2nd Edition of the International Technical Experts Days

Solidarity in the network of experts deployed in the field central to these days

The days, which were attended by more than 200 participants, opened with an institutional session facilitated by Jérémie Pellet, Chief Executive Officer of Expertise France, alongside representatives from the Directorate-General for Global Affairs, the Directorate-General of the Treasury, and Agence Française de Développement.

“This momentum around the mobilisation of expertise gives structure to France’s presence abroad. It is also fully in line with the wish of the Presidential Council for Development and the Interministerial Committee for International Cooperation and Development to increase the number of ITEs to 300 by 2024”, said Jérémie Pellet.

Olivier Richard, Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General for Global Affairs of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, commended the work of the experts present and the development of the network: “You are an instrument that embodies our diplomacy, because beyond appropriations, we need expertise in the key sectors of development. This rich mechanism is undoubtedly the heart of our foreign policy.”

Paul Teboul, Deputy Director of International Business Finance at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, took advantage of this first day to commend the professionalism of ITEs and their role in the achievement of the Ministry’s objectives: “Through the support for the export and internationalisation of French companies as a vehicle for the promotion of French technologies, we can see remarkable competence in the work of the experts and an impressive integration into environments that are culturally very different.” Bertrand Walckenaer, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of AFD, in turn confirmed this point: “Technical experts have a complex profession where they need to find their place and provide their expertise in an environment where the human factor is essential, and the entire network of ITEs unquestionably manages to achieve this.” 

 

This session was followed by foreign partners taking the floor: the Minister of Territorial Administration, Decentralisation and Local Authorities of Togo, Mr. Boukpessi; the Deputy Administrator for Operations of the Maritime Industry Authority of the Philippines, Mrs. Villamor-Dinopol; the Minister of Public Health of Lebanon, Dr. Abiad. They each benefit from expert missions considered emblematic.

“I commend the role of France which has identified areas for improvement in Togo’s model for decentralisation and territorial development […] with the effective presence of experts in the ministries. In these circumstances, we make faster progress in capacity building on development issues, as we can rapidly compare viewpoints and thereby generate greater vitality”, said Mr. Payadowa Boukpessi.

The second day was organised around several key moments to welcome experts leaving in the network for the first time, share experience among peers, and discuss ways of strengthening solidarity in this network, which contributes to the cohesion and effectiveness of France’s external action. “Being in a network means existing together, united, connected! As the ITEs are deployed in the field, at the request of various donors, it’s all about developing forms of solidarity between experts and between experts and the REX Unit which manages them: giving a better welcome to new colleagues in the field, strengthening their ties on common themes and shared geographical areas, and supporting each other on the main cross-cutting issues!”, Salvatore Pappalardo, Head of the Expert Relations Unit.

 

The second day was also marked by two key debates on highly topical issues: feminist diplomacy, facilitated by the Directorate-General for Global Affairs of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs; the disinformation and denigration strategies now targeting France, and the means and tools to address them, facilitated by the Director of Research and Communications of IFRI, Mr. Marc Hecker, in the presence of the Director of Communication and Press of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Anne-Claire Legendre.