The public-private niche in health — opportunities for the Friends of Democratic Pakistan

The platform of Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) is gradually moving towards a paradigm of engagement with public-private partnerships (PPPs) as its key feature. This was evidenced by the theme of the fourth meeting of FoDP, held in Abu Dhabi on January 26. Although stepping up traditional bilateral and multilateral assistance remains a core objective, other models are also being explored to channel support to Pakistan both, as investments or as part of innovative development models, capitalizing on the strengths of the private sector. The Government of Pakistan appears to be committed to stepping-up its own capacity and reorienting its institutional landscape to facilitate public private partnerships. This is evidenced by the policy frameworks that have been created and the institutional arrangements that are being put in place in order to facilitate the development of PPPs.