L-R: Christophe Schiltz; Franz Fayot; Manuel Tonnar;
Credit: MAEE
Luxembourg and Cape Verde signed yesterday a new Indicative Cooperation Programme (ICP), covering the period 2021-25.
On Wednesday 8 July 2020, the 20th Partnership Commission between Cape Verde and Luxembourg took place via video conference. Luxembourg's Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Franz Fayot, and Cape Verde's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Communities and Defence, Luis Filipe Tavares, co-chaired the event, which saw the agreement of a new ICP.
This fifth ICP between the two countries aims, on the one hand, to capitalise on the previous interventions of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation and, on the other hand, to implement the pan-governmental approach, or even "country approach”, included in Luxembourg's 2018-23 government programme. Given that among its partner countries, relations with Cape Verde are the most diverse to date, the archipelago had been selected as a pilot country to implement this innovative approach, aimed at strengthening coherence and synergies between development actions and other policy areas.
The objectives of the ICP “Development-Climate-Energy” (DCE) place it at the service of poverty eradication and sustainable development and will continue to prioritise the development of quality basic social services, social inclusion and the reduction of regional inequalities while strengthening support for Cape Verde in the areas of climate governance and energy transition. The IPC DCE is thus structured around five priority axes, namely employment and employability, water and sanitation, local development, climate action and the energy transition.
Luxembourg's Minister for Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Franz Fayot, highlighted the excellent relations between the two countries: “I am delighted with the signing of this 5th indicative cooperation programme, symbol of a fruitful partnership and of the deep friendship that exists between Cape Verde and Luxembourg".
The total indicative budget for the IPC DCE is around €78 million for the period from 2021 to 2025. While respecting the principle of additionality of Luxembourg official development aid, this new generation IPC introduces an innovation within the Luxembourg Development Cooperation in the sense that the objectives to be achieved will be financed both through the Development Cooperation Fund, placed under the authority of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, and the Climate and Energy Fund, under the supervision of the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, in consultation with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Energy and Spatial Planning.
