During the Chamber debates on Luxembourg’s cooperation policy, Xavier Bettel had to wear his two hats on Wednesday morning: that of the minister in charge of the portfolio and that of Minister of Foreign Affairs. After all, cooperation (formerly development aid) with other countries is also influenced by the uncertain global situation.
This is not only about the impact of disputes and conflicts around the world, but also about maintaining open cooperation with the authorities in target and partner countries.
As the political climate and security situation in several partner countries have deteriorated, Luxembourg has been forced to end a number of programs and to close embassies and offices of LuxDev (Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation). However, partnerships with other countries have been further strengthened. Xavier Bettel highlighted Cape Verde as a country with a strong and stable democracy.
In Asia, the minister emphasized cooperation with Laos and Mongolia. Initial steps toward partnership in development cooperation have been taken or are planned with Malawi and Zambia. In Asia, this also applies to Cambodia.
Last year, Luxembourg allocated 123 million euros for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Xavier Bettel pointed out that Ukraine will need support even after the war ends. It should not be forgotten that the civilian population suffers the most from Russian attacks. This also applies to the Gaza Strip, with its massive destruction.
In crisis areas, our country is able to provide rapid and efficient assistance. Following natural disasters such as in Jamaica, Madagascar, or Vietnam, Luxembourg was among the first on the ground. With the Emergency.lu platform, which provides satellite communication capacities for humanitarian aid, we enable communication between humanitarian partners where it would otherwise not be possible.
Addressing critics of Luxembourg’s cooperation, Xavier Bettel recalled, at the end of his speech at the Krautmaart, the times when Luxembourg was a poor country and itself needed help.
Today, the country is proud of its innovative, trustworthy, and respectful development cooperation, which again accounted for just over 1% of its gross national income (GNI) last year. Luxembourg is one of only four countries in the world that exceeds the United Nations’ recommended threshold of 0.7% of GNI.
