EU to inject $202.7M into Somali development efforts

In the next few years, the European Union will focus its aid to Somalia on strengthening the country’s education, judicial and security sectors.

This was outlined Nov. 3 by Michele Cervone d’Urso, the EU’s new special envoy to Somalia, as he announced a new €158 million ($202.7 million) program for the country.

The aid package will be spent on initiatives to strengthen the country’s judiciary and other relevant state institutions, the police force and the education sector, Reuters reports. Some of the funds will also be used to encourage Somali professionals working abroad to come home.

This funding comes on top of the €212 million the European Union has allocated for Somalia for the period 2008-2013. This package is implemented by U.N. agencies and nongovernmental organizations. The bloc did note recently that it is looking at ways to work with new partners in the country and the region. For his part, the EU envoy said the bloc will ask “implementing agencies to work more closely with the government and civil society.”

The international community, in general, is looking at new ways to work with Somalia in light of recent developments in the country, such as the election in September. Three U.N. agencies, for instance, have drafted a new joint strategy to change how they work in the field.

Read more:

• A new dawn for Somalia

• In Somalia’s transition, foreign aid remains key

• A new beginning for Somalia?

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