100 posts
Commissioner Piebalgs pushes for maternal and child health
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From 24th to 26th July, European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, will address the 15th African Union Summit in Kampala, Uganda. Maternal, infant and child health will be the core theme of the meeting gathering the 53 African Union Memb...
EU Development Commissioner meets Secretary-General
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Andris Piebalgs endorses Kamalesh Sharma’s call for a deepening of the relationship between the Secretariat and the European Commission Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma welcomed European Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, to the Commonweal...
Andris Piebalgs commended Finland for active EU development policy
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The Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs and Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Paavo Väyrynen met in Helsinki on Friday (9th July). Piebalgs and Väyrynen discussed Minister Väyrynen's proposal for European Union global strategy, s...
EU allocates €150 million to war-affected populations in Sudan
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The Commission welcomes the decision taken by the Council to allocate an amount of €150 million to war-affected populations in Sudan. This decision will allow the EU to assist the Sudanese most in need despite the Government of Sudan's decision n...
Consolidation or cooperation: The future of EU development cooperation
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A primary objective of this research project is to stimulate thinking about how the context that development policy responds to could change in the long-term. In the face of a changing global development landscape, one challenge that European donors...
Guyana Has No Regrets over Holding Out on EPA
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Two years after 14 Caribbean countries signed a wide-ranging and controversial Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with Europe, Guyanese President Bharrat Jagdeo still maintains that his country was right in holding out until the last minute to ge...
Additional resources for the most vulnerable population in Sudan
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The 3026th Council meeting on Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels on 12 July 2010 adopted a decision allocating EUR 150 million from the funds decommitted from the ninth and previous European Development Fund (EDF) for the purpose of addressin...
OSCE Chairperson announces agreement on summit, calls Kyrgyzstan crisis a 'vitality test' for Organization
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OSCE Foreign Ministers meeting in Almaty reached consensus on holding a summit in Astana this year and reinforcing OSCE assistance to Kyrgyzstan, said the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Secretary of State and Foreign Minister Kanat Sauda...
OSCE dithers on sending police mission to Kyrgyzstan
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The OSCE failed to agree on sending an international police force to Kyrgyzstan in the wake of June's ethnic clashes between that may have killed 2,000 people. A decision on the matter is expected next week. READ MORE...
Development and Security: Will European Institutional Changes Help or Hinder Effective Action?
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Transatlantic Taskforce on Development Blog Series. READ MORE...
Development as Freedom? The Bhopal case
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Nowadays seems to be fair enough that words such as freedom, democracy, development, have become bare containers full of rhetoric with no meaning. Too often we hear examples of good or bad governance based more on economical concepts instead of human...
Jamaica: Displaced Sugar Cane Workers get Help
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Displaced sugar workers in the Monymusk Sugar Dependent Area have received grants under the Economic Mitigation Programme, a Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries initiative supported by the European Union (EU). Speaking at the presentation at the Ha...
EU Votes 6.5 Billion Euros for Ecowas Nations
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The European Union has offered to make available 6.5 billion Euros for financing programme initiatives in West African countries under the Economic Partnership Agreement Development Programme over a four-year period (2010-2014). This came just as the...
Audit Queries Impact of EU Funding On EAC
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The European Court of Auditors, in its report: "Effectiveness of EDF (European Development Fund) Support for Regional Economic Integration in East Africa and West Africa," pointed out that the existence of multiple regional organisations with overlap...
SG Chambas highlights the need to broaden tax bases in ACP countries
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Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, Dr. Mohamed Ibn Chambas has emphasized the importance of mobilising internal resources to broaden existing tax bases to be efficient to attain economic growth and reduce poverty.
The United Nations and Haiti
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This lunchtime I visited a standing exhibition in the UN headquarters building entitled ‘Ayiti Kanpe’ (Creole for ‘Haiti Standing’). The exhibits took me back to Hungen and Bruges (see past posts). There were pictures of Janua...
Project to develop legal framework for forest products in DRC
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Seven years after the adoption by the European Union (EU) of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) action plan, the state of negotiations to create a Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) and to establish a legal framework for fore...
Our video guest: Mr. Romain Philippe
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Our video guest this week is Mr. Romain Philippe . He is Officer in charge of Policy Coherence for Development at the European confederation of Relief and Development NGOs (CONCORD Europe). CONCORD is composed of 25 national associations and 18 inter...
Cashman: We must keep our commitments to developing countries
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The European Parliament today called on the EU Council and member states to keep their commitments to developing countries. It urged member states and the Commission to reverse the decline in funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights in d...
ECLAC and AFD Sign Cooperation Agreement
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The Executive Secretary of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena, signed an agreement with the Executive Director for Operations of the French Development Agency (AFD), Jacques Moineville, for inter-i...
EIB invests USD 20 m to support small technology companies in Africa
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The European Investment Bank (EIB) has become a lead investor in Adlevo Capital Africa LLC, the first private equity fund dedicated to the high-tech industry in sub-Saharan Africa. The EIB’s USD 20 m (approx. EUR 15 m) equity investment will enable...
Turning the MDGs into Millennium Development Achievements
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The European Commission has launched a call for tenders for an ex-post evaluation of the 2000-2006 Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) financed through the EAGGF (European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund).
2010 European aid report
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The European Commission adopted today (28th June) its Annual Report 2010 on the implementation of EU's development and external assistance policies in 2009. Programmes and projects led by the Commission reached around 140 developing countries.
Greater Horn of Africa: Commission allocates € 20 million
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The European Commission adopted a € 20 million humanitarian financial package to support 12 million people affected by drought in Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Uganda. This funding will help efforts to develop the populations' res...
Our video guest: Mr. Giulio Groppi, EuropeAid
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Our video guest this weel is Mr. Giulio Groppi . He is Head of sector at the Training and knowledge Management Unit. Together with Stephane Devaux, he was at the origin of the creation of the Operational Food Security Network (ROSA). The ROSA is an i...
Dwindling EU development aid spent on deporting refugees
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'Charity begins at home' goes the old maxim, and when it comes to aid for the third world, Europe very much adheres to this motto. As the economic crisis pinches national budgets, EU member states' funds set aside for development are dwindling and...
Coming back from Ouagadougou…
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Coming back from Ouagadougou… I come back from Ouagdougou where I attended the joint ACP-EU Council yesterday. This session was particularly interesting for two reasons. First, we officially signed the revised Cotonou Agreement, this political and...
Signature of the revised Cotonou Partnership Agreement
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The official ceremony of a signature of the second revised Cotonou Agreement took place in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on 22-23 June 2010 in presence of EU Development Commissioner and representatives of the ACP countries.
Council conclusions on the MDGs
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The 3023rd Foreign Affairs Council meeting held in Luxembourg on 14 June 2010 discussed Supporting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015; Increasing ownership towards achievement of MDGs; Focusing efforts;Making more effective u...
Our video guest: Mr. Peter Wobst, Senior Economist, FAO
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Our video guest this week is Mr. Peter Wobst. He is Senior Economist and Leader of the Rural Employment Team of the Gender, Equity and Rural Employment Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome.
EIB to support pioneering rural microfinance fund
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The ability of poor rural communities around the world to access finance received a significant boost earlier today with the creation of Rural Impulse II, a new specialist microfinance fund backed by leading public and private financial institutions...
EU donates $29 million to drought-stricken north Africa
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The European Union is giving an additional $29 million to aid countries in north Africa's Sahel region suffering from drought and poor harvests. EU Development Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva told reporters Wednesday that the new aid will help alle...
Sudan to get €150m of unspent funds
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EU member states agree to ensure that Sudan continues to receive development aid. The EU's member states have agreed to channel €150 million of unspent funds to projects in Sudan in order to ensure that the country continues to receive development...
Tory MEPs Refuse to Support EU Targets on Aid to Developing Countries
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David Cameron is today attending a summit of European leaders which will seek to agree the EU’s approach at a major United Nations summit on the UN Millennium Development Goals due to be held in September. Meanwhile a large proportion of his To...
19th Brussels Briefing on Youth and rural development in ACP countries
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The 19th Brussels Development Briefing will be on Youth and rural development in ACP countries and will take place on 16th June 2010 (8h30-13h00) at the Borschette Center. This Briefing will discuss the challenges and opportunities for future ACP you...
Main ACP-EU events for the week of 14th to 18th June 2010
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European Parliament (Strasbourg): - 14th - 17th June: Plenary Session - 15th June: Meeting of the Committee on agriculture and rural development EU Presidency: - 14th June (Luxembourg): Council of General Affairs and Council of Foreign Affairs- 17th...
Structured Dialogue - For an efficient partnership in development
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The Structured Dialogue aims at increasing the effectiveness of all stakeholders involved in EC development cooperation, by building on the momentum gained by international and European debates. The official launch of the initiative took place on the...
Africa-EU relations get boost at Addis Ababa meeting
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Commission president José Manuel Barroso is accompanied by 8 of his colleagues as he sits down to talks with the African Union (AU) Commission on 8 June in Addis Ababa. The College-to-College meetings are an annual event, but this is the first time...
CTA's new Director meets with the ACP Group and EU Council’s ACP Working Party in Brussels
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Michael Hailu, the new Director of the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) met with the EC and ACP Groups in Brussels early in the week. Mr. Hailu attended the extraordinary session of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors held...
Together we can save the life of Laoure
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One day when I have the time to look back at my life, the trip through the red sands of Maradi , Niger, will be among those I will remember. It is hot, the rainy season has not started yet , and the danger of hunger is already tangible. 3 million p...
Launching of the African Financing Partnership
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8 development finance institutions, who last year invested over USD 8.8 billion in projects across the continent, formally launched the African Financing Partnership (AFP). This collaboration will enable greater cooperation and co-financing, and wo...
EU, ECA to deepen partnership on African development matters
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EU and Economic Commission for Africa are deepening their relationships in development areas that include climate change and land ownership.The Commissioner for Development, Mr. Andris Piebalgs stated this recently in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, when he l...
USD 850m Caribbean Joint Action Plan signed
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Caribbean Development Bank, European Investment Bank, FMO, IFC and PROPARCO to increase coordination and support of sustainable solutions for the region’s financial, tourism and infrastructure sectors.
Haiti and Niger – so far, so close
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I am flying over the Sahara desert. The red sand against the deep blue African sky create an image of striking beauty and at the same time it shows the hardship that the countries of the region face in their struggle for survival. When I started this...
Commissioner Georgieva visits Niger
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The European Commissioner for humanitarian aid, Kristalina Georgieva, is going to Niger on 3 and 4 June to assess the humanitarian situation in the country and the efforts being deployed to respond to the food crisis. ...
Creating an international equity fund for African microfinance
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A regional investment fund for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa (REGMIFA) was launched on 5 May 2010 in Berlin. Symbiotics Investment Manager SA, a Geneva-based company specialized in microfinance, was selected to manag...
Main ACP-EU events for the week of 7th to 11th June 2010
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European Parliament (Brussels): - 10th June: Meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs on MDGsEU Presidency: - 8th June (Luxembourg): Council of Economy and Finances- 9th to 10th June (Madrid): Senior level meeting on development cooperationACP Se...
19th Brussels Briefing on Youth and rural development in ACP countries
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The 19th Brussels Development Briefing will be on Youth and rural development in ACP countries and will take place on 16th June 2010 (8h30-13h00) at the Borschette Center. This Briefing will discuss the challenges and opportunities for future ACP you...
Our video guest this week: Mr. Aboubacar Savadogo
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In the follow up of last week's video guest, the theme of the current video interview is the role of regions in development cooperation. However, unlike last week, our video guest this week is a policy maker from an ACP region and not from a region o...
My vision for development policy – Letter to Member States and the European Parliament
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I wanted to share with you a letter I’ve sent to EU Development Ministers in view of the Foreign Affairs Council, and to Members of the European Parliament and some NGOs. I thought that, in such crucial moment for development, it was appropriat...
Getting one's priorities right
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SIPRI (pdf) The financial crisis and economic recession that have affected most of the globe...
What future for ACP agricultural products in the new CAP?
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On 25-28 May, Tradecom Facility organized an Expert Meeting on the trade of ACP agricultural products within the new European Union Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). During the meeting, Assistant Secretary-General of the ACP Group of States, Mr Achil...
Commissioner Piebalgs attends Africa-France Summit
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Today and tomorrow, Andris Piebalgs, the European Commissioner for Development, along with Heads of State and Government from African continent and representatives of international institutions, will be taking part in the XXV Africa-France Summit in...
EU ministers agree broad outline for climate aid
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EU finance ministers endorsed a report laying down Europe's priorities on climate aid for developing countries but left open details of how they will share the costs. Ahead of the Copenhagen climate conference in December, the EU promised to offer p...
European newspapers devote only 3.5% to development issues
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A study of nine mainstream Spanish, French and British newspapers released on 6 May reveals that only 3.5 % of their content is devoted to news about development co-operation. The research was carried out by the journalism department at the Universit...
Bruges: Jan Olaf Hausotter remembered and the UN honoured
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I went to the College of Europe in Bruges this afternoon for a special commemorative event in memory of Jan Olaf Hausotter, one of my former students and a UN political affairs officer, who died on 12 January in the catastrophic Haitian earthquake. W...
Main ACP-EU events for the week of 28th May to 4th June 2010
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European Parliament (Brussels): - 1st June: Meeting of the Committee on International Trade and the US Ambassador- 1st June: Inter-parliamentary meeting on the CFP reform- 1st-2nd June: Meeting of the Committee on agriculture and rural developmen...
19th Brussels Briefing on Youth and rural development in ACP countries
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The 19th Brussels Development Briefing will be on Youth and rural development in ACP countries and will take place on 16th June 2010 (8h30-13h00) at the Borschette Center. This Briefing will discuss the challenges and opportunities for future ACP you...
The development angle
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The CAP is still hurting developing countries, say the UN and the OECD. But will European development NGOs engage in the battle over the future of the CAP?
Development Aid in Five Easy Steps
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Every country, rich and poor, should ensure universal coverage of primary health care, including safe childbirth, nutrition, vaccines, malaria control, and clinical services. Each year, nearly nine million children die of conditions that could be pre...
CARITAS Europa paper: The European Union can make MDGs possible
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This paper from Caritas Europa starts with a description of Caritas identity and vision of poverty and development fromthe perspective of the Catholic Social Teaching and the relevance of the MDGs in this respect. Then, we present Caritas’ views on...
Polish government cuts ODA to Africa
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The Institute of Global Responsibility (IGO) has issued a press release on the results of the 2010 Call for Proposals by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs which addresses the cut of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for NGOs working in the p...
KOPIN launches Newsletter
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The Maltese NGDO KOPIN active in the fields of international development cooperation and global education has issued a newsletter under the framework of its project “Raising Awareness for Development Cooperation (RADC)".
'Make development policy more effective' - Franziska Keller
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Ensuring that the European Union doesn't take back (through trade rules or agricultural levies) what it donates in aid is the main aim behind a recent report by Franziska Keller. We spoke to the German Green MEP about her report which was endorsed by...
Council conclusions: EPA development programme
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The Council adopted conclusions on the EPA development programme for the West African region. In the framework of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and of its partnership with the African Union, the European Union emphasises in particular regional integra...
EU gives Rwanda 73.8 mln euro for roads, governance
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The European Union gave Rwanda a 73.8 million euro grant on Monday (10th May) for rural development, road building and governance programs in the tiny central African country. Half the funds will be channeled through sector budget support, the EU sa...
Main ACP-EU events for the week of 17th to 21st May 2010
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European Parliament (Strasbourg): - 17th-20th May: Plenary Session - 18th May: Meeting of the Committee on agriculture and rural development about the future of the CAPEU Presidency: - 17th (Brussels): Council of Agriculture and Fisheries- 17th-19th...
Visit of Commissioner Piebalgs in Poland to promote development policy
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On 17 May, European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs will pay his first visit to Poland, in Warsaw. He will launch the second series of the "Kapuściński Lectures", designed to raise awareness on development cooperation.
The EU supports development dimension of the EPA with West Africa
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The European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, praised the Union's political commitment to fund an ambitious programme of aid for trade and economic integration in West Africa (PAPED). This programme is an essential element of the future...
EU Farm Subsidies: More Important Than Ever
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EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos argued recently that the economic crisis justified the need to keep a strong aid policy for Europe's farmers, which developing countries slam as unfair. The economic and financial crises, which have hit consu...
Caribbean Region not using ACP-EU funds
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Two of the most disaster-prone regions regions are not making full use of the funds available through the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union (ACP-EU). Ambassador Valeriano Diaz, head of the delegation of the European Commission to Barbados and...
Main ACP-EU events for the week of 10th to 14th May 2010
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European Parliament (Brussels): - 10th May: Workshop with Spanish Minister of Agriculture at the agriculture committee- 10th May: Meeting of the Committee on DevelopmentEU Presidency: - 10th (Brussels): Council of General Affairs, Council of Foreign...
18th Brussels Briefing on Humanitarian Assistance and Rural Development
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The 18th Brussels Development Briefing will be on natural disasters, humanitarian assistance and rural development and will take place on 12th May 2010 (8h30-13h00) at the Borschette Center, Room 1A. This Briefing will discuss Humanitarian needs and...
Our video guest: Mr. Grodent, SOS Faim
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Our video guest this week is Mr. Grodent. He is head of information at SOS Faim (SOS Hunger), a Belgian NGO based in Brussels. In this interview, Mr. Grodent explains the work of SOS Hunger here in Brussels as well as in ACP countries.
Delivering 21st Century Aid through the EEAS
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On the 6th of May CTA attended the conference “Delivering 21st Century Aid through the European External Action Service?“ organized by Oxfam Solidarity with the support of The Centre in Brussels. The event offered the opportunity to discuss a new...
EU Development Commissioner visits the African Union
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Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development, is on his first official visit to Ethiopia on 6 to 8 May 201. He will visit the headquarters of the African Union where he will be welcomed by Mr Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission...
EU softens on EPA
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The Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) currently being negotiated between the European Union (EU) and the East Africa Community (EAC) has gained momentum following the former’s agreement to include the development cooperation in the deal, a trade...
In the United States: A Breakthrough in the Tortured Foreign Aid Debate?
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In Washington this week, someone “leaked” to the media a draft of the Obama Administration’s Presidential Study Directive 7, titled A New Way Forward on Global Development. This document, nearly a year in the making and still in draft form, a...
21st Century Aid: Recognizing success and tackling failure
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Aid plays a role in saving millions of lives, and yet despite its achievements poverty continues to cast a shadow over the lives of some 1.4 billion people worldwide. This has opened up questions over the effectiveness of aid and lately, unleashed a...
Outcome of re-launched EU-US Development Dialogue
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The EU-US dialogue on development was relaunched today (25th April) in Washington. It provides a framework for cooperation between the two largest donors in the world in their efforts to tackle poverty worldwide. This initiative has been a priority...
Jonathan White on the future of multilateralism and development (video)
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Jonathan White, German Marshall Fund from World Bank on Vimeo. Full write-up available here.
EU states drifting from development aid goals
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The latest figures on development aid from European Union member states from the OECD suggest that the bloc is drifting away from commitments to deliver 0.7 percent of its gross national income in development assistance by 2015.
Request of a single financial instrument for development
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The Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, opened the 19th ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly in Tenerife, together with the two co-presidents of this body, Louis Michel and Charles Milupi, with 400 representatives from the EU and 78 A...
Structured Dialogue - For an efficient partnership in development
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The Structured Dialogue is an initiative launched by the European Commission (EC) to discuss the involvement of civil society organizations and local authorities in the EC development cooperation. It aims at increasing the effectiveness of all stakeh...
Scholarships for ACP policymakers for top class training in microfinance
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Scholarships for ACP policymakers for top class training in microfinance. Application open. For the fourth year in a row, the EU/ ACP Microfinance Programme is offering scholarships for Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) policymakers to particip...
Open letter to the EU Development
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A letter from various organisations on expanding EU support for public-public partnerships in water. The undersigned organisations would like to congratulate the European Commission on the launch of the new ACP-EU Water Facility and the two calls for...
Food security: the EU tackles hunger in developing countries
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The European Commission adopted two new EU policy frameworks to help developing countries address the issue of food security, both in emergency and long-term situation. The objectives are to ensure progress toward achieving Millennium Development Goa...
The ACP-EU Assembly asks for Haiti’s foreign debt to be written off
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The 19th Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP)-European Union Joint Parliamentary Assembly asked for Haiti’s foreign debt, estimated at 1 billion dollars, to be written off and stressed the need for investment in earthquake-resistant buildings and
The European Investment Bank in Southern Africa
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The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) agreed to set up a joint technical assistance programme to improve the preparation and implementation of infrastructure projects.
