Visit of Mr. Bert Koenders, Minister for Development Cooperation

The Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation, Mr. Bert Koenders, visited Ethiopia from 24 to 27 October 2009. It was his second visit to Ethiopia since Mr. Koenders took office. The visit’s objective was threefold.

First, to chair the High Level Meeting on Maternal Health - Millennium Development Goal 5, which was hosted by the Ethiopian Minister of Health.

Second, to attend the International Parliamentarians’ Conference on the Implementation of the ICPD (International Conference on Population and Development) Programme of Action, also known as Cairo+15.

Finally, the Minister used the opportunity of his visit not only to expand the good relations between Ethiopia and the Netherlands but also to be informed about the country’s humanitarian situation, in particular regarding food security.  

In that context, Minister Koenders paid a one-day visit to the Somali Regional State, which gave him the occasion for an in-depth discussion of the present situation with regional authorities and local representatives of  international organisations.

Attention was also given to more structural approaches, such as the positive effects of the implementation of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP) at the regional level and the necessity of disaster risk management. Familiarizing himself with the so-called Hubs & Spokes system, the Minister was of the opinion that this new logistical set-up shows significant improvement in food distribution.

With this in mind, the Minister announced an additional contribution of € 2 mln to the PSNP, being an innovative system that will enable farmers affected by drought to take timely measures to better prepare for droughts. In addition, Mr. Koenders donated € 500.000,- to the World Food Programme’s schools meals programme in Ethiopia.

During his meeting with Minister Koenders, Ato Sufian Ahmed, Minister of Finance and Economic Development, expressed his appreciation of the increased Netherlands investments in Ethiopia, such as agrobusiness.

Discussing the global economic crisis and its implications for Africa, in particular for Ethiopia, both Ministers emphasized the importance of the financial sector in all its aspects. At the same time the Netherlands Minister lauded the considerable progress in the field of health and education achieved by Ethiopia.

Meeting the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tekeda, Minister Koenders discussed the upcoming elections as well as regional issues and developments.

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