Remarks by Ambassador Jonathan Pratt of the United States of America
at the Launch of the USAID-funded Civil Society Project
May 23, 2022, at the Sheraton, Djibouti
Mr. Acting Minister of the Interior
Members of the Government
Mr. Mayor of the city of Djibouti
Presidents of the regional councils,
Mr. Representative of the European Delegation,
Mr. Director of USAID/Ethiopia,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am particularly pleased to participate in the official launch of a new 10 million US dollars project funded by the American people through its international development agency, USAID. This project will help strengthen the partnership between the Republic of Djibouti and the United States of America.
Good governance is one of the five objectives of the Djibouti government’s Vision 2035 strategy. The strategy emphasizes the need for a strong civil society and support for vulnerable groups. It also states that the government is committed to creating an enabling policy and legal environment for civil society organizations and to collaborate with organizations to better understand the needs and aspirations of the population. The strategy also identifies the establishment of consultative frameworks as a required component to achieve its good governance objective. The United States supports this vision of participatory governance. This is why we support the government in setting up this project, which brings us together this morning.
I am delighted that The Kaizen Company has brought together nearly 100 people representing all stakeholders of the project for 3 days in a co-creation workshop to reflect together on the challenges of local development and solutions that civil society could contribute to improving the provision of services to people in the five regions of Djibouti.
I am convinced that to meet this challenge, we need to increase citizen participation through a dynamic partnership between local authorities and civil society.
Similar efforts are already underway with funding from several development partners of the Djibouti government. We hope to create a synergy of our efforts to have a multiplier and beneficial effect for the government, civil society, and local populations. I remain hopeful that this project, which is the result of a partnership between the government and USAID through The Kaizen Company, will meet our expectations. I reiterate my government’s commitment to spare no effort in strengthening the partnership between our two countries.
Thank you.
Please read the full remarks in French at : https://dj.usembassy.gov/allocution-de-s-e-m-jonathan-pratt-ambassadeur-des-etats-unis-damerique-au-lancement-du-projet-de-la-societe-civile-finance-par-lusaid/
