News / Local
EU delegation in Bulawayo for a week
22 Jan 2012 at 09:02hrs | Views
THE European Union (EU) Delegation to Zimbabwe 'moves' to Bulawayo for one week in a move the 27-member bloc says is intended to allow people of Matabeleland to engage with EU officials.
Ambassador Aldo Dell'Ariccia, The Head of the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe announced in a statement to the media that all its senior staff will 'move to Bulawayo' from the 30th of January to the 2nd of February, 2012 in order to engage with local economic, social and political actors to assert publicly and clearly its commitment to the development of the region as well as to seek insights and ideas for the future prospects of engagement in Matabeleland.
"The EU Delegation will especially aim at a significant qualitative improvement of its linkages with and its understanding of the specific issues of Matabeleland. It will not go there to deliver miracle solutions or exceptional aid packages, but to engage with local actors, listen to them, to better understand needs and challenges and establish a lasting line of dialogue and communication," said Ambassador Dell'Ariccia.
Dell'Ariccia added that the Delegation is committed to an inclusive approach towards supporting Zimbabwe's development. This has been particularly evident since the inception of the current government, with a clear mandate that the EU Delegation has received to support the implementation of the GPA.
In this respect, the EU Delegation has increased alignment to Government's own priorities and has moved -especially in the social sectors but also in food security- towards more predictable assistance.
The Delegation has also engaged in supporting institutions, especially those engaged in implementing essential elements of the GPA provisions: support to COPAC, to constitutional commissions, to prisons and the Electoral Commission.
During its stay in Bulawayo, the Delegation will engage in dialogue with local partners on a number of topical issues during public round tables. It will also monitor the impact and results of the many ongoing interventions supported in Matabeleland through visits to various projects in and around Bulawayo.
During the visit Dell'Ariccia will officially open the "EU corner" at the Bulawayo Public Library and engage with local journalists at a Press Conference.
Ambassador Aldo Dell'Ariccia, The Head of the EU Delegation to Zimbabwe announced in a statement to the media that all its senior staff will 'move to Bulawayo' from the 30th of January to the 2nd of February, 2012 in order to engage with local economic, social and political actors to assert publicly and clearly its commitment to the development of the region as well as to seek insights and ideas for the future prospects of engagement in Matabeleland.
"The EU Delegation will especially aim at a significant qualitative improvement of its linkages with and its understanding of the specific issues of Matabeleland. It will not go there to deliver miracle solutions or exceptional aid packages, but to engage with local actors, listen to them, to better understand needs and challenges and establish a lasting line of dialogue and communication," said Ambassador Dell'Ariccia.
Dell'Ariccia added that the Delegation is committed to an inclusive approach towards supporting Zimbabwe's development. This has been particularly evident since the inception of the current government, with a clear mandate that the EU Delegation has received to support the implementation of the GPA.
The Delegation has also engaged in supporting institutions, especially those engaged in implementing essential elements of the GPA provisions: support to COPAC, to constitutional commissions, to prisons and the Electoral Commission.
During its stay in Bulawayo, the Delegation will engage in dialogue with local partners on a number of topical issues during public round tables. It will also monitor the impact and results of the many ongoing interventions supported in Matabeleland through visits to various projects in and around Bulawayo.
During the visit Dell'Ariccia will officially open the "EU corner" at the Bulawayo Public Library and engage with local journalists at a Press Conference.
Source - radiovop
