Brussels, 21/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The annual meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund provide Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, the opportunity to make an appeal in Washington (21-25 September) for global action to promote dialogue on the urgent need to build disaster resilience. This is an EU priority and co-operation theme shared by the EU and World Bank as part of the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery - GFDRR.
Georgieva will participate in high-level discussions at the “Annual Meetings program of Seminars” jointly organised on this theme by the EU, Japan and the World Bank, in partnership with the United Kingdom's Department for International Development and USAID.
On Wednesday, the commissioner emphasised: “This is an important opportunity to share experience and discuss the huge humanitarian challenges the world is facing, to seek global solutions to global problems and, most importantly, to tighten the bonds between Europe and the rest of the world in the area of humanitarian assistance”. Georgieva will meet the EU country directors of the World Bank, discuss new funding strategies, and on Saturday will address the UN ministerial mini-summit on the humanitarian response to the Horn of Africa crisis.
The EU will contribute up to €60 million to the GFDRR, which set up in 2006 and is managed by the World Bank. (AN/transl.fl)