PCD – what is the way forward?

On March 5 – 6, 2012 CONCORD organized the third annual seminar on policy coherence for development (PCD). More than 30 participants of the seminar covered a wide spectrum of organizations and backgrounds in PCD – from the countries and platforms that have a considerable experience and work done in the field (e.g. Denmark, Finland, Sweden), to the newcomers to the concept.

During the seminar the information on the recent developments in the EU related to the PCD was shared (context of PCD in Agenda for Change, recent EU 2011 Report on PCD, CONCORD’s report “Spotlight on EU Policy Coherence for Development”) as well as the participants discussed on the institutional mechanisms that might provide for more policy coherence for development on EU level. Some of the issues covered sufficient use of Impact Assessments already carried out by the European Commission; including more PCD responsibility in the hands of the EU delegations in developing countries; increase of resources related to research and human capital, carrying our ex-post evaluations of EU policies and others.

The participants also had meetings on PCD issues in the permanent representations of the respective EU countries as well as participated in the presentation of the research case closely related to PCP “The EU raw materials policy and mining in Rwanda” carried out by Evert Vermeer Foundation.

The participants were determined to keep closely working with the issues of PCD holding to the momentum that is provided currently by the Agenda for Change and looking forward the Council meeting of the EU Development ministers in May.

More information on PCD work at CONCORD:
Blandine Bouniol, Policy Coordinator – Policy Coherence for Development, CONCORD Blandine.Bouniol@concordeurope.org
Laust Gregersen, CONCORD Denmark, Head of PCD Coordination group, CONCORD llg@concorddanmark.dk  


Information provided by Linda Jākobsone, Latvian Platform for Development organizations (LAPAS)

AidWatch activities reloaded

CONCORD Europe held its annual Aidwatch working group seminar in Brussels on 1-3 of February 2012. Aidwatch is one of the flagship activities of CONCORD, the European NGO confederation. The main work of the working group each year is the production of the Aidwatch Report that takes a critical look at the performance of European governments and the European Commission on targets for aid quantity and quality. This year there will be two of them.

The first AidWatch report will be published in the first half of the year covering topics like the quantity of aid, inflated aid methodology and the comparison of aid among the member states. The preparation of the document was discussed during the seminar, which will be the seventh such document this year. The main discussions were around the inflated aid methodology. Some of the elements of aid spending should be subtracted from the total aid expenditure (inflated aid), as those have little or no effect on development. Such issues are debt relief, refugee and students costs that have been for long on the list of inflated aid. Provisions of loans, tied aid by donors as well as climate finance are new to aid methodology. They can be part of the aid methodology as they contribute little to development by delivering little additional benefit for developing countries.

The second AidWatch report will be published around November 2012 and the topic will be the quality of aid and the process of keeping up with the Busan commitments. The organizers of the seminar themed up the following topics: new CSO architecture after Busan, post Busan monitoring, transparency, budget support and EU Agenda for Change (the new vision of the European development policy).

The Aidwatch strategy 2012-2015 was also an important theme to reinforce the policy, advocacy work and to reformulate capacity building and global partnership needs of the working group. A new structure of the AidWatch working group was set up that consists of a small steering group without co-chairs. The second most important body of the group is the advocacy group, where four new EU-12 representatives were invited, Evelin Andrespok (Estonia), Robert Hodosi (Hungary), Ventzislav Kirkov (Bulgaria) and Petra Krylova (Czech Republic). Several task forces will also be established on the basis of needs, such as media task force, inflated aid methodology task force etc. With the new members in advocacy group the EU12 should have better heard voices within the Aidwatch working group.

If you are interested to learn more about what and how European governments are spending their aid for the developing world, you can obtain analysis and statistics at the AidWatch website

Information provided by Robert Hodosi, Member of Aidwatch Working Group and HAND -Hungarian NGDO Platform

Conference on Development and Democracy in Slovakia

The Pontis Foundation and the Faculty of Social and Economic Sciences of Comenius University in Bratislava are organizing a one-day conference on Development and Democracy: Modern Trends in International Development Cooperation on 3 May 2012 in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The conference will focus on the new trends in international development cooperation embedding human rights and democracy in the practice. The aim of the conference is bring together experts, academics, policy makers and representatives of nongovernmental organizations to discuss different concepts and approaches to international development and consider appropriate strategies to foster socioeconomic development and ensure democracy in less developed countries. The conference would like to offer effective, fast and more direct aid in line with the human rights principles and recipients’ needs.

Experts can also submit their papers which will be presented on the conference to the Pontis Foundation until 31 March 2012.

Place of the conference: Congress Hall of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and Palugyay Palace, Hlboká cesta 2, Bratislava, Slovakia

Please save the date!

For futher information contact Ivana Raslavska: ivana.raslavska@pontisfoundation.sk or Michal Cenker: michal.cenker@pontisfoundation.sk you can also visit the website and read the Call for papers

Information provided by Petra Nagyova, Pontis Foundation

DESS 2012 “Change Lab: New ways of engaging local society in sustainable development”

The Development Education Summer School (DESS) is a week-long capacity building event for practitioners from civil society organizations (CSOs) from EU and non-EU countries working in the field of global/development education and environmental education.

The DESS 2012 is co-organized by Czech Forum for Development Co-operation FoRS and DEEEP. It will take place from 24 June to 30 June 2012 in Legner Hotel Zvánovice near Prague, Czech Republic. Approximately 70 participants from EU and elsewhere will be actively involved in activities/projects/ programmes in DE/AR and deal with specific issues of sustainable development.

The general theme of DESS 2012 is local engagement in sustainable development. Participants will exchange views and learn about ways in which CSOs can address this topic with regard to different target groups. The ultimate aim of DESS 2012 is to improve practice of CSOs. The week-long event crowns a continuous learning process that starts already prior to DESS 2012 through an online forum and continues afterwards in various follow-up activities. DESS 2012 is based on a mixture of methods stressing participants’ work in five working groups aimed at different target groups (New ways of engaging public, Community-based formal education, Non-formal education, Advocacy towards decision makers and authorities, Engaging with the private sector).

You can find more information here or contact Tereza Rejšková: events@fors.cz

Information provided by Tereza Rejšková, Czech Forum for Development Co-operation FoRS 

Humanitarian Congress in Prague

On March 31, 2012, Prague will host the Humanitarian Congress, organized jointly by ADRA Czech Republic, Faculty of Theology, Palacky University Olomouc, People in Need, FoRS, Caritas Czech Republic, Caritas Prague and Médecins Sans Frontières. The theme of the congress will be “Humanitarianism at a Crossroads”.

International experts from various fields are invited to the panels to share their experiences and discuss the development of humanitarian aid. Practitioners and researchers from a multitude of backgrounds will present their experiences and concerns through a series of panel discussions and workshops.

The discussions will cover topics such as: securitization – responsibility to protect; where does all the donors´ money go; climate change, natural disasters and humanitarian action; new technologies, innovations and their impact on humanitarian action and the responsibility and role of media in humanitarian emergencies.

Further information, including the registration form, can be found on the website www.humanitariancongress.com

Information provided by Czech Forum for Development Cooperation FoRS

Seminar on "Code of conduct on images and messages" in Slovenia

Sloga, Slovenian NGDO Platform for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid will organize a seminar "Code of conduct on images and messages" with the support of the DEEEP. The seminar will be held on 17 and 18 April 2012 in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

In order to provide a professional and instructive course Sloga will invite an expert from the NGDO Dochas, Ireland where the Code of conduct was finalized. The facilitator of the seminar will be Eilish Dillon who works as the co-ordinator of the MA in Development Studies programme at Kimmage DSC. First day of the seminar she will introduce the Code of Conduct, the second day participants will learn how to apply it.

For more information please contact Dunja Segrt: dunja.segrt@sloga-platform.org

Information provided by Dunja Segrt, Sloga

DRC Summer School on Regional Co-operation

The Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM) Vienna, IDResearch Ltd (IDR) Pécs, the University of Pécs and the University of Maribor are organizing the ninth DRC Summer School on Regional Co-operation, 1-8 July 2012 in Maribor, Slovenia “Challenges for the European Union in the Next Decade – A View from the Danube Region” .

The conference aims at enhancing awareness for the significance and possibilities of regional co-operation, discussing and developing strategies for the improvement of co-operation in the region especially among young scientists from countries of the Danube Region and Central Europe.

Workshop items:
1) Migration: Brain Drain and Brain Circulation
2) Environmental and Economic Challenges: A Chance for Sustainable Development?
3) Research and Education: Opportunities to foster (Inter)regional Co-operation
4) EU enlargement: Limits and Chances

Target group: Max. 30 young scientists from the Danube Region and Central Europe, graduates who want to present their research projects to the students of the Summer School in the lectures, interested individuals from regional organisations, public administration and scientific institutions.

The deadline for application is June 5, 2012

Early Bird registration: There is a possibility to register as an ‘Early bird’. If you submit your paper and application form before April 1, 2012, you pay only half (50%) of the registration fee. After the acceptance of your paper the registration (EUR 100.-).

Please find more details on http://www.drcsummerschool.eu/

Source: Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe (IDM), www.idm.at

ECAS Master Classes 2012 in Brussels

Following the master classes organised on 1 September on the occasion of our 20th anniversary, ECAS is launching for 2012 a training programme designed to give CSOs, other social economy organisations and private citizens the tools necessary to participate in European policy making.

In April ECAS organises 2 Master classes in Brussels:

• “Making your voice heard with the EU: tips for the would-be European lobbyist” – 24 April 2012

           Download the programme here

• “Finding your way through the labyrinth of EU funding” – 25 April 2012

           Download the programme here

The attendance fee for each master class (VAT included) is: - 60 € for ECAS members - 110 € for non-members - 210 € for public authorities and others (i.e. social businesses) It covers: costs of training, light lunch and coffee break, tips for lobbying and/or fundraising and other material, the certificate of attendance, the list of participants with contacts, presentations and materials of the seminar that will be also send by email after the master class.

We are glad to invite you to register for one or both the Master classes!
Fill in and send the Registration Form to masterclass@ecas.org  

Source: ecas

EADI Prize for Excellence in Development Studies 2012

The European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) invites submissions for the 2012 prize for excellence in development research. The prize, worth €1 000, will be awarded for an essay on an issue of development studies in any field of the social sciences submitted and written by a postgraduate student from an EADI member country or attending a programme at an institutional member of the Association.

For more information please visit the website http://www.eadi.org/training/eadi-for-students/eadi-prize-2012.html

Source: EADI e-newsletter #2/2012 (February)

INTRAC Briefing Paper "The Busan Partnership: implications for civil society"

On 1 December 2011, the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation was adopted at the end of the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, held in Busan, South Korea. This Partnership opens a new chapter in a process which began almost a decade ago to address falling levels of aid and widespread weaknesses in the aid system.

This short paper offers an overview and analysis of the process leading up to the adoption of the Busan Partnership, the perspectives that fed into the negotiations, the context in which it was played out, what was gained and lost in the final document, and the implications for civil society.

Free download: http://www.intrac.org/resources.php?action=resource&id=727

Source: INTRAC 

TUDEP – a practical Tool for improving the Quality of Development Cooperation

TU Development Effectiveness Profile (TUDEP) is a learning tool meant to support trade unions worldwide in the application of the effectiveness principles in their everyday development cooperation practice developed by the Trade Union Development Cooperation Network in 2010.

The main objective of the TUDEP tool is to contribute to the improvement of the quality and effectiveness of the development cooperation work of trade unions by helping partners to reflect on their practice as well as the principles and values that underpin their work. It also helps to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the progress in the use of the principles and guidelines for trade union development effectiveness.

TUDEP is based on a questionnaire that is automatically evaluated and analysed in an active excel document. It is designed as a self-assessment tool that can be used by either individual trade union actors or in a collective process of review and reflection. It is meant to be used in a proactive and interactive way, as part of an on-going process of learning and improvement. While TUDEP was elaborated by and for trade unions, it can be used for reflection and inspiration by other development actors as well. It has been created in frame of the Open Forum process on CSO Development Effectiveness.

Visit the TUDEP website

Source: Trade Union Development Cooperation Network

KOPIN is looking for a Project Coordinator

This is a call for the post of Coordinator of KOPIN Malta’s European Refugee Fund co-financed project entitled “Empowerment and Self-reliance of Women Refugees in Malta” (ERF 2011-03).

Successful applicants will be asked to work an average of ten (10) hours per week in the period between 2 April 2012 and 31 June 2013.

Deadline for submitting the letter of interest, together with an updated CV (preferably using the EuroPass format): 20 March 2012

Letter of interest and CV have to be submitted either as electronic copies to Dominik Kalweit dominik.kalweit@kopin.org

Source: KOPIN

Operations Support Adviser - West Africa

The aim of the operational support to country programmes is to increase and sustain the capacity of key country programmes to operate rapidly, at scale, safely and securely, effectively and efficiently. The team has 4 key objectives focusing on: capacity for operational delivery at scale; fundraising and financial management; human resources retention and leadership; and standardised systems for core processes.

Over the last two years Save the Children UK has developed a programme of intense operational support which it has rolled out in a number of country programmes with recognised results in terms of meeting income targets, capacity building of key operations staff, and the overall ability of country programmes to deliver high quality programmes at scale when required.

The team is planning to continue to provide ongoing operational support to these country programmes while taking on additional countries as well as widening the scope of the support offered through a number of different training and capacity building initiatives. In order to assist with this, we are currently recruiting for an Operations Support Adviser (West Africa).

For more information or to apply, please visit consult this link

Information provided by Florence Erb, Save the Children UK

Workshop "The faces behind statistics – How can the Millennium Development Goals influence your life?"

Between 19-25th April 2012, World Vision Romania is organizing "The faces behind statistics – How can the Millennium Development Goals influence your life?" a workshop in Romania (Bucharest and Crit - Brasov County). The purpose of this workshop is to address poverty eradication through community and rural development, social inclusion and through the promotion of active citizenship and human rights.
Applications are welcomed from:
a. Adults who want to learn more about the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and how they can improve their lives and the lives of people around them
b. Adults who want to understand how European policies influence their lives and of those living in developing countries;
c. Adults interested in sharing and building their experiences on how to better eradicate poverty and fight social exclusion.
d. Young professionals in organizations fighting against social exclusion and marginalization caused by poverty.

Applicants should be more than 18 years old and should reside in or originate from GREECE, CYPRUS, MALTA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA or BELGIUM. Medium level of English knowledge is required. Maximum 2 applicants per country will be invited to participate. Travel and accommodation costs are covered by the organisers.
Application deadline: 5th March

More information and the application form here (word document)


Information provided by Claudia Pedersen, World Vision Romania Claudia_pedersen@wvi.org