Our two countries have various institutional linkages for building mutually beneficial and reciprocal arrangements in the arena of education. Agreements between: (i) University of Manitoba and Centre for Global Public Health, Pakistan; and (ii) University of Alberta and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, are a manifestation of successful exchanges of expertise and collaboration in the fields of education, research and public health.

Each year, around 65,000 Pakistan students go abroad for higher studies, including Canada. Pakistani students top the list of awardees under the European Union’s Erasmus Mundus scholarship programme among 143 countries in 2023. Pakistani students are also the top recipients of the Fulbright Programme of the US.  We hope that Canadian universities would also grant scholarships to talented students from Pakistan. We are interested in developing cooperation in the field of science and technology, which would assist Pakistani institutions enhance their scientific knowledge and capacities.

(Note: Canada, which has less than 0.5 per cent of the world’s population, produces 4.1 per cent of all global research papers and nearly 5 per cent of the most frequently cited papers. It is ranked sixth in the world for overall impact of its science and technology.)

We would also like explore the possibility of signing an agreement creating stronger collaboration in areas such as climate change mitigation and adaptation, and a just and sustainable green transition, underpinned by the mutual interests, high ambitions and shared visions of the two countries in a green and sustainable future for the planet.