Europa > La Unión europea en el mundo > European Union @ United Nations > EU External assistance to the Republic of Djibouti

Mapa del sitio | Índice A-Z | Empleo | Enlaces | Contacto

English Español Français

 

 

EU External assistance to the Republic of Djibouti

The European Commission and the Republic of Djibouti have recently signed a Country Strategy Paper (CSP) and an Indicative Programme outlining their co-operation programme for the next five years (2002 - 2007). The programme provides for a sum of €34.8 million, allocated from the 9th European Development Fund (EDF), which is the financial instrument of ACP-EU Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou in June 2000. These non-repayable funds will be used on development projects and assistance in order to support government's efforts to reduce poverty through sustainable economic and social development and to implement the peace agreement.

The EU's co-operation strategy with Djibouti is embedded in the general framework of poverty reduction and supports the country in implementing reforms linked to it.

The greatest challenge for Djibouti remains the persistent poverty in the country which is further handicapped by a range of structural constraints such as its small size, limited natural and human resources and arid climate. Emerging from a civil war (1991-94), the signing of the peace agreement in May 2001 with the armed opposition faction marks the end of hostilities, and signals the will to see a lasting peace and the desire to reinforce national unity. The co-operation programme takes account of this and supports the implementation of the peace agreement.

The money is divided into two envelopes. €29 million (the so-called A Envelope) is intended to cover the priorities set out in the Country Strategy Paper:

Improvement of the living conditions of the population, by upgrading the water (urban and rural) sector and the sewerage system, supporting national plans and exploring alternatives sources;

• Budgetary aid for macro-economic reforms, with a view of poverty alleviation and population equal access to social services;
  
  
• Support for the implementation of the peace agreement, with a focus on reconstructing basic economic infrastructures in the most affected regions and on the decentralisation process and local institutional building.
  
  
• An additional sum of €5.8 million (the so-called B Envelope) is available in case of unforeseen needs, including emergency assistance, debt relief and compensation for loss of export earnings. The CSP takes into account lessons learnt from past EC-Djibouti co-operation programmes and, in particular, the need to reinforce co-ordination with other donors, in particular EU Member States, to ensure programmes complement each other.

Background

Country Strategy Papers were introduced in 2001 as part of a wider programme of European Commission reforms in the field of External Assistance. Their purpose is to improve the coherence of the policy toward third countries, particularly, to ensure a match between political priorities and spending on development assistance. CSPs are developed in collaboration with national governments, Member States, other donors, and, where possible, with representatives of civil society.


For more background information on EU relations with Djibouti, see:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/country/dj_en.htm

| Arriba |

Búsqueda avanzada