The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) pledged 18 million dollars in financial support for the tourism sector. Pledged on September 26, 2019, the financing was channeled through the Inclusive Tourism Sector Development Project, a project that will be activated before 2023. The project was launched with the presence of Hirut Kassaw (PhD), minister of Culture & Tourism. The project aims at increasing the participation of the stakeholders in the tourism sector in facilitating sectorial development, according to Hirut. "It also targets to increase the participation of women in the labour force and to facilitate the economic development programmes, which in turn benefits the society," she said. UNDP, which has a presence in over 170 countries, has a total of over 100 million dollars in investments in Ethiopia to build long-term peace and enhance the country’s development.