Austria and Cape Verde have shared artistic and cultural ties for more than 30 years. After visiting the Atlantic archipelago, the painter Friedensreich Hundertwasser designed a special issue stamp in 1975 to help finance the construction of wells in Cape Verde.

Action plan against poverty

Because Cape Verde was unable to feed its population, many nationals have emigrated. Of the 1.1 million Cape Verdeans today, about 700,000 live abroad. The island state is now making successful progress in its fight against hunger and poverty, though. The steps taken in national development set an example for all of Africa. Central here is the National Poverty Alleviation Plan, aimed at framing conditions for promoting economic growth and social justice. In addition, the government programme helps strengthen the self-help capabilities of the poor, empower women and improve economic and social infrastructure in rural communities.

Cape Verde goes Europe

In 2008, the United Nations upgraded Cape Verde from a least developed to a middle-income country. The European Union now maintains a special partnership (Welche / Was heisst das ?- ist das eine "special STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP wie's unten heisst ?) with this island nation; for Austria, too, the promising development in Cape Verde means a change in its cooperation with the country.

From 1986 to 2010, Cape Verde was a priority country of the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC), with an ADC coordination office in the capital Praia. Now, the ADC focus is changing from classic development cooperation towards engaging in the strategic partnership between Cape Verde and the European Union and increasing economic cooperation.

The ADC projects in regional development, decentralisation and integrated resource management - sectors, on which ADC focussed in Cape Verde - have come to a successful end in 2010. Along with other donors, the support to the environmental sector of Cape Verde's government will be continued until the end of 2011.

Apart from using new financing instruments (e.g. for agreements between Cape Verde's and Austria's treasury and environment departments), the deeply rooted personal contacts between the two countries are being maintained through town twinnings and school friendships.