division (EAD).
The announcement followed a meeting between Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema and senior World Bank leadership, including Managing Director for Operations Anna Bjerde and South Asia Regional Vice President Martin Raiser.
Cheema described the CPF as a “transformative” strategy, marking an unprecedented level of long-term financing from the World Bank. He credited strengthened bilateral engagement over the past year for making the ten-year framework possible, and underscored Pakistan’s commitment to finalising a detailed implementation roadmap to ensure delivery on the CPF’s ambitious goals.
With this framework, the World Bank is expected to finance projects across multiple priority sectors including infrastructure, human capital, resilience, and governance reform, making it the largest sustained development support extended to Pakistan by a multilateral lender.
Cheema also welcomed Pakistan’s upcoming transition to the World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region under Vice President Ousmane Dione, noting that it could unlock new regional cooperation and knowledge-sharing opportunities, especially with Gulf countries.
In a separate meeting with Abdelhak Bedjaoui, World Bank Executive Director, the minister appreciated Pakistan’s effective representation at the Board and suggested regular visits by executive directors to member countries to deepen engagement and improve responsiveness to development needs.
The EAD statement also highlighted recent World Bank approvals — including $700 million for the Reko Diq mining project and $400 million under the Risk Participation Facility — which moved forward despite earlier objections, signalling continued trust in Pakistan’s economic reform trajectory.
Cheema reaffirmed Pakistan’s intention to work closely with the Bank’s country team to ensure that CPF implementation delivers “tangible and transformational” results on the ground.
