{
  "id": 12435729,
  "title": "Pakistan seeks $26bn investment in 35 UNDP-backed projects",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/pakistan-seeks-26bn-investment-in-35-undp-backed-projects",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-06T17:38:20.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Business Recorder",
    "slug": "business-recorder",
    "url": "https://www.brecorder.com/news/40442924/pakistan-seeks-26bn-investment-in-35-undp-backed-projects"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pakistan is seeking $26 billion in investment for 35 UNDP-backed projects aimed at eliminating poverty, protecting the environment, and promoting peace and health by 2030. The UNDP Pakistan's SDGs Plus Programme, working with federal and provincial governments, has prepared these 35 projects spanning nine sectors, including agriculture, food, energy, transport, water, waste, tourism, and road infrastructure. The projects' value is estimated at around $26 billion in potential investment.\n\nThe SDGs, established by the United Nations in 2015, aim to address global challenges by 2030. Pakistan's SDG financing gap, the difference between the required investment and the available funds, stands at around 16% of the country's annual output, currently estimated at $410 billion. Public finances are constrained, making it challenging to close this gap through public money alone.\n\nTo address this, a conference and exhibition titled 'National SDGs Investment Fair - Investing in Pakistan's Sustainable Future' was held, offering investors a chance to learn about these projects and understand what Pakistan has to offer, such as attractive returns on investment. Investment risks should be discussed collaboratively, and investors must assist in making those risks manageable.\n\nUNDP can facilitate the process by bridging the perspectives of development priorities and investor interests. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb emphasized that Pakistan's economy has stabilized over the past three years, achieving the necessary \"basic hygiene\" to create a favorable investment climate. Foreign exchange reserves, held by the State Bank of Pakistan, reached an all-time high of $21.4 billion, providing three months' import cover, up from just two weeks three years ago.\n\nAurangzeb highlighted that Pakistan was among the first six countries to sign the Climate Implementation Bridge (BRIDGE) at COP31 during New York Climate Week, aiming to convert climate commitments into investment-ready projects. The focus is on transitioning BRIDGE from design to implementation and operational effectiveness. Pakistan needs to build its capacity to design, implement, and structure investable and bankable projects while adhering to international standards, particularly as it moves forward with the BRIDGE framework.",
  "summary": "Pakistan on Tuesday sought global investment worth $26 billion in 35 projects prepared with the support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), aiming to eliminate poverty, protect the earth, and bring peace and health to all people by the year 2030. “Working with the federal and provincial governments, UNDP’s SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals] Plus Programme has helped prepare 35…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}