December 22, 2021

The Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Industry H.E. Mr. Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, the Minister of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Livestock in charge of Fisheries Resources H.E. Mr. Mohamed Ahmed Awaleh, and the Representatives of the United Nations System in Djibouti, namely Mr. Eric Overvest, UN Resident Coordinator in Djibouti, Ms. Emma N'Gouan-Anoh, UNDP Resident Representative and Mr. Pissang Tchangai. Eric Overvest, Resident Coordinator p/i of the UN in Djibouti, Ms. Emma N'Gouan-Anoh, Resident Representative of UNDP and Mr. Pissang Tchangai, Resident Representative of FAO participated in a field visit this Wednesday, December 22, 2021 on the occasion of the official launch of the project entitled "Women's Economic Empowerment for Climate Resilience for an Inclusive and Greener Post-COVID-19" financed by the Multi-Partner Trust Fund.

The United Nations Multi-Partner Trust Fund for HIV and AIDS Response and Recovery (UNVID-19 MPTE) is a United Nations inter-agency funding mechanism launched by the Secretary-General to support low- and middle-income countries to overcome the crisis caused by the HIV and AIDS pandemic. It aims to provide assistance to those most vulnerable to the economic challenges caused by the crisis, particularly women who are most at risk of social disruption and loss of livelihoods.

Drawing on the expertise of the various UN agencies and their ability to act together in the context of the "One UN" reform, the MPTF COVID-19 helps fund the three objectives of the UN Secretary-General's appeal for solidarity, namely, advocacy for global action to stop the pandemic and the suffering it has caused. The objectives of the appeal are to address the health emergency; to focus on social impact, response and economic recovery; and to help countries recover better.

In Djibouti, in order to support the economic empowerment of women from poor and marginalized communities affected by COVID-19, this project, implemented by UNDP and FAO, focuses specifically on women-owned agricultural cooperatives in different regions of the country.

The official launch of the project on Wednesday, December 22 in Attar is an opportunity for H.E. the Minister of Economy and Finance in charge of Industry, the Minister of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Livestock in charge of Fisheries Resources, the UNDP representative and the FAO representative to meet with the women of the Attar agricultural cooperative who have just completed training under this project and to participate in the handover of agricultural inputs and equipment for the continuation of their activities.

Among the main achievements is a partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Fisheries and Livestock, in charge of Fisheries Resources for training in agricultural techniques for 371 smallholders including 231 women from 16 agricultural cooperatives in the region of Arta, Ali Sabieh and Dikhil. The trainings ended in mid-December, all beneficiary cooperatives will receive tools, production inputs and agricultural equipment to improve their production, as well as irrigation systems drip. This will strengthen their autonomy and accelerate the revival of rural economic activities. The project also plans to support all cooperatives by facilitating their access to the market.

This joint program is made possible by contributions from the United Nations Intervention and Recovery Fund, financed by the governments of the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, the Republic of Korea, Finland, New Zealand, Croatia, Iceland, Thailand, the Slovak Republic, Cambodia, Austria, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Romania and Portugal.