Meeting under the chairmanship of Deputy Minister Lapo Pistelli, the Steering Committee of the Italian Development Cooperation examined a series of strategic themes that included: updating of DGCS 3-year guidelines and operational approaches with regard to contributions for multilateral and cooperation organisations with the universities. Director General Cantini reported on the discussion yesterday in Paris at the end of the OECD DAC peer review. The DGCS’s communication strategy was also presented and information was provided on preparations for the Italian Cooperation’s participation in the 2015 Milan EXPO. The meeting’s agenda also included 45 reports and proposals for financing.
Approved initiatives
The initiatives approved included two concessional loans for a total of 51.2 million euro earmarked, respectively, for Myanmar (20 million euro for rural development within the framework of the National Community Driven Development Project), and Honduras (31.2 million euro for an irrigation project in the Nacaome Valley, in completion of a major hydraulic infrastructure project launched by the Italian Cooperation in the 1990s that had been suspended). Concessional loans were also approved for the Etimos Consortium for setting up joint firms in Ecuador and Senegal that will operate in the microcredit sector. This is the first application of the substantial innovations introduced over recent months in the regulation of loans to joint ventures in developing countries, with the aim of making credit more accessible and operational in pursuance of art. 7 of Law no. 49/1987.
Response to humanitarian crises
Contributions to the World Food Program of 500,000 euro on behalf of population displacements due to the crisis under way in South Sudan, and of 1.9 million euro for the administration of the UNHRD Humanitarian Aid Depot in Brindisi, are part of Italy’s committed response to humanitarian crises. Another voluntary contribution of 500,000 euro is earmarked for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Committee for assistance and capacity building among the most vulnerable populations in south-central Somalia.
Ahead of the Italian half-year presidency of the EU, the Steering Committee decided to finance a project sponsored by the Concord Italia network to raise public and institutional awareness on themes of development in order to foster a more proactive role in the drafting of positions to be taken in the debate on the post-2015 global agenda.
30 million for the fight against AIDS, TBC and Malaria
In addition to voluntary contributions to multilateral organisations (UNRWA, UNHCR, UNDESA and Biodiversity International), the Steering Committee also decided to approve a contribution of 30 million euro in 2014 to the Global Fund for the Fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This pledge marks the resumption of Italy’s contributing to the Fund thanks to the 2014 Stability Law. In December 2013 Italy announced a pledge of 100 million euro to the Fund over the 3-year span of 2014-2016.
