United nations in pakistan

The European Union (EU)

Cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Pakistan dates back to 1974, but the 2004 cooperation agreement  paved the way for closer relations. The EU’s humanitarian aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) has been working in Pakistan for a number of years, responding to people affected by natural disasters and conflict. Humanitarian aid to Pakistan has totaled almost € 313 million since 2009. Various relief items were channeled and assistance provided to flood victims through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

1. 
   Rural development and natural resources management – the main concern here is the deteriorating state of the environment and declining water resources. The objective is to improve livelihoods and spur income generation and employment in rural communities, including those with big refugee populations.
   

2. 
   Education and human resources development – the aim is to increase access to basic education and improve vocational training to prepare the growing number of young people for the job market.
   

1. 
   Support for track2 dialogue between India and Pakistan (implemented through the Jinnah Institute in Islamabad and the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation in Delhi):  this project includes the organization of conferences both in Delhi and Islamabad gathering civil society, think tanks and media but also government officials. The objective is to discuss sensitive issues in order to create mutual understanding and goodwill on both sides. This project lasted for 18 months and will soon be prolonged for another 18 months. Kashmir was the main focus of the initial contracting period and will remain one of the main angles for the next 18 months (together with other issues such as water issues, Afghanistan post-2014 or media).
   

2. 
   Peace-building in Kashmir (implemented through Conciliation Resources): the overall objective of the project is to contribute to a more productive and inclusive peace process between India and Pakistan by facilitating the participation of people from all regions of Kashmir and creating constituencies for peace on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). The project focus includes cross LoC dialogue and advocacy training workshop for civil society, engagement of women ‘mentors’ with women on respective sides of the LoC,  advocacy activities and meetings with parliamentarians from both sides of Kashmir, joint university activities or support the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between cross LoC Chambers and Traders Associations.