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*20.03.2014 -* Press release
Seminar on Federalism for 30 African parliamentarians
*Bern, 20.03.2014 - Some 30 members of parliament from six countries in
East Africa have been invited to Geneva by the Federal Department of
Foreign Affairs (FDFA) from 20 to 21 March. They are taking part in a
seminar to discuss the federal systems of Switzerland, Ethiopia and other
African countries. The project is in line with the Swiss strategy for the
political stabilisation of the Horn of Africa.*
The representatives have had the opportunity to discuss the themes of
federalism and decentralised statebuilding with experts. The debate
concentrated on the separation of powers, sharing resources and fiscal
federalism. Most of the around 30 participants travelled to Geneva for an
Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) meeting, which took place prior to the
seminar. They were from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, South
Sudan and Uganda.
The seminar was of particular interest for the Somali, Sudanese and South
Sudanese MPs. These countries' reform projects seek to enshrine elements of
federalism in their political systems. Participants from these countries
will now be able to contribute comparisons of various federal models to the
debate on the upcoming constitutional reform processes. Swiss federalism
was not the only point of reference for the discussions in Geneva. Ethiopia
and other African countries also have federal state systems.
*Accountable governance is a priority for Switzerland*
The Geneva seminar on federalism reflects the priorities of the Swiss
Confederation's 2013 - 2016 cooperation strategy for the Horn of Africa.
The strategy sets out Switzerland's engagement in the region, working with
the countries and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for
a culture of accountable governance and to strengthen peace dialogue. An
agreement is in preparation to regulate cooperation with IGAD in various
fields.
Stabilisation in the Horn of Africa is in Switzerland's interest. It
requires tensions and conflicts between states to be settled through
dialogue and without the use of force. The governance of the individual
states, the IGAD platform and the international community all have a major
role to play in meeting these challenges. IGAD is comprised of the
following member countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea (membership
currently suspended), Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
Received on Fri Mar 21 2014 - 12:11:27 EDT