Strengthening Bilateral Cooperation between Monaco and Madagascar
Within a framework of bilateral cooperation between the Principality and Madagascar, a Monegasque delegation headed by the Minister of State, Serge Telle, and Government Counselor -Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Gilles Tonelli, made a working visit to Madagascar from November 22 to December 2, 2016.
For more than ten years, Madagascar has been a privileged country in terms of a cooperation policy developed by the Government of Monaco.
In parallel to the 16th Summit of the “Francophonie” held in the Malagasy capital on November, 26 and 27, the Monegasque delegation significantly strengthened the ties between the two countries through the signature of four cooperation agreements and meetings with the partners concerned.
On 25 November, the Monegasque delegation was received by the Minister of Public Health in the presence of World Health Organization members. A framework agreement signed by Serge Telle and Professor Lalatiana Andriamanarivo, Minister of Public Health of Madagascar, is called to improvean access to a quality care in public hospitals for the most vulnerable populations.
Two days earlier, on November 23, Gilles Tonelli and Dr. Seth Berkley, Executive Director of GAVI, signed a cooperation agreement whereby the Government of Monaco agreed to allocate 550.000 euros to this international organization to ensure a better vaccination coverage for children living in the world’s poorest countries.
Finally, two more cooperation agreements were signed: one with “Alliance Française” aiming to improve an access to the education, French language and to bridge a digital divide. And another one with the NGO “GRET” aiming at supporting a nutritional education program in poor urban areas.
In addition to signing these cooperation agreements, the Monegasque delegation met with all its partners working in the field of combating sickle-cell anemia and malaria, providing for street children, promoting Food security and supporting persons with disabilities. Namely,the Pasteur Institute, the World Food Program and Médecins du Monde, as well as many local NGOs which perform a remarkable work under very difficult conditions, as the country has been experiencing a crisis since 2009. Within this context, Monaco is also committed to support Malagasy civil society in its innovative partnership with the European Union.
The Monegasque delegation was represented by:
– Mr. Serge Telle, Minister of State
– Mr. Gilles Tonelli, Government Advisor – Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation,
– Ms. Bénédicte Schutz, Director of International Cooperation,
– Mrs. Sophie Robin, Program Manager at the Directorate of International Cooperation,
– Mrs. Bérengère Andriamialison, National Coordinator for the Directorate of International Cooperation in Antananarivo.
