Study: A Decade of EU13 CSO Participation in EC DEAR Projects

This new TRIALOG study looks at how successful EU13 CSOs have been within the last ten years in applying for European Commission (EC) Development Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR) project funding within the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities programme.

The participation of EU13 CSOs as partners in DEAR activities together with EU15 CSOs has proved a success is one of the main findings of the study. Only 12% of all DEAR projects funded by the EC do not involve at least one organisation from EU13 as a partner.

The study was conducted on the basis of information available from the public EC database and an electronic survey distributed among EU13 development CSOs.

Please visit our website to download the full study and a one pager featuring the main findings.



Information provided by TRIALOG

Event in Brussels to Mark the 10th Anniversary of the 2004 EU Enlargement

The 10 year anniversary of the EU enlargement of 2004 provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on the contributions the EU13 countries and especially their development NGOs have made to European development cooperation and to CONCORD – the confederation of development NGOs in Europe. Panel discussions on the topics “Transformative Multi-stakeholder approaches in development cooperation with a focus on good governance and gender” were co-organised by CONCORD, TRIALOG, and the Latvian Permanent Representation to the EU during the CONCORD general assembly on 4 June 2014.

Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs who couldn’t be at the event sent his video message, highlighting the contribution EU13 countries have brought to international development and the cooperation with CONCORD.

In the panel addressing the question “Transformative approaches to good governance: can we do better?” several insights came out concerning the added value of EU13 actors in development cooperation, such as the empathy and solidarity EU13 actors often feel with the issues that are facing their partners because they have been through similar experiences. Also, some key dilemmas were discussed such as how to engage in situations where there is no freedom of association, freedom of information or freedom of expression.

In the panel “Transformative approaches to gender: we can do better” various actors shared examples of projects and methodologies with the potential to have transformative impact on gender equality. Several issues were stresses, such as the importance of alliance building among women’s organisations and inclusion of men, boys as well as women in the work in order to achieve transformative change. The need for more gender champions, but not celebrities or high profile spokespeople – rather normal people who champion gender equality in their everyday world was also stressed by one of the panellists.


Read more about the panel discussions from TRIALOG website.

In the frame of the event CONCORD and TRIALOG published "10 Interesting Facts about EU13 Development Sector", download the factsheet here.


Photo TRIALOG: Participants of the panel event.

Information provided by Mirjam Sutrop, TRIALOG

Educational Institutions for Development – Down to Earth and Close to People (International Conference Know-How3000)

Between the 10th and 12th of June 2014, Vienna hosted the international conference with the title “Educational Institutions – Down to Earth and Close to People” organised by Horizont3000, the lead agency of TRIALOG.

The conference took place in the context of a series of regional conferences and workshops aimed at enhancing knowledge management, knowledge transfer and capacity building among Horizont3000 partners. The three-days conference provided a wonderful opportunity to explore the way in which universities both in Northern and Southern countries are contributing to a more just and sustainable development in Southern countries.

Over the past years, as a response to the need to engage with societal demands and link universities with their socio-economic context, a number of universities worldwide have added a third mission to their traditional missions of teaching and research, to include activities that facilitate their engagement with social, economic, environmental and cultural dimensions of capacity building. The conference can be thus seen as part of a global debate around the third mission of universities.

Apart from the Horizont3000 partner organisations in the South (Brasil, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Uganda), the conference was attended by partners of the TRIALOG project in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The interactive methodology of the conference has provided representatives of universities from Czech Republic, Lithuania, Slovenia, as well as representatives of CSOs in Croatia, Cyprus, Malta, and Estonia working on development issues with the opportunity to network with and gain new insights from universities and organisations working in the South, therefore laying the foundations for future exchanges and partnerships.

More information on the experiences presented and background information on the conference can be found here.

Photo courtesy of HORIZONT3000: conference participants during a working group session.


Information provided by Iulia Socea, TRIALOG

After the Balkan Floods: CSO Recommendations to Decision Makers

On 26 May 2014 the CONCORD Enlargement, Pre-accession and Neighbourhood (EPAN) Working Group and TRIALOG, in cooperation with the Balkan Civil Society Development Network, held an update meeting in Brussels on the current situation in Serbia and Bosnia i Herzegovina. The participants represented various European civil society organisations (CSOs) active in these two countries.

The representatives discussed further immediate support needed in the affected regions as well as potential support for long-term (psycho-)social support, reconstruction, rehabilitation and socio-economic development. Participants identified some key recommendations to decision makers at local, national and European levels to anticipate (better) the needs of people affected by the floods.
The overarching recommendation is to focus on the most vulnerable people such as children, women, Roma and the elderly.


Find the recommendations here.


Information provided by TRIALOG

Organisation of the Month: ARPOK

ARPOK is a Czech non-governmental organisation founded by the Olomouc region together with Palacký University, Olomouc in September 2004.

The non-profit organisation brings global development education into schools. ARPOK helps teachers to implement current global issues (such as poverty, migration, responsible consumption), and talks about them with pupils. ARPOK also informs the general public about global issues and thus promote an open and tolerant society and the active involvement of people in the world around them. ARPOK works in close cooperation with teachers and schools to support implementing of global issues in the schools curricula in the Czech Republic and fulfils the National Strategy for Global Development Education 2011-2015.

ARPOK
- works with pupils (interactive workshops, project/thematic days)
- works with teachers (methodological seminars, handbooks, consultation centre, library, exhibitions)
- works with general public (discussions with experts on development issues)

 In 2013 ARPOK did:
- a strategic plan for the next 3 years was created
- 87 workshops for 2307 pupils were facilitated in schools
- participated in the project „Seniors without borders“
- succesfully reported on the first year of our EC funded project (Experiencing the World) which is led by us
- continuously cooperated with 54 teachers within 3 educational projects (Enviglob, World in One Day and Critical Review)

ARPOK regularly publishes new pedagogical materials for teachers. The most recent one created within Experiencing the World project „Jonáš cestuje“ (Jonas travels) deals with „responsible tourism“ and targets pupils of age 12 – 16 years. Pupils can compare pluses and minuses of their behaviour whilst travelling and come up with their own ideas how to be harmless during their holidays.

ARPOK actively cooperates with a number of platforms and is a member of the Czech Forum for Development Cooperation (FoRS). ARPOK is a member of Global Development Education working group within FoRS and thus one of the key actors among the global development education NGOs in the Czech Republic.

For more information please visit our website: www.arpok.cz or send us an email at grv@arpok.cz.

In the picture: Pupils from Lobodice Primary School testing a new workshop „In the Restaurant World“ within Experiencing the World project.


Information provided by ARPOK.

World Day in Estonia Raised Awareness About Humanitarian Aid

On May 31st 2014, the Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation held a free family event in Tallinn, the World Day. The festival aimed to introduce world cultures to Estonians and raise awareness about humanitarian aid and decent life for people across the globe – something every person should be able to enjoy regardless of where they were born.

World Day was an open air event for the whole family. The day offered great music, entertainment for kids and opportunities to hear stories about humanitarian aid across the globe. Everybody had a chance to gather information and inspiration about why and how they could contribute their time, ideas and knowledge to provide a better life for all people in the world.

As the exodus of Syrian refugees continues to escalate, humanitarian needs remain high. To highlight the issue, UNHCR’s Zaatri Refugee Camp exhibition showcased UNHCR in its emergency work around the world, including refugee registration procedure, refugee tent and high nutrition emergency food. Next to the Refugee Camp people could see the exhibition by Brian Sokol called The Most Important Thing that featured portraits of Syrian refugees with a single most important personal belonging.

The headliner on the World Day stage was the musician, Carlou D. Purity from Senegal. The concept of simplicity and above all, respect for others, are the cornerstone of Carlou D.’s concept. Taking the essence of the peace philosophy, the outspoken qualities of hip-hop, and musical elements of jazz, soul, rap, and acoustic roots, Carlou D. had an illuminating presence on stage.

We hope that the World Day will increase the interest towards what is going on in the world and that the cultural interactions will widen people’s perspectives and build feelings of solidarity. Hopefully, more awareness also leads to the desire to support people in developing countries and the organisations working for a better world.

The event was organised by the Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation (AKÜ) with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Photo courtesy of AKÜ: Participants of the World Day 2014
More photos of the World Day can be found here.


Information provided by Katrin Pärgmäe, Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation

Lithuanian NGO Umbrella Focuses on Capacity Building for Members and Reflects Upon 10 Years in the EU

Summer began very actively in Lithuania with a sequence of events in the field of development cooperation and education. On June 11th 2014 Association LITDEA hosted an international conference ,,10 Years in the European Union: Lithuania‘s Development Cooperation Progress, Challenges and Prospects“ aimed to review the Lithuania‘s development cooperation over the decade and discuss what kind of development cooperation policy Lithuania needs today. Mirjam Sutrop of TRIALOG gave an input on "The experience in development cooperation of NGOs of EU13 countries". For more information please visit this website.

On 17th June the NGDO platform organized a training for multipliers on the Post-2015 Agenda, which took place in Vilnius. It was run by Gerard Vives, Beyond 2015 European Coordinator. The training covered the topics Post-2015 Process - Events, Institutions, People, and Actions; Beyond 2015 Campaign; and opportunities for civil society engagement. There was a lively debate during all the presentations. The excercise on influencing the government representatives at the end of the training provided and interesting and useful experience on how to truely influence the decision makers.

On June 18-19th the NGDO platform organized a training on how to develop a funding application for EuropeAid. The event took place in Vilnius and was run by María- José Pérez. The training was intended for representatives who do not have (much) experience in the preparation of EuropeAid project applications, who want to improve their skills and learn the secrets of successful applications. The participants had the chance to learn how to develop a good logframe, design methodology, budget and other important aspects necessary to know in preparing successful applications.

On July 8-9th Association LITDEA will be organizing a training on AidWatch report preparation in Kaunas. Association LITDEA is kindly inviting all interested activists from non-governemental sector who are willing to familiarize themselves with the AidWatch report and its implementation process, to increase their already existing knowledge about the ODA monitoring process, to get practical advice from experts in the field, to share their experiences, challenges and solutions, and to identify opportunities for regional cooperation. The training will be leaded by Ms. Amy Dodd, Chair of Concord AidWatch. You can find more information in the draft agenda.


The trainings are implemented with the assistance of the European Union through TRIALOG.


Information provided by Agne Baleisyte, Lithuanian Umbrella

Slovenian NGO Platform Shares Experience with Bulgaria

In May 2014, Ms Elitsa Akseva, Liaison Officer of the Bulgarian Platform for International Development (BPID), spent four days in Ljubljana at the office of SLOGA, the Slovenian development CSO platform. The aim of this exchange, supported by TRIALOG, was to gather inspiring insights in the work of SLOGA that will be useful for the activities of the Bulgarian platform.

This is Ms Akseva’s report:
During my job placement at SLOGA, I got acquainted with the working methods of the Slovenian NDGO Platform. I was interested to learn how SLOGA communicates with the MFA and met advocacy officer Ana Kalin, who told me about the post-2015 communication campaign undertaken by SLOGA. In 2013, the Platform initiated the campaign by sending a position on the post-2015 agenda to the Slovenian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA). In June 2013, SLOGA participated in a panel discussion on the post-2015 strategy in Riga. At the beginning of 2014, it sent another position update to the MFA. Together with environmental NGOs in Slovenia, SLOGA produced a joint manifest and sent it to candidates for the European Parliament just before the EP Elections in May 2014.

Of interest to me was also to see how colleagues collaborate and share their responsibilities. For example, communication officer Iva Likar is dealing with the weekly news, while the director Marjan Huc is responsible for the overall vision and goals of the platform and for the development of relations with state representatives.

An inspiring part of my internship was the Euro-Mediterranean Conference 'Stronger Together', organized by the Anna Lindt Foundation. The purpose of this conference was to outline possible ways for cooperation between countries in the Mediterranean region, to discuss the progress of civil society in the countries of the Arab Spring and to define future challenges. The situation in Syria, women's rights, problems of humanitarian aid, the role of the European Union, the need to build strategic partnership between countries of the region and the EU were some of the issues discussed at the conference.

As a whole, I found my experience in Ljubljana rewarding and I am looking forward to future cooperation with the Slovenian Platform.


Photo courtesy of Elitsa Akseva: Elitsa Akseva.

Information provided by Elitsa Akseva elitsa.akseva@bpid.eu

TRIALOG Partner Becomes CONCORD's New President

Johannes Trimmel from the Austrian Development NGO platform has been elected as the new CONCORD President at the annual General Assembly of the European confederation, replacing Joanna Maycock, who stepped down to take up a new role as secretary general at the European Women’s Lobby. Mr Trimmel is a long standing TRIALOG advisory group member. With his vast experience of over 20 years in the field of development cooperation he has been contributing significantly to the project since its beginnings. Mr Trimmel is also the director of international programme support and policies in the TRIALOG partner organisation “Light for the World” which focuses on the inclusion of persons with disabilities living in poverty in developing countries.

Read Johannes Trimmel’s first media interview and watch the webinar video here.

New CONCORD board member from EU13
Olivia Baciu from the Romanian National Platform FOND was elected board member. Ms Baciu, who is the president of the board of FOND and Executive Director of Partners Foundation for Local Development in Romania, also forms part of the TRIALOG advisory group.

For more details on the current CONCORD board members please visit their website.

Croatian Platform joins CONCORD
The Confederation grew in size welcoming two new members, the Croatian NGO platform CROSOL and the SOS Children’s Villages. CROSOL is formed by 24 NGOs that have strong experience in the fields of protection of women rights, environment, peacebuilding and transitional justice, youth, education, migration and culture.

Find all CONCORD members here.

TRIALOG congratulates all newly elected board members and the Croatian platform.
In the photo (from left): Olivia Baciu, Rebecca Steel-Jasinska (TRIALOG), Johannes Trimmel.


Source: CONCORD

The Development Approach of CEE Donors: Priorities, Actors and Frameworks

Arcadia, a member organisation of FOND - Romanian NGDO platform organised a conference on 15-16 June 2014 focusing on the development approach of Central and Eastern European (CEE) donors. The conference was well attended by more than 50 participants representing difference stakeholders: NGOs, think tanks, academia, institutions, practitioners from the field and private sector coming from different EU countries (Czech Republic, Brussels, Slovenia, and Hungary).

CONCORD took part in the first plenary session focused on the future trends in ensuring an effective ODA implementation and sharing lessons learnt from older donors that could be of help for new donors (CEE region) in defining their ODA policies. CONCORD provided, apart from the future trends in development cooperation, perspective of the EU13 civil society in development cooperation including their engagement on the European level in CONCORD and TRIALOG.

Arcadia during the conference launched a study offering an initial perspective of the potential pool of expertise represented by Romanians working in development at global level and discussed potential brain drain and brain regain in the field of international development. It will be available soon.

Arcadia – Romanian Association for International Cooperation and development is an NGO which profiles itself as a neutral space for interaction and analysis of international development related to Romania’s role as international donor. Arcadia has more than 170 members composed of academics, practitioners, researchers, academics, members of NGOs, business and policy makers. The conference was organized as part of a larger project: Training Romanian Young Professionals In International Development financed by the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented in partnership with the UNDP Bratislava Regional Center.

For more information, please, contact Diana Rusu of Arcadia diana.rusu@arcadianetwork.org or Adela Rusu of FOND adela.rusu@fondromania.org.


Information provided by Zuzana Sladkova, CONCORD

Romanian and African NGOs Join Up For Youth Projects

A.R.T. Fusion, a Romanian organisation that sets its action in two directions, social and global responsibility, is implementing two new projects within the Youth in Action Programme.

The main objective of “Animate the Global Change” is to fight against social exclusion among young people by taking in consideration the causes of this phenomenon. The project is created especially for youth workers from Europe and the West Africa region and encourages them to contribute to a cohesive society though alternative methods like participative or performing arts, living library and techniques that could reach more and more young people. Non-formal education proved to have a success in this area of social exclusion. So, finding more creative, open and divers methods is absolutely necessary in communicating and attracting young people in risks into taking action and creating a world of greater justice, equity and human rights. The project includes international big training and exchange meetings where all the participants will share their expertise in specific methods and explore global topics and intercultural awareness.

“You Are Part Of This World, Be Part Of Its Future” is another project of A.R.T. Fusion Association and involves countries from Europe, West- and Southern Africa. The main goal of the project is to increase the capacity of youth organization to raise the level of social and global responsibility among young people in Europe and Africa. The participants will have the opportunity to attend international trainings on global education activities in Sierra Leone and Romania, in order to raise awareness in an non-formal way about global interdependencies, social and global justice, climate change and sustainable lifestyle. The young volunteers and youth leaders that will be involved in the project will develop a large variety of competencies and this competencies will be applied in many areas.

For more details go to http://artfusion.ro/ or write to art_fusion_romania@yahoo.com


In the photo: participants of the "Animate the Global Change" project.



Information provided by A.R.T. Fusion

Workshops on Climate Change and Agriculture in Malta

Did you know that 13 of Malta’s 15 aquifers are too polluted to be used? How is the EU funding sustainable agriculture? How easy is it for our farmers to go organic? How does permaculture preserve soil and water? Which technologies can be exploited to better manage natural resources? How is Malta planning to adapt to scenarios of increased drought?

These are some of the questions that were addressed on 19 and 20 May 2014 during the workshops KOPIN organised in the framework of ClimATE Change, an EU co-funded project aimed at raising awareness about the link between Millennium Goals 1 (eradicating poverty and hunger) and 7 (ensuring environmental sustainability).

The workshops entitled “Climate change and agriculture in Malta: Adapting through the sustainable use of resources” brought together stakeholders from government, private, academic and non-governmental sectors.

The first workshop was aimed at professionals of the farming sector and tackled issues such as water scarcity, the EU’s rural development plan and the shift to organic farming. The second workshop targeted students and their institutions. Here speakers addressed themes such as permaculture approaches, adaptation strategies, innovative technology and research on the perception of local farmers with regard to climate change.

KOPIN also presented a research carried out by the organisation itself and its international partners in Ethiopia and Nicaragua. The workshops were well attended and gave rise to lively debates.

More activities are in the pipeline so please follow KOPIN on the project’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/projectclimatechange.

Contact person at KOPIN: Federica Di Giulio


In the photo: participants of the workshop.

Information provided by Irene Mangion Intern at KOPIN

Crisis Unit “Citizens United for Serbia” Founded by Civic Initiatives

In response to the heavy floods in Serbia, Civic Initiatives opened a Crisis Unit “Citizens United for Serbia” (#Udruzeni) in their headquarters in Belgrade. The Unit is now coordinating the activities of more than 150 civil society organizations that are engaged in helping endangered citizens. Furthermore, The Unit has started developing plans for activities that will be implemented after the water from flooded areas retreat. The Crises Unit is gathering the information about any kind of help that CSOs are able to offer, in order to plan and implement support measures for the government and the affected population in the period after the withdrawal of the water. Also, Civic Initiatives alarmed international civil society networks, international organizations and donors and requested help for Serbian citizens. The Unit will continue with its work as long as the situation requires our active engagement.

#Udruzeni in numbers
#Udruzeni hassuccessfully coordinated more than 95 activities, by sending volunteers to the locations where they were needed most, arranging transport of goods, as well as locating the mentioned goods, and sending it to the places which had the most urgent need of the goods at the given moment.

Establishing a base for the days after - Strategic approach 
Based on the experience acquired from the operation of the crisis committee #Udruzeni, cooperates with domestic and international experts in the area of emergency situations (with a special focus on floods), as well as international organizations, Civic Initiatives established a ''Help to Help" strategy including: Helping citizens to help - Helping civil society to help – Helping institutions to help.

For more information please visit the website: www.udruzeni.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/Udruzeni and Twitter: https://twitter.com/Udruzeni; hashtags: #Udruzeni #DaniPosle #poplave

Youth in Action Participants Promoted a Flood-Movies
A group of 20 young people from eight European countries, participants of the project ‘’Initiatives Agenda’’ supported by the EU program Youth in Action, are promoting the short videos with which they wish to raise consciousness in their countries about the catastrophe which happened in the Balkans and the need to collect aid for victims of the floods.

Links to the films: film 1, film 2 and film 3.

Photo: Youth in Action promoting flood movies.

Information provided by Višnja Filipović, Civic Initiatives.

EU Council Conclusions on a Rights-based Approach to Development Cooperation, Encompassing All Human Rights

Last month, in Brussels, the Council of the European Union adopted a series of conclusions on a rights based approach to development cooperation. Among the conclusions, the Council “acknowledges the fundamental role of civil society in promoting human rights, notably through their contribution to the empowerment of rights-holders, awareness-raising and fostering accountability and transparency.

The Council stresses the need for continued EU support for human rights defenders, capacity-building of local civil society organisations and promoting a safe and enabling environment in both law and practice that maximises their contribution to development. Being closer to citizens and interacting with civil society, local authorities also play a crucial role in the effective implementation of a rights-based approach.”

It is worth noting that the conclusions also refer to the Toolbox developed by the European Commission for the implementation of the Rights Based Approach (RBA), describing how to systematically apply a RBA into EU development cooperation, including in the EU project cycle management, and is, therefore, a useful tool for CSOs as well. The Toolbox can be found here, while the full Council Conclusions on RBA are available here.


Source: CIDSE EU News – Issue 2 – June 2014

EU Elections and the Impact on EU’s Development Policy

Shortly after the EU Parliamentary elections, Devex - one of the world's most popular international development networks – has published a very insightful analysis of the potential implications of the EU elections for the EU Development Policy and Global Development more generally. The article is written by Richard Jones, Devex associate editor. One of the highlights of the article refers to the fact that the results of these elections mean that the EU will have to “raise its game”, to prove and communicate its added value, including in the area of development cooperation. This apparent crisis can also be seen as an opportunity for civil society organisations to contribute to the efforts of the European institutions “to redefine their approach to the outside world and to try harder to win the argument for a type of engagement in foreign policy that resonates with European citizens of all political creeds”, as suggested in the article.

The full content of the article is available here.

Source: Devex International Development News

Civil Society At the Heart of the Eastern Partnership: Interview with EuropeAid Neighbourhood Director Dr Michael Köhler

Dr Michael Köhler gives an interview on the role of civil society in the context of the Eastern Partnership. The interview is part of “Talking about the Neighbourhood”, a series of interviews with people involved in the Neighbourhood. Civil society organisations play a crucial role within their societies in providing policy input, developing new initiatives and in holding governments accountable for their actions. They are major actors in promoting democracy and human rights, the rule of law, good governance and sustainable economic and social development, he says.

In order for reforms in Eastern Partnership countries to be successful, he adds, a stronger participation of civil society is needed so as to enhance the oversight of public services and strengthen public confidence in those services.

At the end of his interview he concludes: “strengthening the capacity of civil society has been one of the most important and positive results of our cooperation with the Eastern Partnership. We have given civil society in partner countries unprecedented support in both political and financial terms. And we intend to continue.”

The full interview can be accessed here.

 Source: EU Neighbourhood Info Centre 

Conference on Eastern Partnership Five Years On: Time for a New Strategy?

The conference was dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the Eastern Partnership (EaP) and evaluated successes, failures and the oncoming challenges of the project. It was organized by AMO the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, in cooperation with the Delegation of the European Commission to the Czech Republic, the European Endowment for Democracy, the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, and the Embassy of Sweden in the Czech Republic.

The report of the conference refers a number of times to the civil society in relation to the EaP and states that “the EaP civil society policy should focus on guaranteeing the functional structures of the civil society, but it should not command the civil society what to do. The strategy should not be oriented on the structures only, but it should include the intensification of direct contacts among societies and people exchange. The self-organisation of the EaP should be pursued.” 

A full report of the conference conclusions can be read here.


 Source: PASOS – Policy Association for an Open Society 

Join the DEEEP Leadership Development Course

DEEEP/CONCORD DARE Forum, Development Perspectives and Smart CSOs Lab launched their joint learning cycle - “Explorers’ Journey for Systemic Change: tackling root causes”. Participants will embark on a 7-months inspirational journey, focused on building their core competencies for facilitating systemic change through action-experiments. Participation is limited to a number of 50 participants and the deadline for submitting applications is 30th of June.

More information on the programme and the application form can be found here.


 Source: DEEEP Website

Conference on Education for Global Citizenship and Webinar on Degrowth

For development education practitioners and active global citizens the two upcoming events of DEEEP will provide great space for exchange of ideas and fruit for thought.

Live Streaming of the Panel Discussion at the Conference on Education for Global Citizenship:
If you can not join the Conference on Global Citizenship Education in person next week in Brussels, don't worry. The organisers will set up a live stream of the panel discussion "All you need to know about Education for Global Citizenship". Join online on June 24th from 11.30am to 1pm.

Next webinar on Degrowth:
 The 5th #DAREtalk webinar with the title "Beyond European growth obsession: rights, justice and democracy for all" takes place on 10th of July at 13pm on the European Citizens Summit website (under construction now). In the framework of the European Citizens Summit 2014 organised in September, this webinar will present the upcoming event and discuss the “degrowth” paradigm as a potential solution for a fairer and more democratic Europe.


Source: DEEEP Development Education Times, June 2014

Development and Democracy: International Conference in Slovakia

The Pontis Foundation invites you to discuss “Development Ecosystems in V4: the New Role for Civil Society Organisations and Business Beyond Millennium Development Goals”. The international conference will be taking place on 15th of October 2014 in Bratislava and aims to intensify international development cooperation between the Visegrad countries (V4 include Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), to identify innovative ways for joint project implementation, and to emphasize transition experiences relevant for partner countries on their way to building fully-fledged democracy.

The conference provides a unique platform for the exchange of opinions and experiences which should stimulate professional dialogue and strengthen joint activities of the relevant players in the V4.
The full programme will be available soon here.


Source: Pontis Fundation

Deadline Approaching for “Project Inspire” – 30th of June

A chance to win $25,000 to implement projects for empowering women and girls in the developing world - Project Inspire is open for competition to social enterprises and non-profits, who work with women and girls in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and/or Africa. Applications can be submitted as an individual or as a group of up to four (4) people. The organizations passionate about making a positive and lasting impact towards the empowerment of women are encouraged to come up with their existing or planned project to empower women through entrepreneurship and business literacy.

Information on the application process is available here.

Source: Fundsforngos – Grants and Resources of Sustainability

German Development Institute Briefing Paper – “Beyond Aid” and the Future of Development Cooperation

The recently published paper by the German Development Institute addresses the need for changes in the current approaches to development cooperation, pointing out that the current challenges that practitioners and policy-makers face in the development world require moving beyond the traditional thinking, through specialization and integration. 

The full report can be downloaded here.


Source: German Development Institute www.die-gdi.de

bond for International Development: Campaigning Together

Working together is becoming increasingly common in today’s campaigning landscape. If we get it right, we know we’re stronger together. These resources published by the UK platform for organisations working in international development - bond, which are based on experiences from coalition campaigns, including Enough Food for Everyone IF, stimulate ideas, challenge thinking and encourage creativity and collaboration.

Available at the bond website.

Source: bond

Aid Effectiveness in the Making: The Tanzanian Development Partners Group

During the past decade the international development community explored the ways to make develoment assistance more effective. The mainstream approach emphasizes that increased country ownership at the implementation of programs can ensure the sustaninablity of governance reforms in recipient countries. To achieve this, it is essential to better harmonize and align donor initiatives with country’s development strategies and base partnership on mutual accountability. These core guidelines are essential to establish and maintain donor interaction at the country level. The question is what type of institutional arrangement can possibly allow both Development Partners and recipient country government and public administrative systems, to harmonize and align their approaches? Structures like these should enable donor organizations to interact from high-level discussion forums through the thematic, as well as the program and operation levels. 

The article „Aid effectivesness in the making - Mapping the effectiveness of Development Partners Group” written by Marton Leiszens from the Hungarian NGO platform HAND, describes the Tanzanian Development Partners Group (DPG), an inter-agency dialogue structure to assist the Government of Tanzania to implement its Poverty Reduction Strategy. The purpose of the DPG is to create an environment allowing donor organizations to interact, coordinate the design, implenentation and monitoring of joint projects and use joint financing mechanisms. The DPG practice developed in Tanzania can contribute to a more effective aid distribution – both on national and international level - and to the realization of the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals.

Find the publication here: Aid effectivesness in the making - Mapping the effectiveness of Development Partners Group for the Development Partners Group Gender Working Group, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 2010.


Information provided by Marton Leiszens