Malawi reaping what it's sowing
And the government and NASFAM are searching out even more markets for the country's agricultural production, looking to trade with neighboring countries and to Europe with processed items.
Morten Jespersen
H.E. Mr Morten Jespersen is Chair of the EIF Steering Committee since 2018 and has served as Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva since September 2018.
Prior to this he held the position of Under-Secretary for Global Development and Cooperation in Danida, the Danish development organization within the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Morten Jespersen has over 25 years of experience in development cooperation and foreign affairs. During his career, he has acquired a large experience in different working environments in areas such as foreign and development policy, employment in developing countries, development and implementation of humanitarian efforts, as well as development cooperation through different organizations.
Prior to August 2013, Mr Jespersen was Denmark’s Ambassador to Nepal at the Danish Embassy in Kathmandu from 2010 to 2013.
Mr Jespersen has a Master of Political Science and a Post Graduate Degree in East Asian studies.
Chair of the EIF Steering Committee
Comoros making scents
The Government is targeting its precious ylang-ylang, vanilla and cloves – key cash crops with global demand. Through the partnership with EIF, cooperatives, trainings for female entrepreneurs like Houria and small business support in the form of vats, labels and processing items have laid the foundation for increased trade for the country.
Cashing in on Cashews in the Gambia
In The Gambia, one of the industries ripe with potential for growth identified by EIF and the government was the cashew. By supporting the cashew’s entire chain of production – from farmers’ fields to the development of a new cargo facility – the EIF equipped cashew farmers with new skills and the food safety certification needed to export to markets such as the European Union (EU).
Maria Barral
María is communications intern, and manages the social media of the EIF. Before moving to Geneva, she worked at a Public Relations start up firm based in Singapore, the Ministry of Education in the Government of Catalonia in Spain and the Spanish Newspaper "El País." She has two Bachelor's Degrees, in Political Science and in Journalism, from the Pompeu Fabra University of Barcelona and a Masters in Political and Institutional Communications from IDEC - UPF Barcelona.
Maria is originally from the beautiful island of Tenerife (Canary Islands) in Spain. She has lived and worked in the US, Senegal, Tanzania, India, Barcelona, Singapore, Beijing and Hong Kong.
Communications Intern
Cambodia's White Gold
By investing in modern rice milling facilities, Cambodia could produce higher quality milled rice for growing international markets and gain international recognition for its milled rice standard.
Rebuilding Vanuatu: Investing in the backbone of Vanuatu's economy
Like many small island states, Vanuatu and its economy are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather events and climate change. In March 2015, a category 5 tropical storm, known as Cyclone Pam, ripped through the archipelago, destroying 90 percent of the buildings—including the Port Vila seafront—and leaving dozens dead.
Constanze Schulz
Constanze joined the IF programme in summer 2007 and is one of the original staff to have helped to set up the EIF. She previously worked as a multi-lingual secretary in various international law firms and as a staff assistant in several divisions of the International Monetary Fund. She thus brings 25 years of secretarial and administrative experience to the programme in combination with fluency in four languages.
Divisional Coordinator
