Djibouti is one of the smallest countries in Africa. It covers an area of 23,200 square kilometers and is home to a population of about 864,617. As in other small states, the size of Djibouti’s economy limits its ability to diversify production and increases its reliance on foreign markets, making it more vulnerable to external market downturns and hampering access to external capital. With less than 1,000 square kilometers of arable land (0.04 percent of the country’s total land area) and an average annual rainfall of only 130 millimeters, Djibouti depends completely on imports to meet its food needs.[1]
Strategically located at the southern entrance to the Red Sea, Djibouti forms a bridge between the Middle East and Africa. The country is adjacent to some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
The Republic of Djibouti is a transit country for migrants coming in particular from Ethiopia, Somalia and Yemen and who mainly move in the direction of the Gulf countries or secondly try to travel to Europe. To add to this, we are witnessing a continuous movement of the rural population towards the capital, as a result of the consequences of the drought in the country. Djibouti is also a country that hosts a significant number of refugees, for a total number registered by UNHCR at the end of 2017 of 27,296 (51% men and 49% women).
Djibouti has enjoyed rapid and sustained growth over the past fifteen years with per capita GDP increasing by 3.1 percent on average per annum in 2001-2017. Despite the growth however, an estimated 16 percent of the population lived below the international poverty line of US$1.90 per day in 2017. The most recent official national extreme poverty rate, calculated using a survey conducted in 2017, stood at 21.1 percent.[2]
[1] Source: World Bank, Djibouti Overview, April 2019, https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southsudan/overview
[2] Source: World Banl, Djibouti Overview, April 2019, https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/southsudan/overview
initiatives
The priorities of the Italian Cooperation in Djibouti are mainly humanitarian, with the provision of basic health services and the protection of the most vulnerable part of the population as key sectors of intervention.
Italy is present in the Country since 1980, focusing on professional trainings as well as management and expansion of the health services provided by Balbala’ Hospital, which is today the reference health centre of one of the poorest areas of Djibouti city. The initiative entailed a considerable investment over three years (about 20 MEUR), leading to a significant improvement in the provision of basic health services. Moreover, Italy participates in the debt conversion and restructuring initiative in favor of the Republic of Djibouti.
In order to tackle the issues concerning the operation and efficiency of the health services of the Balbala’ Hospital in a systematic and integrated manner, Italy finances the initiative “Improvement of the quality of the health services of the Balbala Hospital” with a specific focus on maternal and child health, as a continuation of the project “New Hospital Balbala’” with a view to ensuring the improvement of the quality of the services offered by the hospital. Furthermore, through the initiative “Strengthening Child Protection Systems for Children on the Move in Djibouti”, the objective of the initiative is achieved through advocacy activities aimed to strengthen the legal and policy framework in support of minors on the move and other vulnerable minors. In addition, priority is given to the training of workers in the social as well as and minor protection sector, and to the setup of an improved system of traceability and referral of minors on the move.
The beneficiaries of the initiative are migrant minors en route from the Gulf States and Europe and unaccompanied minors and street kids.
