Brussels, 22/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Union will host an international conference in Brussels (Borschette Centre) during the morning of Tuesday 26 May to support the sustainable recovery of the Central African Republic (CAR), which has been in the grip of an unprecedented conflict since March 2013.
The conference - From relief to resilience - will be attended by Interim President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba-Panza. It is being organised jointly by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica and European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides.
The participants will focus on the humanitarian stakes and on the medium-term recovery of the CAR, where the state, economic and social structures need to be fully rebuilt. The country is committed to a process of reconciliation to enable the state's authority to be re-established - but the situation remains worrying.
Nearly a year after its launch, the initial results and outlook of the EU multi-donor trust fund for the CAR will be presented. The fund is known as Bekou (meaning “hope” in Sangho, the country's main language) and started off with €64 million (see EUROPE 11166).
The conference will be an opportunity for the sponsors to explore the possibilities of contributing more to the short-term humanitarian needs and to the sustainable recovery of the CAR.
The ministers from the three member states that contributed financially with the European Commission to setting up the Bekou Fund in July 2014 will also attend the conference - French Secretary of State for Development and the French-speaking World Annick Girardin, German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller and Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Lilianne Ploumen. Representatives from international organisations, such as the United Nations, and NGOs will also attend. (Aminata Niang)