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09 September 2008 South-South Cooperation in Social ProtectionBrasilia - From 25 to 29 of August, twenty-five representatives from the governments of Angola, Mozambique, Ghana,
Kenya, Namibia, and delegates from the African Development Bank, NEPAD and the African Union took part in the Study Tour of
the Africa-Brazil Cooperation Programme on Social Development, a collaborative effort involving the UNDP International Poverty
Centre, the Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger and the UK’s Department for International Development
in Brazil (DfID). The Study Tour had the objective of fostering further cooperation between Brazilian government and the invited countries
in the development of successful social protection policies. The African officials had the chance of presenting their experience in Brasília for an audience of 180 people from different
Brazilian ministries, international organizations and donor agencies in an Opening Seminar entitled ‘Social Promotion and
Protection in African countries’. After the Seminar, the delegations had the chance to better understand the Brazilian experience
with the Bolsa Família Programme, the Single Registry, Food and Nutritional Security Policies, the Single System for Social
Assistance, the work on Monitoring and Evaluation and also the growing effort for income generating policies. After three days of meetings and discussion rounds in Brasília, the delegation undertook field visits in Pernambuco, a
state located in the Northeast of Brazil. In Recife, participants visited various initiatives supported by the Ministry such
as the Cisterns Programme, the Food Acquisition Programme, Community Restaurants, Bolsa Família and a Social Assistance Reference
Centre. The visit was very welcomed by all participants who are now eager to increase cooperation with Brazil and also with their
African counterparts. According to Mr. Sansăo Buque, Director of the Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Women and Social
Action in Mozambique, ‘the mission was very useful because it enabled a great exchange among all the countries involved and
I hope the results of this South-South Cooperation do not take long to come’. After the identification of the demands from each country, the Brazilian government will now engage in bilateral dialogue
for providing technical assistance to the new partner countries. Learn more about the Africa-Brazil Cooperation Programme on Social Protection at: www.undp-povertycentre.org/africa-brazil |
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