Date: Fri, 11 Dec 2015 23:06:52 +0100
European Commission - Press release
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EU announces support for poverty eradication in Eritrea
Brussels, 11 December 2015
The European Union today has announced €200 million in new long term
support to promote poverty reduction and socio-economic development in
Eritrea through the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).
The European Union today has announced €200 million of new long term
support to promote poverty reduction and socio-economic development in
Eritrea through the 11th European Development Fund (EDF)
<https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/funding-instruments-programming/funding-instruments/european-development-fund_en>
.
Until 2020, under the National Indicative Programme (NIP), the European
Union will support two main areas - energy and governance. The programme
has the full agreement of the EU's 28 Member States.
Announcing the new programme on behalf of the European Union, European
Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica,
said: *"The EU provides development aid where it is most needed to reduce
poverty and support people. In Eritrea, we have agreed to promote
activities with concrete results for the population, such as the creation
of job opportunities and the improvement of living conditions. At the same
time, we are insisting on the full respect of human rights as part of our
ongoing political dialogue with Eritrea. As in other countries, the EU
engages with governments around the world to promote human rights,
democracy, and people-centred development everywhere. "*
Support to the energy sector
In a country with one of the lowest access rates to electricity, supporting
the energy sector is crucial for the Eritrean people as it will allow
better access to social services, including schools, hospitals and health
centres. The support will also facilitate irrigated agriculture and the
development of the country's considerable fishing potential. A more
efficient energy network will have a broad positive effect on the social
and economic development of Eritrea.
Support to governance
The EU's support for governance is designed with two goals: to strengthen
Eritrean capacity to better manage public finances, and to help Eritrea
implement the recommendations of the Universal Periodic Review (the United
Nations mechanism examining human rights performance of all 193 UN Member
States) <http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/PAGES/ERSession6.aspx>. With
regards to economic governance, support will be given to the production of
reliable statistics, and to help build a conducive environment for the
private sector.
Background:
The National Indicative Programmes represent an important step in the
programming of EU development aid. In 2013, EU Member States agreed on the
overall amount for development cooperation that will be channelled to 78
African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
<https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/african-caribbean-and-pacific-acp-region_en>
through
the 11th EDF during the financing period 2014-2020. The total amount is
€30.5 billion.
On Eritrea's National Indicative Programme, the European Union and the
Government of the State of Eritrea agreed to converge efforts on the most
critical issues for the local socio-economic development in the years up to
2020 - notably energy efficiency and sustainability, and improved
governance.
For more information
DG EuropeAid website: https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/countries/eritrea_en
-- mekete sgab rahwa! awet nHafash ---
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