Claude Maerten, Head of EU Delegation
The European Union (EU) and the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Tuesday held a meeting in Accra to share information on the National Indicative Programme for the period 2014-2020.
The National Indicative Programme is being funded by the European Development Fund and constitutes the largest funding instrument for the Africa-Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Countries and about 323 million Euros has been allocated for the implementation of the programme in Ghana.
Mr. Claude Maerten, Head of EU delegation in Ghana, said the EU is committed to the cause of civil society and has over the years enjoyed a fruitful and successful relationship with CSOs through regular dialogue, consultations and in the implementation of development projects under various funding instruments.
“The European Union through the EU/ACP partnership, under the Cotonou agreement, seeks to promote the involvement of civil society in development cooperation and we also acknowledge that governments are primarily responsible for ensuring and guaranteeing an enabling environment for the participation and involvement of civil society organisations in governance and development processes,” he said.
He said the EU gives value to a dynamic, pluralistic and competent civil society and recognizes the importance of constructive relations between states and CSOs.
“Therefore, the emphasis on the EU policy will be on CSO’s engagement to build stronger democratic processes and accountability systems and to achieve better development outcomes,” he said.
Mr. Maerten said the EU looked forward to an enhanced engagement with civil society in mapping the way forward with government in the implementation of the National Indicative Programme and also in other areas of mutual interest between the EU and civil society.
Mr. Ignacio Burrull, Head of Cooperation at EU, said the programme would witness the implementation of various interventions in three selected areas such as Governance, Agriculture and Social Protection, and that nine million Euros will solely be dedicated to support CSOs.
Mr. Cassiel Forson, Deputy Minister of Finance, said government recognized the important role of CSOs in the design and implementation of policies and programmes.
He said the collaborative efforts would serve as the basis to collectively develop a strategy that would enable Ghana to optimize the use of its resources both external and domestic, to achieve maximum impact and boost government’s efforts to attain the Millennium Development Goals as well as full middle income status.
Source: GNA
