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Interview with Angélique Kidjo: “Africa needs people like me!”
Angélique Kidjo is a world famous musician and she has been a UNICEF Ambassador for the past five years and also works closely with various development organisations. She shared her convictions on
TRAVERSE. The one cause that she holds closest to her heart and continues to fight for: giving educational opportunities to Africa’s young people.
Benin
Website of the SDC in Benin: www.cooperation-suisse.admin.ch/benin/
 Benin has been an SDC priority country since 1983.
Switzerland focuses its activities on the poorer areas in the north of the country (the Borgou and Alibori administrative regions). The SDC’s aim is to reduce poverty and inequality by helping women,
men, children and institutions to develop their potential through their own efforts. The 2008-2012 Switzerland-Benin cooperation strategy provides for four main areas of activity: decentralisation
and local development, adult literacy, as well as health and economic development in rural areas. Switzerland has also provided general budget assistance and uses the political dialogue with the
government of Benin and with other development cooperation partners to strengthen governance and promote gender equality. The Cotonou Cooperation Office plays an active role in implementing the Paris
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness as well as in coordinating and harmonising international aid. |
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Development Cooperation: Priorities
- Decentralisation and local development: strengthening decentralisation and democratic processes at local level through grass-roots participation in decision-making and monitoring of the public sector; supporting local communities in carrying out their tasks; improving public services that meet people’s needs; general budgetary assistance; supporting government and civil society with planning, implementing and monitoring the national poverty-reduction strategy; strengthening independent media.
- Education and literacy: promoting literacy and education among young people and adults; improving the quality of education; strengthening national adult-education institutions.
- Economic development in rural areas: strengthening the economic players; encouraging markets that function and are also accessible to disadvantaged population groups; supporting entrepreneurs in the agro-pastoral and other areas of production and in the service sector; promoting institutional development at local and national level.
- Health: supporting health-sector players in providing preventive health care for women, men and children; improving the quality of hospital and health-centre services and management, etc.; participating in the development of a community-based health insurance system.
- Gender equality: equal treatment for women and men in political dialogue with the government and with partners in all SDC programmes; including girls in the formal education system (primary school to university.
- Governance: encouraging good governance in political dialogue with the government and with partners in all SDC programmes.
In pursuing its development cooperation activities, the SDC works with the following partners:
- the government of Benin, in particular government offices in charge of activities that are SDC priorities;
- Swiss and local non-governmental organizations;
- local associations of farmers and craftsmen, parents and other groups; other bilateral donor countries, international and multilateral organizations such as the EU, the World Bank and UN organizations.
Background information Benin
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| Source: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2008 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Background information provided by the BBC
Local SDC contact address:
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Benin (Cotonou) |
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Bureau de la Coopération Suisse au Bénin |
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| Phone | +229 213 01468 |
| Fax | +229 213 00896 |
| cotonou@sdc.net | |
| Website | www.cooperation-suisse.admin.ch/benin/ |
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Additional Information and Documents Here, you will find more publications, links, documents and articles about Swiss development cooperation and humanitarian aid in this country. |