A high level delegation of the Executive Boards of six UN agencies concluded a joint field visit to Ethiopia conducted over 10 days between 22 and 31 March. The visit gave members of the delegation an opportunity to learn firsthand how the UN is supporting Ethiopia in achieving its national development objectives and look into ways of making the cooperation even more effective.
The Executive Boards are the governing bodies of the six UN agencies- UN Development Programme, UN Population Fund, UN Office for Project Services, UN Children's Fund, UN Women, and UN World Food Programme.
The 22-member high level delegation from 20 countries held discussions with senior officials of the federal government of Ethiopia as well as the Somali and Tigray Regional States on various issues of development cooperation and humanitarian assistance. The members of the delegation visited development programmes supported by the UN, especially joint programmes, in the Tigray Regional State and humanitarian operations in the Dollo Ado Refugee Camps as well as those in Jigjiga in the Somali Regional State. Meetings were also held with bilateral donors to dialogue on aid coordination and effectiveness.
The members of the delegation presented their observations from their high level discussions with government officials and field visits to UN supported programmes in Tigray and Somali Regions. They commented on the significance of the UN support in the Ethiopian Government's efforts in attaining its national development goals in the context of sustainable development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The members of the delegation were on a similar mission to Djibouti before coming to Ethiopia. Every year, the Executive Boards of the six agencies select a particular country for a joint field visit. Djibouti and Ethiopia were chosen for this year's visit in view of the development challenges facing both countries, including the recent humanitarian situation, the efforts they are making to achieve the MDGs, and the commitment of the UN Country Teams in the two countries to Deliver as One.
