ROME, MARCH 31 – During a meeting of of the Italian Joint Committee for Development Cooperation today in Rome, approximately 158 million euros were earmarked for voluntary contributions for International Organizations, including 85 million or the healthcare sector (including 54 to the Global Fund, 24 to GAVI Alliance and 4 to CEPI), 37 million euros for sustainable development and education (including 17 to UN/DESA, 7 to the FAO, 5 to the GPE, 3.2 to CIHEAM/IAMB and 3 to IDLO), and about 27 million euros to the humanitarian sector and to support female empowerment (including 9 to UNHCR, 6 to CICR, 5.2 to UNICEF, 3 to UNFPA and 3 to UN Women). Deputy Minister Marina Sereni presided over the meeting, also attended by the Director General for Development Cooperation, Fabio Cassese and the Director of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Luca Maestripieri.
The meeting was the second of the Joint Committee in 2022. As she opened the working sessions, Sereni stressed the strong humanitarian response by Italy to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the two agreements for cooperation projects she recently signed in Dakar with the Senegal Government for a total amount of 16 million euros. “The Italian Cooperation Service has a strong presence in many countries. We continue to promote the sustainable development of our partners in line with Government approved guidelines. Today we have established the multilateral planning for 2022 with approval by the Committee for most of the voluntary contributions to international bodies”, said Sereni.
A policy statement was also presented on the Migration Fund and Reward Fund by Director General for Italian Citizens Abroad and Migration Policies, Luigi Maria Vignali.
The second Joint Committee annual meeting decided on Italian Cooperation Service contributions for a total value of approximately 180 million euros. Besides the contributions to major International Organizations, about 22 million euros earmarked to carry out multi-bilateral projects in Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans in the areas of food security and social, economic and environmental development. (@OnuItalia)