Chargé d’Affaires Mario Fernandez’s Remarks at the Ceremony to Commemorate
the Signature of MOUs with Partner Ministries for USAID’s Project to Support Civil Society Engagement in Djibouti’s Local Development Process
September 13, 2023, at 09:10.
Your Excellencies,
The Minister of Interior,
The Minister of Women and Families,
The Minister Delegate of Decentralization,
The Secretary General of the UNFD,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is an honor to be here today to show the support of the United States to Djibouti’s local development process by signing these memoranda of understanding. Djibouti and the United States share the goal of fostering local development by enabling citizens to collaborate more fully and effectively with the government representatives at all levels.
Development is most effective when it starts at the local level. This project will build the organizational capacity of our partners to engage with their local governments through technical assistance, topical training on issues of concern to citizens’ groups, and other support. Over the course of this project’s four years, we will expect to see greater, more effective engagement between government and civil society.
To all the Regional Council Presidents present here today, thank you for your commitment to the success of this project. Your support is critical to the emergence of an empowered and participatory civil society.
Thank you.
