The purpose of the Donor Conference is to establish a broader base of donor support for Sierra Leone. It is hoped that by demonstrating real progress in key sectors as well progress on governance, gender issues and peace-building, new donors will consider engaging and existing donors will consider expanding in Sierra Leone.
The Donor Conference will begin on the 18th November with preliminary meetings looking at the key sectors in detail as well as sessions on governance, aid harmonisation and responding to the downturn. These meetings will be for policy, technical and sectoral specialists. More specific timetable information will be provided nearer the date.
The 19th November will be the main day for the Donor Conference and will include key note addresses by the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, HE Ernest Bai Koroma, the UK Minister for International Development and the World Bank Vice President for Africa. This will then be followed by statements and pledges by the delegations.
The key document for the Consultative Group Meeting is the recently launched Agenda for Change, Sierra Leone’s Second Poverty Reduction Strategy. Supporting this will be a set of papers prepared specifically for this conference which will include a new Aid Policy for Sierra Leone, Economic analysis of the impact of the global downturn and details on the funding needs and opportunities by sector.
Additional documents will be the United Nations Joint Vision for Sierra Leone, the Joint Country Assistance Strategy for the World Bank and African Development Bank, UN Human Development reports and other key reference documents.
Any donors looking for further information or wishing to attend should email: enquiries@sierraleoneconference2009.org or contact Mariama Warisay, email: mariamayilla@yahoo.com.