State Secretary Lucić participates in ministerial meeting of HoA Initiative

State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić on Tuesday participated in a ministerial meeting of the Horn of Africa Initiative, held in a hybrid format.

The meeting, organized for the first meeting with the EU, was co-chaired by International Partnerships Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen and Kenyan Finance Minister Ukur Yatani.

Lucić underscored that peace, security and political stability were key preconditions for the Horn of Africa’s overall social and economic development. The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and natural disasters such as drought that hit this region require joint solutions. “The Horn of Africa Initiative represents a useful platform for the promotion of sustainable development, which Croatia contributes to through university scholarship as well as girl and women empowerment programmes,” the state secretary said.

Member states of the Initiative are Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Somalia and Sudan, with the EU, World Bank and African Development Bank as partners. It is envisaged as a political, economic and development forum for linking regional infrastructure, promoting trade and economic integration, as well as strengthening resilience and human development.

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