FRONTESPIZIO - Cooperazione Italiana allo Sviluppo

16 Andrea Senatorition, health infrastructure development, rural development and good governance.Development indicators show that Ethiopia is still one of the poorest countriesin the world. Over the past few years, there have been encouraging socio-economicindicators signaling improvement both in the school attendancerate and the basic health coverage.However, a further effort and commitment on the side of internationaldonors is needed to sustain Ethiopian development. The per capita aid receivedby Ethiopia was only 18.4 USD in 2004 compared to the 32 USD averagefor Sub-Saharan Africa.In response to the severe situation the country faces, the EthiopianGovernment is committed to effective development and poverty reductionexpressed in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP. The latest, 2006-2010, named PASDEP, Plan for Accelerated and Sustained Development toEnd Poverty).The Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper has become a blue print for channellingaid by donors. It also help to harmonise and integrate the efforts putforth by international bodies toward the goals set by the document.The Ethio-Italian Country ProgrammeThe ongoing Country Programme of the Italian Development Cooperationin Ethiopia is designed within the framework of Ethiopian PovertyReduction Strategy Paper (PRSP). It was signed in Addis Ababa on June 21 st ,1999 by the Ethiopian Ministry of Finance and Economic Development andthe Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.In conjunction with the main multilateral organizations and donors countries,Italy has introduced innovative approaches within the ongoing countrycooperation programme with Ethiopia. A good example is the Italian sectoralcontribution to the health and education sectors. This kind of financing, bymaking adequate technical assistance available and by supervising accomplishedresults, allows Ethiopia to harmonize the external funds by whichboth education and health sectors are financed.Currently Italy is supporting Ethiopia in areas of education, health,HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria, infrastructure, private sector, women and children,rural development & food security, good governance & capacity building.channels.