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Development aid from the European Commission
On-going,
mostly multi-year EU-funded programmes in Somaliland currently amount to
approximately €62 million. There are 63 projects ongoing: 27 projects in
the governance sector amounting to €21.9 million; 13 projects in the
education sector, amounting to €11.2 million; 13 projects in support to
economic growth amounting to €15.1 million; and 9 projects worth €8.5
million in other sectors (health, water and sanitation) and EU Flight
Operations worth €5.3 million.
EU
support to governance and security
The
Interpeace-implemented Democratization programme (different components
worth a total a total €3.4 million) supported the delivery of a free and
fair presidential election which was held in Somaliland in June 2010.
The EU contributed to half of the costs of the elections. Currently, the
project enhances and further consolidates the institutional and
professional capacities of the National Electoral Commission and
provides substantial technical assistance to support parliamentary and
local elections to be held in Somaliland.
Support to
the legislative Sector in Somaliland: through the Association of
European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) the EU offers training,
workshops, seminars and study visits for parliamentarians and
parliamentary staff with the objective to create an environment that
fosters knowledge sharing of the democratic process. The programme
(worth €1.26 million) has been actively supporting legislative
institutions since 2004. It has also provided equipment and built a new
plenary hall for Somaliland’s parliament in Hargeysa that was
inaugurated in 2011.
EU
support to education
The EU
‘Education Programme’ aims at contributing to the development of a
sustainable, cohesive education system through the provision of relevant
services to the entire population. The Somaliland Ministry of Education
is supported with training and technical assistance. Access to primary
and secondary education is improved through the construction and
rehabilitation of schools and the training of new teachers; and
Somaliland youth have a better chance of finding jobs through vocational
education and training.
More than
an estimated 80 percent of Somalilanders are currently illiterate. With
EU support, around 180,000 adults and children in Somaliland have been
trained since 2008 and have been given the opportunity of an education.
EU support to this sector amounts to €36 million (Somaliland component)
over a 6-year period.
The
Accelerated Primary Education Support Programme: implemented by a
consortium of NGOs, the programme (worth €2.1 million) increases access
to quality primary education for school age children (including girls)
from poor and marginalized communities. Key results of this programme so
far include the construction and refurbishment of 90 new permanent
classrooms in formal schools and training centers, the renovation of 40
classrooms already existing and the review and update of text books and
curricula in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education and
training for 70 head teachers on inclusive and gender sensitive planning
and management of schools.
EU
support to health
Safe
Motherhood in Hargeysa: 972 mothers delivered their babies safely in
health facilities supported through the EU-funded Health Poverty Action
(HPA) project. This is an extraordinary accomplishment in a context
where more than half of pregnant women deliver without the presence of a
trained health worker and face the risk of death or disability due to
pregnancy-related complications. Up until 2009, there was no functional
hospital referral system for obstetric emergencies in Somaliland. With
EU funding (€2,1 million) HPA successfully established a maternity
referral system including free transportation and free obstetric health
services for indigent mothers in Hargeysa and has helped more than 2,800
mothers since its inception. In 2010, HPA developed and aired 13 radio
programmes on positive health seeking behavior. The uptake of modern
family planning devices is also on the increase. This is a result of
sustained efforts to promote health education through radio programmes,
outreach theatre as well as counseling by trained nursing staff.
Training
Human Resources for Health: implemented by the Tropical Health and
Education Trust in partnership with Kings College Hospital in London,
this project (worth €585,000) provides training to health professionals
addressing the human resource development needs of the health sector and
effectively contributing to saving lives. 31 medical students have been
assisted with skills-based, interactive and participative teaching
tools. It is also expected that almost 500 students enrolled in the
academic year 2010-11 will benefit from effective training methodologies
and clinical development in areas of need.
The EU
and the Millennium Development Goals
Adopted by
world leaders in the year 2000 and set to be achieved by 2015, the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) provide a framework, both global and
local, for the entire international community to work together towards a
common end: making sure that human development reaches everyone,
everywhere. Despite the inherent difficulties, Somaliland can already
report considerable achievements which are the result of EU-funded
initiatives in the period 2004-2010:
MDG 1
Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger
almost
10,000 Somalilanders benefitted from technical and vocational education
and training
35,580 Somalilanders targeted with unconditional cash transfers
MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
13,000 primary school teachers were trained and of these 4,000 were
fully certified
100 schools were built or rehabilitated
75,000 pupils were enrolled in primary education (with a ratio of 6:4 of
boys and girls)
MDG 3: Promote Gender Equality & Empower Women
7,800 new female students were enrolled in secondary education
60 scholarships were awarded in Somaliland for female trainees
MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality & MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health
3,700 births were attended by skilled health personnel
101,000 consultations took place on reproductive health
MDG 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability
600,000 Somalilanders benefited from improved drinking water
300,000 Somalilanders benefited from training and various activities of
awareness raising for improved hygiene and sanitation
EU support to economic development
The EU supports agriculture and livestock production and marketing.
It also promotes initiatives aimed at reducing unemployment and
underemployment in urban areas through labor-intensive infrastructure
projects and job creation. Interventions mobilize local expertise and
labor potential by contracting small and medium-sized enterprises and,
with that, promote private sector development in various fields
including energy, electricity and water services. EU-funded projects
also support Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) as supplementary and
innovative means in the provision of public services.
An
Irrigation project (worth €2.5 million) in the Awdal Region (Somaliland)
will start in July 2011, implemented by the Food and Agriculture
Organization. The project aims to raise agricultural productivity and
net incomes of poor rural households in Somaliland by providing an
integrated package of support covering irrigation, agricultural advisory
services, marketing and post-harvest support and technical assistance in
the framework of private-led economic development.
The Somali
Animal Health Services project (worth €1.5 million) provides training
and technical assistance to various institutions in Somaliland which
provide animal disease surveillance. The project helped developing the
Somaliland Veterinary Code and trained staff in the use of commercially
produced rapid diagnostic test kits for key trade limiting animal
diseases.
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