Pour diffusion immédiate
Djibouti
Remarks by Ambassador Larry E. André,
U.S. Ambassador to Djibouti,
Ali Sabieh, December 23, 2020
Mr. Minister of Economy and Finance,
Mr. Secretary of State, in charge of decentralization,
Mr. Prefect,
Mr. President of the Regional Council,
Madam Representative of UNDP,
Mr. USAID Representative,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I participate today in this ceremony to launch the Rising Djibouti project, for which the American people have contributed $ 2.5 million dollars. This project will support the government’s efforts in the socio-economic recovery of Djibouti post-COVID-19. It was made possible through the partnership between USAID and UNDP.
I would first like to express our admiration to the resilient people of Djibouti and their government for having, on the one hand, significantly reduced the spread of COVID-19 and, on the other hand, for having launched a National Solidarity Pact to respond to the socio-economic challenges of the pandemic. We are very impressed by the success achieved by the Djiboutian government in the fight against this pandemic.
Unfortunately, in addition to the many health consequences that we have witnessed, this pandemic has produced an unprecedented socio-economic crisis in the country. If left unresolved, it would threaten the hard-won development gains of recent years.
The launch of this project comes at a time when the economy of our neighbor, Ethiopia, is likely to slow down due to internal conflict, in addition to the COVID-19 crisis. As the Djiboutian economy is intimately linked to that of Ethiopia, we have a reason to be concerned about the negative consequences of this conflict on the whole region, and in particular on the Djiboutian economy. This could exacerbate the crisis already created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a partner of the Djiboutian people and their government, the United States would like to contribute to your efforts to recover the Djiboutian economy, mitigate the impact of this conflict on the country’s economy, and accelerate the development of Djibouti through dynamic partnerships. This is the meaning of our contribution to the government’s National Solidarity Pact.
In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to reiterate the commitment of the United States of America to strengthen the partnership between our two countries.
Thank you
