In the context of the donor conference for Mali taking place in Brussels today, Minister for Development Cooperation Jean-Pascal Labille stated that Belgium would actively support the recovery process in Mali. To this end, Belgium will provide a financial contribution of EUR 17.3 million in 2013 and EUR 14.2 million in 2014.
For Jean-Pascal Labille, this support illustrates our country’s solidarity with the Malian people, who are currently experiencing a very dark time in their country’s history.
The structural vulnerability of the Malian population has now reached an unacceptable level. Nearly 500,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes, basic services are insufficient, and the food situation is growing worse by the day. According to the Minister for Development Cooperation, “it is our duty to assist the Malian people, just as we are coming to the aid of those in eastern Congo and Syria”.
In order to get the Malian economy back on its feet, Belgium will adapt part of its development programme to efficiently contribute to the “Plan for the sustainable recovery of Mali”.
However, this answer to humanitarian needs and immediate action will not be sufficient to definitively rid Mali of instability. A longer-term commitment is essential to achieving this objective, and in this regard it is necessary to be able to count on a stable and democratic partner. Belgium will therefore support the electoral process that will be completed sometime this summer. Jean-Pascal Labille is of the opinion that the restoration of the Malian people’s trust can best be obtained by building a strong, legitimate institution that represents the people of Mali in all their diversity.