Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will travel to South Korea next week for a four-day official visit at the invitation of President Lee Myung-bak, the South Korean presidential office said today.
The Prime Minister will attend the three-day High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness to be held in Busan, Korea from next Tuesday.
According to Korean media, the two leaders will hold summit talks on Monday to discuss a wide range of issues including development cooperation, trade, education, cultural exchanges and peninsular security. The Ethiopian Premier will also meet with Korean local business leaders on Tuesday.
PM Meles Zenawi is expected to arrive in Seoul on Monday. President Lee made the invitation during his visit to Ethiopia for a state visit last July.
In the Busan 2011 summit, ‘ministers from across the globe, from both developing and donor countries, government representatives, parliamentarians, civil society organisations and private sector representatives will come together for the Fourth High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness at the Bexco convention centre in Busan, Korea, from 29 November to 1 December 2011’, a brief note on aideffectiveness.org indicates.
It notes that:
Approximately 2000 delegates will review global progress in improving the impact and value for money of development aid and make new commitments to further ensure that aid helps reduce poverty and supports progress in meeting the Millennium Development Goals.
Participants will: assess global progress in improving the quality of aid against the agreed commitments; share global experiences in delivering the best results; and agree on a Busan Outcome Document to further enhance efforts globally and within countries to make aid more effective in reducing poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals.
The Website claims that:
Partner countries across four continents have provided input through regional workshops and an online consultation, which will help to fuel discussion and action at the political and technical levels throughout 2011.
A first draft of the Busan Outcome Document has been prepared. This was discussed at the July meeting of the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness. The Outcome Document will be further discussed and developed and will be finalised at the Busan Forum itself.
Source: Korea herald and Yonhap News and Aid effectiveness.org
Very informative! Let’s hope they can come together to help maintain the good aid organizations are already doing and develop creative solutions to create sustainable development.