Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers meetings in Gaborone, Botswana

Mrs. Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir, Minister for Foreign Affairs, participated in the annual Nordic-Africa Foreign Ministers meeting that ended today in Gaborone, Botswana.

Anna Lindh, the late former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, founded this informal cooperation forum to bring together all 5 Nordic countries and 10 African partner states which had successfully built up democratic institutions and good governance practices. The African partners are Benin, Botswana, Ghana, Lesotho, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania.

Mrs. Gísladóttir discussed reform of the organization and work of the United Nations and the Security Council. Climate change, peace and security in Africa and the relationship between democracy and development were also discussed. The Minister for Foreign Affairs held bilateral meetings with a number of her colleagues.

Iceland strongly supports the continuation of this political cooperation forum, which will convene again in Copenhagen next year.