The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted today the first annual meeting of the Joint Committee for Development Cooperation, chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Luigi Di Maio, in the presence of Deputy Minister Emanuela Del Re.
The Joint Committee approved a set of initiatives worth over 125 million euros. Among these, 87 million Euros of voluntary contributions to international organizations, including 28 million Euros to the GAVI, the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization; 13 million Euros are allocated to the Covid-19 Fund for initiatives promoted by Civil Society Organizations; about 24 million Euros are allocated to cooperation initiatives in Middle East, Asia and Europe.
In his introductory speech, Minister Di Maio underlined “the praiseworthy commitment of women and men of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic-consular network, who worked in a scenario of uncertainty due to the current pandemic, to protect our compatriots, our companies and the Italian presence in the world in general, even in the most difficult contexts”.
“Italy wants to continue to be an authoritative protagonist in the search for concerted solutions in response to new global challenges” – concluded the Minister – “I am convinced that our position in the world gained through development cooperation was one of the reasons why we received widespread help and solidarity from our friends around the world during the pandemic “.