Equatorial Guinea Committed to Achieving Millennium Development Goals

Renewed Global Cooperation Will Overcome Set Backs From Global Economic Crisis

NEW YORK, Sept. 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaking at the Sixty-Fifth General Assembly of the United Nations, Equatorial Guinea's (República de Guinea Ecuatorial) Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Francophonie, Pastor Micha Ondo Bile, outlined the progress his country has been making toward meeting the UN's goals as well as made a call for optimism in overcoming the challenges currently being faced by all nations.

(To read Minister Ondo Bile's remarks in their entirety, visit: http://qorv.is/elb)

"The global recession has complicated the way toward 2015, but we must not lose sight of the important and in some cases, significant progress achieved so far by some countries," said Minister Ondo Bile.

Minister Ondo Bile, speaking on behalf of President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo who could not attend the UN session due to official duties, detailed numerous activities the Government of Equatorial Guinea has taken, such as the creation of the Social Development Fund  with assistance from the Agency for International Development of the United States of America (USAID). The Fund's main objective is to improve social services and provide needed human resources training.

"The financing of this fund is secured with funds of the Government, and an amount of $15 million has already been made available to USAID for technical assistance, and the Government has committed to allocate another $72 million the first phase of implementation of concrete projects…representing 0.8% of GDP according to reliable IMF data sources," Minister Ondo Bile said.

In addition to such internal investment, Equatorial Guinea has also been contributing substantial financial allocations to the development of activities to promote sustainable human development, including: $3 million UNESCO Prize for research in life sciences, and the African Union for implementation of the Pan-African Center for Science, Technology and Innovation worth $3.6 million.  

"The Millennium Development Goals are to the Republic of Equatorial Guinea a serious commitment to sustainable development," Minister Ondo Bile said. "It is for this reason that my Government has taken a series of economic, legislative, legal and administrative measures to enforce the implementation of the Millennium Declaration."

About Equatorial Guinea

The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (República de Guinea Ecuatorial) is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. In the late-1990s, American companies helped discover the country's oil and natural gas resources, which only within the last five years began contributing to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa. The country will host the 2011 Summit of the African Union. For more information, visit http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com.

This has been distributed by Qorvis Communications, LLC on behalf of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea. More information on this relationship is on file at the United States Department of Justice, Washington, DC.

SOURCE Republic of Equatorial Guinea

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