Beyond 2015, Beyond EU12/AC and Beyond TRIALOG IV

The TRIALOG Central Training 2012 – the annual exchange meeting for EU12/AC NGDO platforms – was organised in cooperation with FoRS, the Czech national NGDO platform in the format of a 2-day event from 24th to 25th of April 2012 in Prague.

The first day looked at current debates around “Beyond 2015” that envision a new global development framework after the MDGs. EU12/AC platforms presented their work around specific elements and related their own perspectives of and approaches to a new development framework. This first day was organised as a regional deliberation conference with the participation of additional stakeholders (e.g. Czech MFA and Development Agency representatives) and was strongly supported by the Beyond2015 campaign. Tanya Cox, co-chair of the European Task Force of the Beyond2015 campaign, presented the global deliberation process and encouraged conference participants to further engage in the topic on national levels and to contribute to the process.

The second day focused on the exchange between platforms and provided an overview of the platform situation, the challenges in each national context and discussed the needs and assets each partner brings to a project – and potentially network – like TRIALOG. Some of the shared needs centre around securing the financial sustainability of the platform, improving cooperation with national governmental partners and increasing the capacity of the platform and its members with regards to policy and advocacy work (e.g. around PCD, networking and partnerships, awareness raising with the media and general public). The exchange also highlighted the diverse assets of each partner and the potential for mutual support and cooperation through bilateral or regional activities.
As at previous Central Trainings, representatives of CONCORD presented the annual priorities of the European confederation and highlighted opportunities for involvement and synergies. A valuable contribution to the Central Training came also through Markus Pirchner who was representing the EuropeAid Development and Cooperation Directorate-General. He gave an outlook on the EC’s future DEAR programme for the period 2014-2020 and opened up the floor for an engaging Q&A session.

This Central Training marked the last of the exchange meetings in the current phase of the TRIALOG project (TRIALOG IV). It also saw the broadest spread of participation of not only EU12/AC platforms but also CSO partners from the Western Balkans. 45 participants representing EU12/AC NGDO platforms and CSOs from Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina contributed to the event and confirmed the continued need for increased cooperation – preferably within the context of TRIALOG V, the next phase of the project.

In the photo: Participants of the Central Training 2012

Information provided by Faika El-Nagashi, TRIALOG