Thursday 31 January 2013

4th TRIALOG Development Education/Awareness Raising Partnership Fair – Application open

TRIALOG held successful Partnership Fairs in 2006, 2010 and 2011 where many of the EC-funded development education projects under NSA-LA line were conceived. TRIALOG will host the fourth edition of this event from 13 to 15 March, 2013. At this event around 100 participants from across the EU work on possible projects for the NSA-LA Development Education call. The Partnership Fair is a learning, networking and project-designing event from development CSOs from across Europe. TRIALOG aims to include representatives not only from NGOs but also from trade unions, academia, political foundations and Local Authorities. The Partnership Fair facilitates partnerships, cooperation, learning and exchange at an international level for joint projects for DEAR.


Deadline for application is 8th of February 2013.

For further information please contact Ulrike Bey at u.bey@trialog.or.at

Information provided by Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG

New Team in the TRIALOG Liaison Office in Brussels

In January 2013, two new colleagues joined the TRIALOG team. Mirjam Sutrop replaces Liaison Officer Rebecca Steel-Jasinska who is currently on maternity leave and Katarina Sramkova will support her as Junior Liaison Officer. From the TRIALOG Brussels office they work in close cooperation with CONCORD, the European NGDO Confederation, European institutions and other CSO networks. Some of the activities of the Liaison Officers are the organization of the annual Study Visit to Brussels and the publication of Policy Digests.

Mirjam Sutrop holds a degree in Government and Politics from University of Tartu, Estonia and masters in Development Studies from Dublin City University, Ireland. She worked as an information coordinator at Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation (AKÜ) and as an internship coordinator at European Movement Estonia before starting as a Junior Policy Officer at TRIALOG in January 2012. In autumn 2012 she was a trainee at the European Parliament Transparency unit and beforehand she has completed two international internships – one at European Movement Ireland and the other one at Amnesty International Ireland where she conducted research for the End FGM campaign. Mirjam participated in the global education programme GLEN through which she worked in Thailand in the Phi Phi Sea Gypsy Community Centre during July-October 2011.
Contact at: trialog@concordeurope.org

Katarina Sramkova holds a master’s degree in International Relations from Masaryk university in Brno, Czech Republic and European master’s degree in Human Rights and Democratisation from Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation, Venice and Université Libre de Bruxelles. Further she holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and European Studies from the Masaryk university. From 2009 to 2012 Katarina worked as project coordinator within the Corporate Responsibility Programme in the Czech development NGO “NaZemi” (until 2012 known as “Society for fair trade”). From 2007 to 2012 she worked as contributor and lecturer at the Global Development Education Centre of NaZemi/Society for fair trade. She has also volunteeredfor the Czech NGO “SOZE - Society of Citizens Assisting Emigrants” and the Slovak NGO “Land of Harmony Foundation” promoting the inclusion of persons with disability.
Contact at: atrialog@concordeurope.org

In the picture above Mirjam Sutrop, in the picture below Katarina Sramkova. Both photos by TRIALOG.

Information provided by TRIALOG

News from the Czech NGDO platform FoRS

In January, two major events took place for FoRS in the field of policy.

On January 16th, FoRS was invited to present its views on development cooperation at a sub-committee of the Czech Parliament. FoRS representatives mentioned namely the current Official Development Assistance (ODA) statistics and the role of civil society organizations in development. The parliamentarians then raised a debate on development effectiveness and the visibility of the Czech Republic as a donor in recipient countries. Both sides also agreed that there is a need to improve awareness raising on development cooperation both in the media and in the general public.

On January 18th, FoRS organized a meeting where its member and observers could share experience from external evaluations of Czech development projects. They also proposed their recommendations for the system of evaluations, which were later presented to the working group on evaluations of the inter-institutional Council on ODA. The working group welcomed them and is intending to include them in the evaluation plan for 2013.

FoRS is also planning the following events:
o Seminar “Climate change as a development problem (February 21, Prague)
The event, organized by FoRS, Climate Coalition and Glopolis, is addressed to workers in development and environmental NGOs with the aim of explaining and showing on concrete examples that the climate change is also a development problem. International experts with experience in development projects, campaigning and academia will share their views and experiences. The participants will also have space for discussing possibilities for cooperation between environmental and development NGOs.

o “Spring school” for FoRS members (April 25/26 - the date and place tbc)
The so called “Spring School” is an event for FoRS members, their partners from NGOs, academia and private sector. Space for discussions, experience sharing and presentation of the work of FoRS working groups will be provided. The main challenges for Czech NGDOs in the various aspects of development cooperation such as funding, effectiveness, communication with the public or involvement in policy and advocacy work will also be discussed.

o Workshop on development effectiveness
Through its focus on implementation of the theory of change and basic effectiveness principles in development project planning and management, the workshop should contribute to an improvement of the effectiveness of development and global education projects of FoRS members. Experience and information from concrete projects of the participants will be shared. This workshop will be organized as an independent event in April or as part of the above mentioned Spring School.

o Humanitarian Congress (October 10 – 11, Olomouc, Prague)
FoRS, Caritas Czech Republic, Médecins Sans Frontières, Caritas of the Archdiocese of Prague, Caritas College of Social Works, Diakonia of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethern, ADRA, Czech Red Cross and Palacky University Olomouc will organize a 1-day congress linked to a 1-day expert seminar for humanitarian NGOs. The agenda is now being developed and will be specified in the upcoming weeks.

Contact person: Marie Zázvorková, marie.zazvorkova@fors.cz

Information provided by Marie Zázvorková, FoRS

Monitoring of Polish MFA’s Grant Competition

As every year, in January and February Grupa Zagranica (Polish NGDO Platform) monitors grant competitions run by public administration that allocate public funds in the area of development cooperation. The aim is to look and assess the transparency and compliance with the procedures of the selection of applications’ process. Observers of grant committee sessions are chosen among representatives of member organizations and Zagranica Group’s Office. This activity ends with compiling and publishing the report, that contains an analysis of the course of the competition, together with the conclusions and recommendations for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA). The report is then discussed with MFA representatives.

Zagranica Group’s Office is open to exchange experiences and good practices with other national platforms, regarding to this activity.

For more information contact: Janek Bazyl at: janek.bazyl@zagranica.org.pl

Information provided by Magdalena Trojanek, Grupa Zagranica

The new Government of Romania reaffirms Support for improving the International Profile of the Country and ODA as a Priority Dimension

After the legislative elections which took place in Romania on 9th of December 2012, a new Government was formed. Titus Corlatean became for the second time the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the national coordinator of the Romanian development cooperation policy. Mr. Corlatean has been involved in activities of the Romanian development NGO platform FOND since 2010, when he opened the first edition of the Romanian-Republic of Moldova Forum, as the Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee in the Romanian Senate.

The Government strategic programme launched by the Social Liberal Union (the party which won the majority in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in December 2012) reaffirms that the main goal of the external policy is to strengthen the Romania’s international profile. Romanian external assistance will focus on the neighbourhood areas – Republic of Moldova, the Black Sea region and Northern Africa. The programme also refers to developing traditional relations with the emerging countries from Asia, Latin America and Africa, mainly from an economic perspective, while valuing the potential of building new partnerships. Membership accession to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) will also be taken into consideration.

According to this document, the ODA policy remains a priority in the diplomatic context, especially for supporting democracy, the rule of law and human rights in the partner countries. This strategic document also emphasizes the need for a structured dialogue with the civil society. FOND – as the CSO main partner of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the national development cooperation policy - will continue the dialogue with the Governmental actors in order to strengthen the Romania’s profile and effective interventions in the partner countries.

Information provided by Adriana Zaharia, FOND 

Towards a Croatian CSO Platform for Development Cooperation

Croatian Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have started the consultation process for establishing a national CSO platform for development cooperation. 32 NGOs from all over Croatia have expressed the interest to participate in the consultation process which should lead to the formal registration of the platform.

In their yearly plan CSOs have decided to focus on 4 main topics:
1. Formal registration and capacity building of the platform,
2. To influence and to monitor state policy on development cooperation,
3. To take on a more pro-active role in shaping EU policies on development cooperation and
4. Self-reflection on development cooperation.

At the same time, the Croatian government made clear geographical and thematic priorities for development cooperation in 2013 which are: South-East Europe (with focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina), South Mediterranean (Morocco, Tunisia and Syria) and Afghanistan. Thematic priorities are: education, public health, tourism and development of civil society. The planned projects for 2013 will especially focus on promotion of protection and empowerment of women and girls rights, post-conflict transition and making stronger mechanisms for human rights protection of vulnerable groups particularly women, children, LGBT and other discriminated groups.

The Croatian Ministry for Foreign Affairs has also decided to support the establishment of a national CSO platform by publishing an open call for financial support to the potential platform. The results of the call are expected to be announced in February 2013. It is to be expected that by organising themselves in a platform, Croatian CSOs will influence more strongly state policy on development cooperation and take more pro-active role in monitoring and implementation of development cooperation.

Information provided by Gordan Bosanac, Centre for Peace Studies 

The Private Sector in Development: For Profit or for Rights?

The Slovenian NGDO platform – SLOGA is currently analysing the role of the private sector in Slovenia as part of a project led by the Center for Economic Development (CED) - a think tank based in Bulgaria. The project is being implemented in 10 different newer EU-Member States. By June 2013, an overview about the role of the private sector in development (PSD), based on the description of experiences, is planned for each country.

The private sector is not a new actor in development cooperation policies or in partner country societies. It has been around for decades as a local societal actor, as a procurer of goods or services or as an external player - having a positive or negative impact on the lives of people living in development countries.

The change now is that the EU’s new development policy – the Agenda for Change - places a high focus on economic growth as means to deliver development. This Agenda pushes the private sector even more to the center of the development debate, yet struggles to ensure sustainability and tackle increasing inequality. EU governments are also looking more and more at the private sector to leverage the limited development funds available and bridge the increasing finance and investment gap.

In December 2012, CONCORD organised a conference on the topic of PSD (more information here). At this event, participants who were predominantly representatives from EU15 (EU-Member States before the enlargement in 2004 and 2007) and EU-wide networks, pointed out that due to the austerity measures and gradual reduction of ODA the role of the private sector in development assistance might become more and more important, but would also need strong supervision not to destroy highly developed ODA standards.

Information provided by Marjan Huc, SLOGA; Source: CONCORD 

Conference: Visegrad Countries in International Development Cooperation

On 21st of January 2013 NGOs from the the four Visegrad countries (V4) Czech Republic (People in Need), Hungary (DemNet Foundation), Poland (Polish Humanitarian Action) and Slovakia (PDCS, Slovak NGDO Platform) organized the conference Visegrad Countries in International Development Cooperation. The conference was hosted by DemNet Foundation and took place in Budapest in the House of the European Union.

The aim of the conference was to map the V4 capacities and opportunities for joint activities and programming in international development projects. The significance of this event laid in the fact that besides NGO experts and academics, members of parliaments and ministries´ representatives were present from all V4 countries. Around 70 participants took part in the event. The panelists and other participants had opportunity to exchange ideas on how to promote the topic of international development cooperation on the agenda in national parliaments and on the broader political agenda in the V4 countries. Representatives from the Czech, Polish, Slovak and Hungarian Parliaments and Ministries discussed how the four countries can join their efforts in fighting poverty in developing countries. All participating MPs have been to a study trip in a developing country, therefore they have an insight into the everyday lives of people living in poverty. Representatives of the ODA Departments of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of V4 countries shared their experience from V4 cooperation that has been in place for some years and it is not a new topic on the development agenda. They also touched upon the IATI (International Aid Transparency Initiative) that the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia agreed to implement by 2015. In the two last panels, the representatives of academia and NGOs mentioned also the importance of the implementation of the policy coherence for the development, cooperation with private sector as well as opportunities to build more synergies among V4 NGOs working in the field (e.g. network CEDRON).

The event was accompanied by an art exhibition of the best works of national competitions with the topic of development cooperation organized in the countries. Results of the conference will be summarized in a post-conference report that will be published at the beginning of May.
The programme of the conference can be found here

The conference was funded by the European Union (V4 Aid - United Support for MDGs project) and the International Visegrad Fund.

In the picture: Members of Parliaments from V4 discussing development cooperation, archive: PDCS

Information provided by Andrea Girmanová, MVRO

Exchange Seminar on Global Education in the Czech Republic

At the beginning of December 2012, Czech NGOs and other actors active in global education (GE), mostly members of the Czech NGDO platform FoRS and its GE working group, gathered for an exchange seminar in Brno. Similar seminars, very much appreciated by all the participants, took place already in the previous two years.

The main topic of the exchange event in 2012 was the quality of educational materials. The first day was devoted to inputs from experts on education working in fields such as environmental education, civic education, adult education, publishing etc. Based on the inputs, the participants discussed issues such as what kind of materials are needed nowadays, how to work with new media, how to distribute and „sell“ the materials or how to coordinate the work among the different organisations in a more effective way – for example to have a shared editorial plan for all the members.

Apart from that, the gathering offered a unique opportunity for all the organisations to share news, experience and lessons learned from current projects, plans for the future etc. Also, the seminar is an opportunity to hear about and discuss news from the European level.

The seminar was organised by NaZemi, one of the members of the working group on global education, and is planned to take place in this year as well. Contact person: Kristýna Hrubanová, kristyna.hrubanova@nazemi.cz

KOPIN's Support Programme for Refugee Women in Malta

Since mid-2011, the Maltese NGO KOPIN, together with its partners the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR Malta) and the Agency for the Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS), is supporting refugee women by means of various empowerment and integration activities.

Financed through the European Refugee Fund (ERF), the US Government and the UNHCR, KOPIN’s team of project managers, programme officers, cultural mediators and legal & psychological experts offer activities to all refugee women residing in Malta.

Activities are being provided throughout the week in all open migrants’ centres having female residents, related to education (literacy, numeracy, language, health, sexuality, nutrition, etc.), vocational training, skills training, recreation and socialisation, including outings to various places in Malta and Gozo. KOPIN also involves experts from various fields, such as the Migrants’ Health Unit and the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) , to provide input to focus groups on issues such as sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM). KOPIN also engages numerous Maltese and international volunteers and interns to support the implementing team, who have the chance to actively engage in this social field and learn more about the situation of refugees in Malta.

In the near future, KOPIN and its partners also aim to reach out to refugee women residing within the communities and also to plan for future migrants’ support programmes, based on this project’s activities and the lessons learnt from it.

For further information, please contact info@kopin.org.

Information provided by KOPIN    

"Mediterranean Crossroads" - An Event commemorating International Migrants Day in Malta

The 18th of December is marked by the United Nations as International Migrants’ Day, an annual event that calls upon governments, organisations, and individuals to recognise the efforts, contributions and rights of migrants world-wide. The scope of this day is for people to come together, share their experiences and contribute to raising awareness on human rights and migrants’ fundamental freedoms.

In December 2012, a multi-stakeholder event was organised in Malta to commemorate this day. ‘Mediterranean Crossroads’ was jointly by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM), the Agency for Welfare of Asylum Seekers (AWAS), UNHCR Malta, the International Organisation for Migration and the local NGO Community – the Foundation for Shelter and Support to Migrants, GetUp! StandUp!, KOPIN, Integra Foundation, Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS Malta), Organisation for Friendship in Diversity (OFD), Malta Emigrants' Commission, aditus foundation, the Migrants’ Network for Equality, SOS Malta, the Malta International Relations Student Association (MIRSA) and INMalta.

Various migrant groups residing in Malta were invited to support the event by contributing in different ways such as setting up a stand, or displaying traditional dresses, music, food, or simply by attending the event. Thanks also to the financial support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, different migrant groups were able to participate in the event through various activities such as displaying henna art, cooking food from different cultures as well as sharing traditional music and dance.

A video of the event, entitled “Frames of Mind” can be found here

In the photo above: Brazilian group; below: Sudanese musician at the "Mediterranean Crossroads" event.

For further information contact Elizabeth Tratnik at KOPIN: elizabeth.tratnik@kopin.org.

Information provided by SKOP, National Platform of Maltese NGDOs  

Active Africa Working Group of Polish NGDOs

Member organizations of Grupa Zagranica (Polish NGDO platform) have set up a new working group, that gathers (for now)15 Polish development organizations working in West and East Africa. The main objective of the Africa Working Group is to increase Polish involvement in development cooperation in Africa.

By “greater involvement” the group means: increase of funds allocated for development cooperation in African countries (in 2012 Polish ODA for Africa amounts only to 6 mln PLN - approx. 1,5 mln EUR); higher standards and effectiveness of projects in Africa and increase of public awareness about the situation in Africa and Polish operations there.

For any questions and/or future cooperation, please contact Magdalena Trojanek at magdalena.trojanek@zagranica.org.pl.


Information provided by Magdalena Trojanek, Grupa Zagranica

European Year 2015 for Development Cooperation

Things have gone well for the initiative to designate the year 2015 as the European Year for Development Cooperation since the Latvian NGDO platform LAPAS suggested it in CONCORD General Assembly in 2011.

CONCORD has succeeded in mobilizing support for this initiative from various EU institutions. Development commissioner A. Piebalgs has expressed his support to it as well as the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) when in December 2011 they forwarded an opinion to the European Parliament recommending the European Year 2015 to be devoted to development cooperation. The Committee of the Regions as well as some development ‘champions’ from the European Parliament are also strongly behind this initiative. The European Parliament even adopted in its plenary meeting in October 2012 a report which included a recommendation to the European Commission to designate the year 2015 as the European Year for Development Cooperation.

Announcing a topic to be in the center of the European Year gives the opportunity to communicate it to a wide range of citizens and organize numerous joint activities and media campaigns around the issue. The year 2015 is especially suitable to be devoted to development cooperation as it is the year when the Millennium Development Goals should have been achieved and when a new paradigm for development should be adopted and starting to be implemented.

Currently the European Commission is preparing an official proposal to designate the year 2015 as European Year for Development Cooperation. This proposal will have to be approved by the European Council and European Parliament.

Citizens and CSOs can send their specific suggestions concerning activities, stakeholders and other tips for the European Year for Development Cooperation via the EESC forum ‘Have Your Say!” Have your say and read what others have already suggested from here.

More info online at Economic and Social Committee and CONCORD.

Information provided by Mirjam Sutrop, TRIALOG

Humanitarian Congress 2013 Vienna

One of the key aims of the Humanitarian Congress in Vienna on 8th of March 2013 is to increase the visibility of humanitarian work. A second aim is to raise awareness among decision makers for the relevance of humanitarian aid and cooperation, both at the national, the European and international level.

For the 2nd time the Congress brings together experts from medical, humanitarian and international organisations, politics, media as well as a large number of students from different areas of study. With around 400 participants and speakers from around the world in 2011, the Humanitarian Congress Vienna is now an important forum in the world of humanitarian aid. The Congress offers a unique mix of humanitarian and political keynote speeches and debates.

Online registartion is open until 1st March 2013.
Admission fee is EUR 30,-

More information can be found on the website of the event.

Source: www.humanitaerer-kongress.at

The IFOAM Organic Leadership Course comes to Europe in 2013

IFOAM the, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements is organising a course in Organic Agriculture Leadership:
• Get an increased understanding of the principles of organic agriculture.
• Expand your knowledge of the organic agriculture value chain.
• Learn about the global movement and support structures.
• Build your advocacy skills.
• Increase your knowledge and understanding of regulations, standards and certification.
• Most importantly, hone the skills and attitudes to take a leadership role in the industry!

The first module of the course will take place in Switzerland, from 14 - 21 April, 2013. After the first residential course, you will embark on a 8-month E-learning journey, culminating in a six-day residential session in February 2014 before Biofach in Nürnberg.

The tuition fee:
Option1: Including all materials, activities, board and lodging (twin sharing). It excludes travel to and from the venues: Euro 4000
Option2: Arrange your own accommodation - course fee only: Euro 2800

Application deadline: 15 April 2013

Go to www.ifoam.org/growing_organic/academy.php to download an application, or email to: academy@ifoam.org.

Information provided by IFOAM

GDN Global Development Awards

The Global Development Network (GDN) is offering development organisations headquartered and working in developing countries and transition economies the opportunity to receive grants through the Japanese Award for Most Innovative Development Project.

If your project is creative, innovative and has had a significant social impact, hurry and apply on our website for the 2012 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition.

Why do you want to apply?
• If you win, your project will be entitled to a grant of US$ 30,000
• If you win the second prize or third prize, your project will get a grant of US$ 10,000 and US$ 5,000, respectively
• The first prize winner will be eligible to compete for a grant of up to US$ 200,000 for their project through the Japan Social Development Fund
• If your project is shortlisted, your organization will participate as a presenting finalist at the parallel sessions in GDN’s 14th Annual Global Development Conference to be held in Manila, The Philippines, in June 2013. Travel and stay will be funded by GDN
• If your project is shortlisted, as a finalist, you will participate in a two-day training workshop before the Conference to enhance your communications skills
• Finalists get a chance to present their project to a high profile international audience at the Conference
• The winners will be chosen by an eminent jury at the Conference

Application Deadline: 18 February, 2013 (Indian Standard Time 6:00 PM).
To Apply: Please visit www.gdn.int/amc.
All applications and documents must be submitted electronically.

For queries related to the Competition, please write to us at: awards@gdn.int
Watch what past winners have to say: http://vimeo.com/27619123

Information provided by Global Development Network

Human Rights and Development Tools

In 2009 a working group of researchers focused on the subtopic of human right and development tools with a particular focus on EU and UN institutions was established by AHRI members participating in the current COST Action on the role of the EU in UN Human Rights reform.

The main output of the work of the team is an edited volume: Towards a Theory of Change: Human Rights and Development in the new Millennium (Routledge, 2013) . It analyses how human rights expansion into development influences organizational and operational change and the role of relevant actors in bringing about the change at local, national and international levels.

During the expert breakfast organized by CONCORD on Monday 28th January 2013 in Brussels, three of the authors presented their research findings.

Prof. P. Gready, who analysed the human rights-based approach (HRBA) implementation and its impact on ActionAid, discussed the need to align all aspects of the organization’s work with its approach to programming. Is there for instance also a HRBA to fundraising and advocacy?

Prof. W. Vandenhole studied HRBA to development within the EU context. He drew attention to the recent EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy of the Council of the EU from June 2012 which explicitly mentions HRBA for the area of the EU development cooperation. The question however remains how seriously and coherently is HRBA taken by EU institutions and policy-makers in practice.

Last, but not least, prof. K. Arts researching on a positive HRBA practice example - Plan’s project on countering violence against children in the Philippines, stressed the importance of similar positive HRBA examples and suggested that the complexity and the lengthiness of HRBA should be reflected in the evaluation and the project cycle.

For more information and online ordering visit: www.routledge.com.

AHRI consists of 43 member institutions based in Europe that carry out research and education in the field of human rights.

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is one of the longest-running European instruments supporting cooperation among scientists and researchers across Europe.

Information provided by Katarina Sramkova, TRIALOG

“MY World” - It all starts with you!

The United Nations and partners want to hear from you! “MY World” is a global survey asking you to choose your priorities for a better world. Results will be shared with world leaders in setting the next global development agenda.

It has been 7 months since the Rio+20 Conference in Brazil and the Sustainable Development Dialogues. Due to the lively discussions that occurred on the riodialogues.org platform, the Dialogues influenced the Rio+20 outcome and planning for future sustainable development.

Building on this success, the “MY World” survey will help define the next set of global goals by telling the UN and partners the changes that everyone would like to see in the world.

Vote for the changes that would make the most difference to your world at: http://www.myworld2015.org/  

Information provided by MY World.

Human Rights Impact Assessments as a New Tool for Development Policy?

Development policy affects human rights in manifold ways. Policy-makers have tried to tackle these issues by employing various impact assessment tools. Traditionally, economic and environmental effects are at the centre of the existing tools, while social effects are only included to a lesser extent. This paper argues that the existing tools are insufficient for reasons that concern their legal status, their methodology and, in particular, their effectiveness. Human Rights Impact Assessments (HRIA) promise to cure some of these shortcomings.

In the paper, published by ÖFSE (Austrian Research Foundation for International Development), the potential fields of application of HRIAs in development policy will be addressed.

Download the working paper here (pdf).

Source: Newsletter of Global Responsibility - Austrian Platform for development and humanitarian aid (17/01/2013)

"Inclusive and Sustainable Development: Lessons from the Balkans"

The report from the conference “Inclusive and sustainable development: The role of finance - Lessons from the Balkans” organised by ÖFSE – The Austrian Research Foundation for International Development on December 5, 2012 is available.

For several years, microfinance has been regarded as one of the main instruments that might be used to achieve economic development by mobilizing resources, increasing the volume of local productive investment and meeting the needs of different groups of the society. However, the microcredit-sector in Bosnia crashed in 2010, and its positive reputation has been severely damaged within Bosnian society.

The conference addressed the following questions:
What conclusions can be drawn from the experience of the Balkans and other regions for the design of financial systems in support of inclusive and sustainable economic development?
Which financial sector reforms should be implemented in the Balkan countries in this context?
Which role could and should international institutions and donors play in this respect?
What are the economic, social and political effects of the implosion of the microcredit bubble in Bosnia?
What role did European banks and, specifically, microfinance institutions play in this context?
What are their lessons learnt?

Download the report here (pdf).

Source: ÖFSE - The Austrian Research Foundation for International Development

Join the DEEEP Team

DEEEP will continue with a fourth project phase for another three years, co-funded by the European Commission and for DEEEP4 - Citizens' empowerment for global justice - they are currently seeking:

- an Advocacy Officer, 80%
- a Communication Officer, 80%
- a Research Officer, 60%
- a Capacity Building Officer, 60%

All posts are based in Brussels and deadline for applications is 3 February.

Click here to find all details about responsibilities, qualifications needed and the recruitment procedure in the linked job announcements.

Source: DEEEP/CONCORD EU Monitoring Newsletter (25/01/2013)