Solidarity with Japan

Dédé Ahoefa Ekoué the Minister in charge of Development and Planning, attended a follow-up meeting on MDGs (Millennium Development Goals), on Thursday and Friday in Tokyo, organized jointly by the government of Japan and the United Nations. Participants discussed various strategies to accelerate the completion point.
In this context, Ms. Ekoué presented the framework for accelerating MDG 1 of Togo, elaborated with UNDP support, to enable the reduction of hunger and poverty by helping small farmers to triple their productivity.
Togo's experience is recognized internationally as the best practice that other countries can learn.
The minister made a plea to allow her country to bridge the financial gap of 60% of the total budget.
Designed under the coordination of the Ministry of Planning, the acceleration of MDG 1 is implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.

The UNDP Administrator praised Togo for having extended the MDG framework to other sectors like water, maternal mortality and infant mortality. Dédé Ahoefa Ekoué expressed her gratitude to the many donors who support Togo, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, World Bank, IFAD, FAO, EU, Japan, China, IDB and BADEA, in particular.
She also commended the Government of Japan for its continued commitment to the MDGs and support to developing countries, despite the extent of damage suffered by Japan.
The meeting on the MDGs was the first international meeting in Japan since the devastating tsunami of March 2011, followed by the nuclear disaster. Delegates also visited the city of Sendai, which was the worst affected, to express their solidarity with the survivors.
Ms. Ekoué reiterated to the Prime Minister of Japan, Naoto Kan (photo), who headed the conference, the condolences of the Government and people of Togo to the Japanese people. There, she observed the dynamics of the population, their courage and effectiveness of state services which began rebuilding the devastated areas.
The quake left nearly 25,000 dead and missing.