European Union and UNIDO sign an agreement to foster employment opportunities and economic growth in Sudan
European Union and UNIDO sign an agreement to foster employment opportunities and economic growth in Sudan
Source : UNIDO
14-Mar-2017
Ambassador Jean-Michel Dumond, Head of Delegation of
the European Union to Sudan (EU) and Khaled El Mekwad, Representative of
the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), have
signed an agreement to implement a project to foster employment
opportunities and economic growth in Sudan.
The
project is funded by the European Union through the EU Trust Fund for
Africa, and its Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP) in
the Horn of Africa, in which Sudan participates. The RDPP is one of the
flagship initiatives within the broader “Valletta Action Plan” - a
result of the Valletta Summit on Migration, held in the capital of Malta
in November 2015 - which reiterates the EU’s strong commitment in
addressing the root causes of displacement and irregular migration from
Africa to Europe. The EU will provide €3m to the newly signed project.
UNIDO
will implement the project over a period of three years by enhancing
employment opportunities and stimulating entrepreneurship for migrant
youth, refugees, asylum seekers and members of host communities in
Khartoum State, Sudan. The project will benefit from demand-oriented
skills development programmes involving technical vocational training,
small business development and legal protection. The intervention is
intended to provide alternatives to primary and secondary movements of
migrants and refugees and enhance self-reliance opportunities. Special
attention will be given to youth and women IDPs and migrants from
Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan and other neighbouring countries.
Ambassador
Jean-Michel Dumond said: “This project will train youth, adult migrants
and refugees with competitive technical and soft skills to enable them
to find future jobs. The trainees will benefit from new opportunities to
engage in decent work, entrepreneurship and lifelong learning. It will
open new windows for them and will help in the eradication of poverty
and with decreasing the unemployment levels.”
The
EU Ambassador stressed that "through employment and learning we are
addressing the root causes for migration and we encourage other
countries to take an inclusive and people-centred approach to
migration."
Khaled El Mekwad, UNIDO
Representative, said, "This project is part of the Industrial
Modernization Programme for Sudan initiated by UNIDO in 2013. Through
vocational training and private sector support, we are trying to develop
the new training skills demanded by the local and regional job markets,
as well as skills for self-employment. This will ultimately contribute
to poverty reduction and the creation of sustainable sources of
livelihoods and development."