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The Partnership Policy

The partnership policy for 2013–2018 is a response to the challenges, opportunities and risks of Burkina Faso. The overall objectives for Denmark’s partnership with Burkina Faso are threefold:

  • Contribute to poverty reduction with a focus on inclusive growth, sustainable development, and gender equality while paying special attention to vulnerable groups.
  • Contribute to the creation of a stronger rights-based and inclusive governance framework, paying special attention to human rights – in particular the rights of women, accountability mechanisms, and wide-ranging participation.
  • Contribute to economic growth and employment, paying special attention to employment for youth and women, to green growth and improved land and water resources management, and to reinforced small- and medium scale enterprises for transformation of agricultural products.

The objectives are interlinked. An inclusive governance framework is crucial for poverty reduction, economic growth and reinforced security. Similarly, economic progress is a decisive condition for eradicating poverty and for consolidating social, economic, and political stability.
To achieve the objectives, the partnership will centre on 4 strategic focus areas, which respond to the needs and challenges as outlined in the: “Burkina Faso Strategy for Accelerated Growth and Sustainable Development”, the SCADD 2011–2015, and in Part One above.
Denmark has a number of interconnected instruments at its disposal, in particular policy dialogue, diplomacy, development cooperation, and commercial and business instruments. All of these instruments are important, and the links between the objectives, the instruments, and the strategic focus areas are visualised in the model below

 

  • Democratisation human rights and governance – because consolidated democratic institutions, human rights, public financial management, a transparent and results oriented budget process and the fight against corruption contribute to inclusive growth, social safety, increased stability, and anti-radicalisation in the West African region.
  • Stability and security - because Burkina Faso is situated in an unstable region where external conflicts may spill over and aggravate its own domestic, social and political tensions; because a peaceful and stable Burkina Faso is crucial for peace and stability in the entire region.
  • Agriculture sector led employment and green growth – because 80 pct. of the population depend on agriculture for a living; because Burkina Faso is a resource constrained country that depends on sustainable management of energy-, land-, and water resources because agriculture and green growth have good potentials for improved productivity, diversification, and poverty reduction, including for the poorest, the youth and for women.
  • Gender equality – because the rights of women need to be made equal to the rights of men in order to harvest the huge development potential – not only for the women of Burkina Faso, but also for the benefit of the economic development of the country. 

 

Denmark has a number of interconnected instruments at its disposal, in particular policy dialogue, diplomacy, development cooperation, and commercial and business instruments. All of these instruments are important, and the links between the objectives, the instruments, and the strategic focus areas are visualised in the model below:

Denmark's collaboration with Burkina Faso will be guided by the following four principles:

1. Partnership. Based on a strong partnership with the government of Burkina Faso, the private sector, civil society organisations, and other development partners (bilateral and multilateral) Denmark endeavours to respond to the needs and challenges as outlined in the poverty reduction strategy of Burkina Faso – the strategy for accelerated growth and sustainable development (SCADD, 2011–2015).

2. Rights based approaches. Denmark strives to contribute to empowerment of citizens and civil society to claim their legitimate rights, voice their concerns, and gain influence in decision making processes in all areas of society.

3. Effectiveness. In line with the effectiveness principles of the Paris Declaration, Accra Agenda for Action and the Busan Declaration, Denmark will continue to promote more aligned aid modalities like general budget support, sector budget support, joint assistance strategies, joint programming, basket funds, etc.

4. Regional and global outlook. Foreign affairs and security issues will, first and foremost, be implemented in the framework of the EU External Action Service. Through political dialogue, Denmark will aim at strengthening joint DK-EU-BF values. Denmark will stress that cooperation on national, regional and global issues are highly complementary intervention areas, and that interventions in favour of Burkina Faso’s development cannot be seen in isolation from the regional and global context.