“Continuing our efforts for even greater responsiveness”


By STÉPHANE SÉJOURNÉ,
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs

The Presidential Development Council (CPD), which met on May 5, 2023, confirmed that international solidarity is a priority for France. This Council also approved a methodological change, enabling us to be more agile in response to the increasing number of challenges we face. The Interministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development (CICID) met on July 18, 2023, and defined the broad strategic direction of this response. Divided into ten priorities in the form of practical and measurable policy objectives, it will provide a framework for our actions and those of our operators.

The involvement of Expertise France, as the driving force behind our international technical cooperation work, will be essential if we are to achieve these objectives. In the future, Expertise France will mobilize even more people to represent France, contributing to our international influence by supporting the implementation of public policies and building the capacity of our partners around the world.

By continuing to expand Expertise France, we will be able to develop innovative and practical solutions tailored to the real diplomacy work that we carry out on all continents. In 2023, many projects launched by Expertise France had already provided rapid, efficient, and customized solutions, particularly:

  • in situations of war and crisis, such as the establishment of a mechanism for reconstruction work in Ukraine;
  • relating to the protection of global public goods, including in new areas of intervention such as Papua New Guinea
  • through the implementation of the transformational agenda with Africa, notably through Team Europe initiatives and projects that support entrepreneurship, young people, and the cultural and creative industries.

This year, we will need to continue this work to become even more responsive, efficient, and joined up within Team France, while increasing the visibility of the work we carry out on the ground. To this end, the gradual consolidation of the Expertise France network abroad will enable us to clarify our actions and forge even closer links in the countries in which our experts are based.

I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all Expertise France employees as well as to our experts working in the field. It is through their day-to-day work and the concrete solutions that they help to develop that we are able to support the priorities of our partner countries, conduct our work on solidarity and sustainable investment, and showcase French expertise around the world.

Remarks collected in May 2024.

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