FRONTESPIZIO - Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo

2. The ethio-italian cooperation programme with special focus on the health sector 15Health is a fundamental human right. The Italian Development Cooperationworks toward the realisation of this right, with strong commitment in theglobal community and direct technical and financial support to many differentcountries. Ethiopia is one of the priority countries for the ItalianDevelopment Cooperation.The Ethio-Italian Development CooperationOverviewThe Italian Development Cooperation in Addis Ababa coordinates theItalian Government’s assistance programmes for Ethiopia. Currently,Ethiopia is one of the biggest beneficiaries among developing countries thatreceive Italian aid. Between 1981 and 2005, the country was awarded 676million euros in grants.A wide ranging programme of Italian aid, covering areas of fundamental importancefor the wellbeing of the Ethiopian people, is being fully implementedin areas such as health, education, industrial development, and food security& rural development. The ongoing programme, which also includes thepromotion of the private sector as an engine for economic growth, has a globalvalue of about 322.5 million Euros; out of this amount, 220 million Eurosis a soft loan while the rest is a grant.The Government of Italy shares the vision of a strong, healthy, and prosperousEthiopia with the citizens of this country, and therefore, will continue tosupport development initiatives that will put Ethiopians on the right path todevelopment.Historical backgroundThe history of cooperation between Ethiopia and Italy goes back to severaldecades. The first cooperation agreement was signed on April 5 th , 1973 betweenthe government of Italy and the imperial government of Ethiopia.Later, an agreement signed on October 24 th , 1986 between the two countries,led to the establishment of the Italian Development Cooperation office– Technical Cooperation Unit within the Italian Embassy of Addis Ababa.Since then, the development cooperation between Italy and Ethiopia hasbeen strong. For over a decade now, Ethiopia has been topping the list of beneficiarycountries of Italian aid. Italy is one of the main contributors towardthe country’s fight against poverty, supporting important initiatives in educa-