On December 7, 2021, World Bank Senior Vice President and Group General Counsel Sandie Okoro and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Marie-Hélène Loison signed an Externally Funded Output Agreement marking the first financial contribution of AFD to the Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development (GFLJD). This contribution is chiefly intended to support two GFLJD projects, one on children’s rights in the Sahel and another one on environmental justice. Creation of two GFLJD Working Groups on these topics is underway, supported by a stronger participation from AFD in the GFLJD Steering Committee.
Ms. Okoro and Ms. Loison also took the opportunity of the signing ceremony to emphasize the partnership between the two organizations vis-à-vis access to justice and issues related to the rule of law. Additionally, they discussed other topics of mutual interest, as well as future venues of collaboration towards the achievement of SDG16.