DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE signs new agreement with CIDA

MONTREAL, March 21, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE has signed a new five-year (2012-2017) $14.5 million agreement with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

The new agreement will cover seven countries, namely Afghanistan, Cambodia, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Indonesia and the Philippines. Also included was support for the public engagement programs of DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE and its 10,000 members.

The original proposal, which was submitted by DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE in July 2010, was to support sustainable development projects in 20 countries over five years for a contribution by CIDA of $49.2 million.

"We are pleased to have signed an agreement. However, we are naturally disappointed that the full proposal did not get approved. We will need to make adjustments to our programming," said Michael Casey, Executive Director of DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE.

In 2010-2011, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE worked with 186 local organizations in 33 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Projects were in areas such as democracy and citizen participation, human rights, alternative economic development, empowerment of women, conflict resolution and peace-building.

"We are aware that this will have an impact on our organization. It will be a period of transition for us and our partners, but we will continue to remain committed to our mission and to do the good work we have been doing for the last 45 years," added Casey.

DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE, founded by the Catholic Bishops of Canada in 1967, seeks to create greater social justice in the world by addressing the root causes of poverty and injustice as called for by Catholic social teaching. It uses an approach that seeks to empower communities in the Global South to take control of their own development, by supporting local grassroots organizations and movements.

MEDIA CONTACT: Kelly Di Domenico
514 257-8711, ext. 365
[email protected]