Date: October 2010

On October 25-29, the World Bank's Country Office in Ethiopia hosted a visit of the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Economic Relations of the NATO-Parliamentary Assembly. The Sub- ommittee is producing a report on the impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries, and as part of this work asked the World Bank to host a visit to Ethiopia. The NATO-PA sees clear links between global and local security, with the latter being dependent on financial, social and food security – in other words development. The delegation, co-ledby John Sewel, member of the British House of Lords and Hugh Bayley, member of the British House of Commons, visited World Bank supported Productive Safety Net Projects in Tigray, seeing efforts undertaken to reverse environmental degradation and increase food security. MPs from France, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain were also part of the delegation, which met with national and regional Government representatives; the Speaker of Parliament; with Ethiopian
academia, civil society and the private sector; with key donor countries present in Ethiopia, as well as with the African Union.