Development, trade, foreign and security policies: How can emerging donors make a difference?

The Romanian Association for International Cooperation and Development (ARCADIA) organised its first annual conference in Bucharest, Romania between the 25th and 26th of November 2010. The event received the endorsement of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Romania, of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), of TRIALOG and other national organisations. The background of the conference is the fact, that as a new EU Member State, Romania is (re)emerging as an international donor and is interested in becoming a dynamic actor on the global arena, in its capacity as contributor to international development.

The conference managed to bring together various Romanian and European stakeholders in the two plenaries to discuss the interplay between development, trade, foreign and security policies and the manner in which (re-)emerging donors, such as Romania, can add value in their international cooperation engagements.

In addition to the plenary sessions, the workshops and roundtables organised by several Romanian NGOs and institutes addressed issues such as: the effects of the economic crisis on the European Community’s budget and its development policy; media and development; the manner in which Romania can best use the 20 year transition period in its development engagements; the role of corporations in national and international development; international development education and measuring poverty indicators. A special workshop was dedicated to the student body present in the event on the theme ’Career paths in development’.

The conference also included an academic section in which various guests presented their academic papers in one of the two themes of the academic panels: Geopolitics and EU Neighborhood Policy and Emerging Donors: Impacts and contributions.

A more detailed report on the event will be soon published on ARCADIA’s website. For further information, please visit: www.arcadianetwork.org or contact Ms. Corina Ciambur (corina.ciambur@arcadianetwork.org )

Information provided by Corina Ciambur, Arcadia