Work has started on Phase III of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE PAP, consisting of 40 projects implemented at a total cost of AED736 million (US$ 200 million), funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD
ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 05th Jan, 2019) Work has started on Phase III of the UAE Pakistan Assistance Programme, UAE PAP, consisting of 40 projects implemented at a total cost of AED736 million (US$ 200 million), funded by the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, ADFD.
The programme is being implemented in line with the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, with the support of Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, to provide humanitarian aid to Pakistan.
The UAE PAP announced that the projects will cover five main development areas that include roads, education, healthcare, water and agriculture, in addition to food assistance to the poor families and displaced people, as well anti-polio vaccination campaigns.
The projects to be executed include a 42-kilometre Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa highway, a 65-kilometre highway in Baluchistan province, construction of one college and two schools for 1,500 students in Baluchistan, and construction and fitting of a heart hospital in Quetta.
Some 29 projects will be dedicated to supplying water to villages and cities with little access to clean drinking water. The projects will also include construction of the first dates factory in Pakistan to help farmers with developing and marketing their products.
The UAE PAP’s mission is to execute development aid projects that offer sustainability and continuous benefits to beneficiaries over the long run. The programme's first and second phases saw a total of 165 projects being implemented between 2011 and 2017, at a total cost of AED1.5 billion ($420 million).
The four infrastructure projects completed at a total cost of AED447.4 million ($121 million), include the 50-kilometre Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Road, the 72-kilometre Pak-Emirates Friendship Road, the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Bridge and the Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Bridge.
As per the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa, UAE PAP constructed four road and bridge projects worth $121 million, which included the reconstruction of two flood-destroyed bridges on Swat River and two new roads in southern and northern Waziristan. These are amongst the most vital projects with regard to the development of infrastructure in remote areas in Pakistan. They also help in the social, economic, educational and health development there.
In education, UAE PAP took the initiative to help Pakistan by building and equipping 60 educational projects, costing AED152.7 million ($41.5 million) according to international standards and build proper facilities for students to study in a convenient environment.
UAE PAP-sponsored health projects were the top priority in their humanitarian plans/efforts to support the Pakistani health sector, especially in distant areas which lacked basic and vital services. These include rehabilitating seven hospitals, clinics and medical institutes outfitted with up-to-date medical equipment, providing healthcare in flood-affected areas of Swat, Bajaur, and Dir, and building four hospitals in South Waziristan.
