Commissioner Piebalgs' statement ahead of World Food Day and his statement following the publication of the 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance

BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, October 15, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Commissioner Andris Piebalgs made a statement following the publication of the 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance:

“Yesterday the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has published the 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance. I welcome this latest edition which is an excellent source of information for our own work.

Human rights, democracy and good governance are a priority area of our development cooperation for the years to come as laid down in the Agenda for Change - sustainable development cannot be achieved without them. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance provides a valuable tool for measuring results and overall progress. In particular, I appreciate the wide coverage of the Index, as well as the view point of the citizen when examining governance. It is a reminder that that at the heart of our efforts in these areas lie the well-being and livelihoods of the citizens in our partner countries, including the most vulnerable groups, such as women, children, disabled and minorities.”