ISLAMABAD  -  The Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) and Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mutual collaboration. This partnership aims to enhance collaborative efforts in providing credible research-based analysis to key decision-makers and policymakers in Pakistan, said press release issued here on Saturday.

The MoU was signed by Ambassador Sohail Mahmood, Director General, ISSI and Muhammad Rashid Mafzool Zaka, Executive Director, PIPS. The ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the two Institutes. 

Within the framework of this partnership, ISSI and PIPS will work together on a range of areas such as parliamentary affairs, legislation, governance, policy-making processes, foreign affairs, climate change, public health, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), National Action Plan, violent extremism, strategic communication, and other subjects relevant to development, prosperity, and foreign policy. 

By combining the strengths of both institutions, the partnership aims to contribute significantly to the discourse on governance and policy formulation in Pakistan. The collaboration envisaged under this MoU is expected to facilitate knowledge-sharing and joint research initiatives that will help empower policymakers with informed insights on critical national issues.

The two institutions also aim to more deeply engage the Next Generation (NextGen) by fostering youth-inclusive dialogue and amplifying their voices in the policy process.  

The signing of the MoU further enhances ISSI’s outreach to national counterparts, particularly research institutions with niche areas of specialisation. In recent weeks, ISSI has also concluded MoUs with the National Institute of Maritime Affairs (NIMA) and the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS).