The European Union (EU) is supporting Pakistan in its inclusive, sustainable and democratic development with new grant funding. Financing agreements were signed with the Federal Ministry of Finance for a 100 million euros on Friday and an additional 15 million euros will be committed by the end of the year. These 50 million euros will support education in Pakistan, a key sector in a country where millions of children do not have access to quality education yet. The Development Through sEnhanced Education Programme (DEEP) is a five-year programme aiming at contributing to the universal access to quality education in Sindh, enabling young people to progress and engage in productive employment or higher/vocational education. DEEP will contribute to tackle issues such as higher enrolment rate, reduction of drop out and better quality education in a context of persistent demographic pressure. Another 50 million euros will be spent on economic development in rural Balochistan and Sindh. The programme Growth for Rural Advancement & Sustainable Progress is a six-year programme that aims to contribute to the reduction of poverty through development of rural small and medium enterprises thereby creating inclusive employment and income opportunities in the rural areas of Pakistan with a specific focus on women. A total of 15 million euros are dedicated to support parliamentary democracy in Pakistan especially in the frame of the 18th amendment of the Constitution. This programme will be complementing the on-going EU assistance to the Provincial Assemblies and the recently completed EU assistance to the federal parliament. Speaking during the signing ceremony, EU Ambassador Jean-François Cautain said, “I would like to thank all stakeholders, especially the Economic Affairs Division, who have been providing support for the preparation of this new funding. I am sure that this new grant coming from the EU’s taxpayers will positively contribute to the betterment of many citizens of Pakistan by improving access to quality education, developing rural economy and strengthening parliamentary democracy.” Published in Daily Times, December 29th 2018.