Introduction
While keeping an eye on the deteriorating security and political landscape, Luxembourg has continued its commitment to health, human rights and regional governance, particularly in West Africa and the Sahel.
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In the field of health, Luxembourg has strengthened its commitment to combating communicable diseases. The Senegalese NGO ENDA Santé, in partnership with the Luxembourg Institute of Health, the Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg, Luxembourg’s Laboratoire National de Santé and the Luxembourgish NGO Stop AIDS Now/Access, is continuing to improve access to diagnostics and treatment for those infected with sexually transmitted diseases in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. As part of the fight against HIV/AIDS, the FEVE IMPULSE project, also implemented by ENDA Santé, completed its second year of operation in 2023.
Luxembourg has maintained its commitments to the partnership for universal health coverage implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO). The programme aims to strengthen the capacity of more than 125 beneficiary countries to develop and implement robust and comprehensive health policies, strategies and plans that promote universal health care to ensure access to high-quality and affordable care for all. Technical support from Luxembourg for this programme is provided by experts deployed in WHO offices in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Cabo Verde and Laos.
In addition, Luxembourg supports the project “Strengthening Capacity on Implementation Research in French-speaking West Africa”, part of the WHO’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (Tropical disease research, TDR). In order to meet the high demand for public health training in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa, the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar was selected as part of the TDR’s “Postdoctoral Training Programme”. The University of Science, Techniques and Technology of Bamako (USTTB) in Mali is also associated with the project.
In terms of food safety, support from Luxembourg via the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is boosting the response capacity of the bodies in charge of street food health surveillance while improving the quality of food in Senegal, in Burkina Faso and, since 2023, in Mali (2022-2025; EUR 1.9 million).
In 2023, Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation also targeted the implementation of human rights protection projects, with a focus on human rights defenders. A project implemented by the NGO Front Line Defenders started in 2023 (2023-2025; EUR 1.1 million), with the aim of providing practical solutions to human rights defenders at risk in Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Rwanda and Benin through individual protection or relocation support, as well as training. Since 2023, the NGO International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) has been implementing a project (2023-2025; EUR 300,000) seeking to protect human rights defenders, primarily through legislative work in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Mali, Niger and Senegal to strengthen the laws and systems that protect freedom of expression, association and assembly.
In terms of governance, in 2023 Luxembourg joined a Team Europe Initiative (TEI) entitled “ICT Policy & Regulation — Institutional Strengthening” (iPRIS), which aims to support a regulatory environment that facilitates electronic communications and information and communication technologies to improve connectivity for all in sub-Saharan Africa. The Luxembourg Regulatory Institute (ILR) is one of the implementing partners.
Also in the area of governance, assistance of EUR 160,000 from Luxembourg in 2023 enabled the House of Training/ATTF to deliver training in the financial and banking sector, in collaboration with the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). Luxembourg also supports the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Regional Technical Assistance Centre in West Africa, which organises seminars and immersion sessions to train officials from participating countries in public finance and good governance.
Luxembourg also maintains a special relationship with the Sahel office of the International Crisis Group (ICG), enabling it to strengthen its analysis of political and security developments in the Sahel region (2022-2024; EUR 600,000).
Finally, Luxembourg confirmed its substantial commitment to the development of the Sahel region, and in particular to the Sahel Alliance, which it joined in March 2018, by making a financial contribution of EUR 200,000 to the organisation’s coordinating body for the 2024-2025 period.