CANADA SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES IN LA FRANCOPHONIE

News Release

November 25, 2004 Ottawa -- The Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of International Cooperation, and Jacques Saada, Minister responsible for La Francophonie, today announced that Canada will commit $27 million for a series of aid initiatives with member countries of La Francophonie. The Ministers made the announcement as part of the Tenth Francophone Summit in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The funds will be provided by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). "Basic education is a priority for Canada and it is part of our strategic support for Mali and Burkina Faso," Minister Carroll said. "These countries will be able to improve the quality of education and maintain social peace, which has been restored but remains fragile. Canada is especially pleased by their efforts to meet budget commitments to education. This Canadian assistance will offer solid encouragement for school management through active community involvement." "These initiatives in Mali and Burkina Faso are examples of Canada's commitment at the Dakar Forum on Education in 2000, and Canada's commitment to Africa at the G8 Summit in Kananaskis in 2002, to quadruple funding for basic education," Minister Saada said from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. "The discussions we are having here at the Francophone Summit confirm that we are indeed making a significant difference with our partners." Canada's contribution to these projects will be allocated as follows: Initiatives in Mali: $17.8 million to support the Government of Mali as it improves the quality of basic education; $6.5 million to Tecsult as it works with the Government of Mali to decentralize management of basic education. This is the first allocation of a previously announced $20 million initiative; $1.5 million to CRC Sogema and Beauchemin International Inc. to help increase access to school textbooks. This is the first allocation of a previously announced $13 million initiative. Initiatives in Burkina Faso: $1.5 million to help the executing agency, Tecsult, provide state-of-the-art expertise to build the capacities of Burkina Faso's Ministry of Basic Education and Literacy so that it can implement its ten-year basic education development plan. This is the first allocation of a previously announced $17.8 million initiative. Also: $500,000 to the Institut de l'énergie et de l'environnement de la Francophonie de l'Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie to support its work on sustainable development. Funding for these initiatives was provided for in the March 2004 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework. - 30 - Information: Andrew Graham Director of Communications Office of the Minister of International Cooperation Telephone: (819) 953-6238 Media Relations Office Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) Telephone: (819) 953-6534 E-mail: info@acdi-cida.gc.ca Web site: www.cida.gc.ca (electronic version of document)

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2016-12-15

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CANADA SUPPORTS DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES IN LA FRANCOPHONIE

News Release

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