The Honourable Julian Fantino,
Minister of International Cooperation and the Embassy of Israel in Canada are
pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on
International Development Cooperation between Israel’s Agency for International
Development Cooperation (MASHAV) and the Canadian International Development
Agency (CIDA). This agreement marks another step forward in the commitment by
both countries to international development and the strong bilateral ties
between Canada and Israel.
“Canada and Israel share a bond of
friendship and are allies in the democratic family of countries. CIDA is proud
to strengthen our cooperation with MASHAV given our common international
development objectives,” said Minister Fantino. "Through greater cooperation
between our two agencies and our shared commitment to helping those most in
need around the world, Canada and Israel are contributing to a more secure and
prosperous world.”
The objective of the agreement is to
strengthen cooperation in order to foster economic and social development in
developing countries with a focus on poverty reduction that is consistent with
the principles of sustainable development, the promotion of democracy and the
protection of human rights. The agreement establishes a framework for
cooperation activities that include policy dialogue, enhanced institutional
connections, and joint programming/project coordination.
Prior to signing the agreement in
Ottawa, Ambassador Daniel Carmon, Head of MASHAV, stated: “This agreement adds
an important ingredient to the close bilateral ties between Canada and Israel.”
He added, “Working together we can face—side-by-side—global challenges in
development and accomplish our goals in poverty eradication, public health,
agriculture, water management, and the empowerment of women in the developing
world.”
In an op-ed in the National Post, Ambassador Carmon went into more detail about the agreement and Israel's exeprience transforming itself from a developing to a highly-developed OECD country:
http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/full-comment/blog.html?b=fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/12/18/daniel-carmon-for-the-developing-world-israeli-lessons-in-innovation
"Through partnerships with other developed countries, such as the agreement we signed with Canada, Israel looks forward to an exciting future for international development — a future in which like-minded countries can collaborate and share expertise and innovation to work with the developing world and bring about a lasting, sustainable improvement in health, education, gender equality, economy, and society as a whole."