At a ceremony held, the governments of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the French Republic signed a financing agreement worth 5 million euros (approximately 260 million ETB) for the implementation of the “Lalibela Protection, Restoration, and Development Project.”
Accordingly, France will provide support for the conservation of the Lalibela churches, which were designated as World Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO, as well as a subsequent joint declaration stating that “Both States will continue their cooperation regarding conservation and valorization of heritage, museums and archives, and scholarly and vocation.
The site of Lalibela, in northeastern Ethiopia, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 for the eleven monolithic churches carved into the rock of Lalibela in the early 13th century.
The overall aim of the project is to contribute to the heritage preservation and urban integration of the site of Lalibela, by preparing the interventions of preservation and restoration of the monolithic churches as well as the definition of interventions promoting the urban, tourist, social, and local economic development in connection with the site, reads MoF statement. The project is structured and dedicated to preservation and restoration actions for the churches of Lalibela, inclusive development of the territory of Lalibela, and strengthening the institutional capacity of the Ethiopian Cultural Heritage Authority (ECHA).
H.E. Mrs. Semereta Sewasew, State Minister of the Ministry of Finance, and Mrs. Valerie TEHIO, Country Director of the French Development Agency in Ethiopia, signed the financing agreement on behalf of the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the French Development Agency respectively.
Source: Ministry of Finance, Ethiopia Statement
