Norway signs agreement with the African Union
The Embassy of Norway along with United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands signed 26 March a Joint Financing Agreement with the Afican Union (AU) at their Headquarters in Addis Ababa.
The 5 countries (to be joined by Germany at a later stage), the socalled Pooled Fund Partners, has agreed to fund aspects of the AUs Institutional Transformation Programme and Regional Integration; including a Process Facility, an Integrated Management Information System and VSAT Communication Systems Project. A Framework for Cooperation between the AU and the partners is an integral part of the contract and should facilitate increased efficiency and effectiveness of donor support towards the AUs socio-economic development agenda as envisaged in AUs Strategic Plan. The agreement, which has been negotiated for the last couple of years, will ensure regular, institutionalised dialogue and improve coordination, communication and collaboration between AU and the international partners. Alignment, harmonisation, simplification and streamlining of operational procedures should be enhanced in delivering development assistance to AU.