Global Education on-line training course:
Spring course, 28 February - 25 March - Apply until 18 February 2011. This course has been designed to complement the Global Education Guidelines, a pedagogical tool for educators and policy makers to understand and implement Global Education, and share with a wider audience concepts and approaches promoted by the North-South Centre’s Global Education programme. more
12th University on Youth and Development:
Call for activities/partners for the 12th University on Youth and Development to be held in the CEULAJ, Mollina, Spain, 18-25 September 2011. The deadline for submission of proposals is the 13 February 2011
. Call for activities/partners
. Activity proposal form
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Monday, 24 January 2011
CSOs demand holistic view of development: TRIALOG Conference in Nicaragua
From 24 to 26 of November 2010 around 120 representatives of civil society organisations (CSO) from various parts of the world gathered in Nicaragua at the conference “Global Crossroads: The Role and Perspectives of CSOs in Development Cooperation” to reflect on these issues in the North and South in promoting inclusive and sustainable development. The conference was organised by TRIALOG, HORIZONT3000 and the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Cost in Nicaragua (URACCAN).
The conference reiterated that CSOs claiming legitimacy as genuine agents for a positive change, must be based on the eight Istanbul principles of the Open Forum for Development Effectiveness and commit themselves to work together globally. Additionally, special attention should be paid to the concept of “buen vivir”, or “collective well-being”, as basis for development. For indigenous peoples “collective well-being” – to live well and with dignity - brings about physical, mental and spiritual health, leading to a life in complete harmony, complementarity and the most profound respect for Pacha Mama (mother earth).
TRIALOG had invited about 30 representatives from the New European Member States to participate in the conference and organised study visits to development cooperation projects following the conference. During the field trips people got an insight into the community work of the URACCAN university in the Autonomous Atlantic Regions of Nicaragua. For many it was the first time in a developing country outside of Europe, and the experiences will certainly be reflected in the development education work of many of the participants.The full documentation and the final declaration will soon be available on the TRIALOG website http://www.trialog.or.at/
Information provided by Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG
’New Voices in Development Effectiveness’: HAND's Presidency Program 2011
Hungary and other new member states face special challenges in delivering their commitment to more and better aid. Challenges include the lack of institutional capacity both in the government and among CSOs; a lack of budgetary resources; and the fact that international development cooperation is low on the list of government priorities, which is also related to the lack of interest from the public towards this issue. Furthermore, since they are seen as ‘new’ donors, the considerable experience of Hungary and other new member states over the two decades of transition - and specifically, learning points about the contribution of CSOs during this period - are largely neglected by key actors in international development. These are the exact challenges that the Presidency Program of the Hungarian Platform of Development NGOs HAND is aiming to address. The specific objectives of HAND’s program are:I. “More and better aid: overcoming challenges in new donor countries”: Improving aid effectiveness and CSO development effectiveness in Hungary and NMS.
II. “Transition experiences: development through innovation and participation”: Sharing transition experiences with countries of the Eastern Partnership and channelling transition experiences from the CEE region into the Structured Dialogue and other European processes.
III. “Help where it’s most needed”: Raising awareness on the importance of the MDGs and contributing to the MDG acceleration process; supporting the development of an LDC strategy for Hungary in line with the EU and international policy frameworks on LDCs.
HAND and its member organizations will carry out a range of interrelated activities that will each support one or more of the above objectives, thereby strengthening development cooperation in Hungary, and also highlighting and integrating the experiences of the NMS to make development cooperation more effective at the European level. Planned eventsd are:February, 2011 – One-day workshop for Hungarian stakeholders involved in international development working on democracy support, civil society development and sustainability in other countries. Output: a position paper on Hungarian transition experiences and civil society development.
End of March/April, 2011 – 2-day international seminar with civil society developing NGOs and think tanks researching civil society development from Visegrad 4 countries, from 3 Eastern partnership countries and next presidency countries: Denmark, Cyprus, Lithuania, additionally to UK. Output: a policy brief on civil society development and sustainability in New member States of the EU and their relevance in Neighbourhood countries.
May/June, 2011 – a closing 2-day EU-level conference sharing the results of previous events addressing 3rd sector sustainability, new, innovative and alternative ways of operations, cooperation and financing (social innovation, social enterprise, social financing, etc.), their relevance to Neighbourhood policy, most likely connected to the Eastern Partnership Summit.
The launch event of the program will be held on the 25th January in Budapest where the program priorities and activities will be introduced as well as the bilingual website dedicated to the program. Visit www.hand.org.hu/presidency
For further information please contact: Réka Balogh, office@hand.org.hu
Information provided by Réka Balogh, HAND
FDR meeting: Focus on future implementing mechanisms of development cooperation
The first of the two annual meetings of the CONCORD working group on Financing for development (FDR) was held in Brussels (19 - 20 January) and had as a focus working on the future mechanisms of implementing development cooperation, being organised as a special edition focused on the Structured Dialogue.
The bulk of the discussions addressed the proposal for the introduction of two new instruments and also the different aid modalities that could be applied in the next multi-annual financial framework. The two new instruments proposed are namely a) a civil society instrument focusing on development education, capacity building, coordination and joint learning for development and b) an instrument linking relief, rehabilitation and development. Among the aid modalities discussed are: core funding/operational grants, re-granting, programme funding, pool funding, follow-up grants, budget support to local authorities, twinning, co-financing, direct awards, ring fencing, calls for proposals for local authorities and simplified calls for proposals. Very rich, intense and not easy discussions, as the time is now to feed into the future financial period of development cooperation. On-line consultations are also open: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/public-consultations/5240_en.htm. We should raise a cautionary note, that the questionnaire has a few faults and filling in is not extremely straight-forward, but each organisation can decide individually whether to participate or not.
Other topics of the meeting included an update on the European External Action Service (whose structures are still falling into place and where it looks like development needs to be better coordinated with the DEVCO Unit), and some updates relating to the newly introduced “tax” row on the budget and financial reporting formats. All in all, hot topics are being discussed and it is worth while debriefing with your representatives to this group and browsing through the relevant documents posted on CONCORD’s webpage. TRIALOG is following the group and will keep flagposting the important issues for its constituency.
Information provided by Andra Tanase, TRIALOG
The bulk of the discussions addressed the proposal for the introduction of two new instruments and also the different aid modalities that could be applied in the next multi-annual financial framework. The two new instruments proposed are namely a) a civil society instrument focusing on development education, capacity building, coordination and joint learning for development and b) an instrument linking relief, rehabilitation and development. Among the aid modalities discussed are: core funding/operational grants, re-granting, programme funding, pool funding, follow-up grants, budget support to local authorities, twinning, co-financing, direct awards, ring fencing, calls for proposals for local authorities and simplified calls for proposals. Very rich, intense and not easy discussions, as the time is now to feed into the future financial period of development cooperation. On-line consultations are also open: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/how/public-consultations/5240_en.htm. We should raise a cautionary note, that the questionnaire has a few faults and filling in is not extremely straight-forward, but each organisation can decide individually whether to participate or not.
Other topics of the meeting included an update on the European External Action Service (whose structures are still falling into place and where it looks like development needs to be better coordinated with the DEVCO Unit), and some updates relating to the newly introduced “tax” row on the budget and financial reporting formats. All in all, hot topics are being discussed and it is worth while debriefing with your representatives to this group and browsing through the relevant documents posted on CONCORD’s webpage. TRIALOG is following the group and will keep flagposting the important issues for its constituency.
Information provided by Andra Tanase, TRIALOG
Talk at University
On 11th of January 2011, TRIALOG information officer Ulrike Bey was invited by the University of Hildesheim, Germany, to speak about EU development policy, the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in development cooperation and TRIALOG’s work. In the seminar on development cooperation the students of political science discussed the role of CSOs in comparison to state actors in development cooperation. Many of the students will later become teachers and will face the “world in their classrooms”, e.g. increasingly children with a migration backgrounds bring in their own experiences into global education in schools. Moreover, development cooperation and global education issues are only in the process of becoming well-anchored into school curricula in Germany. It is necessary to provide more development education in teachers’ training.
Information provided by Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG
Information provided by Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG
"DEAR Study" launched
During the European Development Days the Final Report of the “Study on the Experience and the Main European Actors Active in the Field of Development Education and Awareness Raising” - in short, the DEAR-Study - was presented.
The study was commissioned and funded by the European Commission and carried out by a team of DEAR consultants. The objectives of the study were to obtain an overview and an analysis of the projects financed by the EC in the area of DEAR in the past 5 years (2004-2009), to obtain an overview and an analysis of the main actors and initiatives in the field of DEAR in the 27 Member States of the European Union, to identify possible options for improving the EC actions in the field of DEAR, based on the findings of the study and on consultations with stakeholders.
One of the main finding of the report is that the EC should become more proactive in this field of DEAR in order to provide added value. The study gives also some policy recommendations towards the European Commission for a more strategic approach to DEAR.
The recommended main objectives for the EC DEAR programme are formulated as: (a) to develop European citizens’ awareness and critical understanding of the interdependent world and of their own role, responsibilities and lifestyles in relation to a globalised society; and (b) to support their active engagement in local and global attempts to eradicate poverty and promote justice, human rights, and sustainable ways of living.
Five immediate objectives are elaborated: the development of coherence and coordination between various DEAR activities; improvements in learning and the sharing of learning; the further inclusion of multiple voices and perspectives from across the world into the operation of DEAR; the grants process; the operation of the EC’s own staff unit concerned with the support and promotion of DEAR.
The Annexes to the report provide additional and background information, particularly in relation to an analysis of EC supported projects, of major actors in DEAR, of Member State policies, and of approaches to DEAR across the European Unions.
The complete DEAR study can be read and downloaded here.
Source: DEAR Study; Information provided by Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG
The study was commissioned and funded by the European Commission and carried out by a team of DEAR consultants. The objectives of the study were to obtain an overview and an analysis of the projects financed by the EC in the area of DEAR in the past 5 years (2004-2009), to obtain an overview and an analysis of the main actors and initiatives in the field of DEAR in the 27 Member States of the European Union, to identify possible options for improving the EC actions in the field of DEAR, based on the findings of the study and on consultations with stakeholders.
One of the main finding of the report is that the EC should become more proactive in this field of DEAR in order to provide added value. The study gives also some policy recommendations towards the European Commission for a more strategic approach to DEAR.
The recommended main objectives for the EC DEAR programme are formulated as: (a) to develop European citizens’ awareness and critical understanding of the interdependent world and of their own role, responsibilities and lifestyles in relation to a globalised society; and (b) to support their active engagement in local and global attempts to eradicate poverty and promote justice, human rights, and sustainable ways of living.
Five immediate objectives are elaborated: the development of coherence and coordination between various DEAR activities; improvements in learning and the sharing of learning; the further inclusion of multiple voices and perspectives from across the world into the operation of DEAR; the grants process; the operation of the EC’s own staff unit concerned with the support and promotion of DEAR.
The Annexes to the report provide additional and background information, particularly in relation to an analysis of EC supported projects, of major actors in DEAR, of Member State policies, and of approaches to DEAR across the European Unions.
The complete DEAR study can be read and downloaded here.
Source: DEAR Study; Information provided by Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG
Development, trade, foreign and security policies: How can emerging donors make a difference?
The Romanian Association for International Cooperation and Development (ARCADIA) organised its first annual conference in Bucharest, Romania between the 25th and 26th of November 2010. The event received the endorsement of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the support of the United Nations Development Programme in Romania, of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), of TRIALOG and other national organisations. The background of the conference is the fact, that as a new EU Member State, Romania is (re)emerging as an international donor and is interested in becoming a dynamic actor on the global arena, in its capacity as contributor to international development.
The conference managed to bring together various Romanian and European stakeholders in the two plenaries to discuss the interplay between development, trade, foreign and security policies and the manner in which (re-)emerging donors, such as Romania, can add value in their international cooperation engagements.
In addition to the plenary sessions, the workshops and roundtables organised by several Romanian NGOs and institutes addressed issues such as: the effects of the economic crisis on the European Community’s budget and its development policy; media and development; the manner in which Romania can best use the 20 year transition period in its development engagements; the role of corporations in national and international development; international development education and measuring poverty indicators. A special workshop was dedicated to the student body present in the event on the theme ’Career paths in development’.The conference also included an academic section in which various guests presented their academic papers in one of the two themes of the academic panels: Geopolitics and EU Neighborhood Policy and Emerging Donors: Impacts and contributions.
A more detailed report on the event will be soon published on ARCADIA’s website. For further information, please visit: www.arcadianetwork.org or contact Ms. Corina Ciambur (corina.ciambur@arcadianetwork.org )
Information provided by Corina Ciambur, Arcadia
Candidate Status for Montenegro
On 17th of December 2010 Montenegro was officially granted candidate status for EU membership by the European Council. This will allow Montenegro to begin official association negotiations. A specific date for the start of the talks was not given.
European Council President, Herman Van Rompej, pointed out that this decision represents the political will of the European Union for countrys of the Western Balkan to join the EU. EU Commissioner on Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, added: “We hope that today's decision will give new impetus to the country's EU-related reforms, especially with respect to the key priorities identified by the Commission as instrumental to preparing the country for the opening of its accession negotiations with the EU".
From the West Balkan countries, Croatia has ongoing negotiations with the EU, while Montenegro and Macedonia have candidate status. Other EU candidates are Turkey and Iceland.
Information provided by Minna Vincetic, TRIALOG
European Council President, Herman Van Rompej, pointed out that this decision represents the political will of the European Union for countrys of the Western Balkan to join the EU. EU Commissioner on Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, added: “We hope that today's decision will give new impetus to the country's EU-related reforms, especially with respect to the key priorities identified by the Commission as instrumental to preparing the country for the opening of its accession negotiations with the EU".
From the West Balkan countries, Croatia has ongoing negotiations with the EU, while Montenegro and Macedonia have candidate status. Other EU candidates are Turkey and Iceland.
Information provided by Minna Vincetic, TRIALOG
Development Education Summer School 2011
“Quality and Impact in Development Education” Finland, June 12 – 18, 2011
You are an NGO practitioner? You have some experience on Quality and Impact in Development Education? Then do not miss the chance to participate in the Development Education Summer School 2011 co-organised by DEEEP and Kehys, which will take place in Finland from June 12 to June 18! This year the focus will be on Quality and Impact, a “hot” topic for development education. The event will be a mixture of theory and practice, through thematic sessions and working groups! Participants will also have the opportunity to attend a conference of the European Multi stakeholder Group on Development Education, and meet with the members of such group.
You are an NGO practitioner? You have some experience on Quality and Impact in Development Education? Then do not miss the chance to participate in the Development Education Summer School 2011 co-organised by DEEEP and Kehys, which will take place in Finland from June 12 to June 18! This year the focus will be on Quality and Impact, a “hot” topic for development education. The event will be a mixture of theory and practice, through thematic sessions and working groups! Participants will also have the opportunity to attend a conference of the European Multi stakeholder Group on Development Education, and meet with the members of such group.
- How do we define process quality in Development Education?
- How do we define, plan for and measure impact in DE?
- The role of methods/methodology in good quality DE work
- The importance of good quality partnerships, networking and information sharing in DE
- How can we incorporate quality in each process phase (planning – implementation – evaluation)?
Such questions will be at the heart of the summer school! The selection of participants is now open! Read carefully the DESS presentation and fill in the application form! If you are working in the EU, send your application to the representative of your national platform before January 24, 2011! (Contacts in the DESS description)! If you are not working in the EU, send your application directly to Riikka Suhonnen (riikka.suhonen@kehys.fi) and Cinthia Alaerts (c.alaerts@deeep.org), by January 24 2011.The organisers are one expert, to guide the participants in this one week long learning experience! If you feel you could be take over the role of expert, send your application to Riikka Suhonnen (riikka.suhonen@kehys.fi) and Cinthia Alaerts (c.alaerts@deeep.org) before February 1, 2011. Do not wait until the last minute to send your application!
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP"Do Europeans Care About the Rest of the World"
In the frame of the European Development Days 2010 on 6th and 7th of December the European Development Education Multistakeholder Group (MSH) organised a successful high level panel on Europeans and international solidarity. The panellists from European institutions, Member States and civil society assessed whether Europeans really care about the rest of the world, how can we measure support and engagement of the European population for global development and what is the role of citizens’ mobilization and development education/awareness raising (DEAR) in the European development policies.
If you have missed this high level panel, you can watch it in streaming right now! Just connect here
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
If you have missed this high level panel, you can watch it in streaming right now! Just connect here
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
2 Consultants on HRBA, Deadline 15 February
Minority Rights Group Europe (MRG), a Budapest-based non-governmental organisation has recently begun the implementation of a 2-year EC-funded programme aimed at increasing the awareness of key development actors and decision makers in target countries of the relationship between human rights and development, and of the importance and benefits of the human rights based approach (HRBA) to development in designing and implementing effective development policies.
MRG is seeking to engage a consultant to carry out research and to author a 20 page guide on introducing HRBA practices into development programming of EU New Member States policy in Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania and Poland. More information and terms of reference
MRG is seeking to engage a consultant to carry out research and author a 20 page policy paper on the benefits and advantages of adopting the HRBA in EU New Member States policy in the form of a 20 page policy paper, based on the experience of the EU new member states that will hold the upcoming presidencies. More information and terms of reference and terms of reference.
Deadline for application is 15th of February 2011.
http://www.minorityrights.org/
MRG is seeking to engage a consultant to carry out research and to author a 20 page guide on introducing HRBA practices into development programming of EU New Member States policy in Cyprus, Hungary, Lithuania and Poland. More information and terms of reference
MRG is seeking to engage a consultant to carry out research and author a 20 page policy paper on the benefits and advantages of adopting the HRBA in EU New Member States policy in the form of a 20 page policy paper, based on the experience of the EU new member states that will hold the upcoming presidencies. More information and terms of reference and terms of reference.
Deadline for application is 15th of February 2011.
http://www.minorityrights.org/
Who is Who - ESI Manual on the Enlargement Debate in Hungary
The European Stability Initiative (ESI), a non-profit research and policy institute, is publishing Who is Who Manuals on an irregular basis. On the eve of Hungary’s EU presidency for the first time and thanks to the support of Erste Foundation, a guide has been published for this often little known European country. You can download here the Who is who - ESI Manual on the enlargement debate in Hungary.
Source of Information BCSDN No. 222 and ESI www.esiweb.org
Source of Information BCSDN No. 222 and ESI www.esiweb.org
CARDET to Develop Information Guides for Migrants
The international NGDO CARDET was recently awarded two projects by the Cyprus Civil Registration and Migration Department, to conduct research and design two information guides for migrants. The first guide will provide general information on Cyprus and will be addressed to migrants living in the country. The Cyprus Information Guide will be developed in the context of the European Integration Fund. It is envisioned that the guide will facilitate the integration process of the migrants and help them learn basic aspects of local policies, culture and history. Furthermore, it will help migrants to identify opportunities for employment, access to education, health care and social security and increase their civic engagement. The second guide will be developed in the context of the European Return Fund. It will be addressed to migrants living in Cyprus and who are about to return to their country of origin. The Country of Origin Guide will be developed for Syria, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The primary objective of the guide will be to help migrants, returning to their country of origin, to re-integrate to their local society. It will provide information on the local labor market of their country, opportunities for vocational training and education and contacts to local organizations (i.e. NGOs) that provide relevant assistant.
The development of the guides is co-funded by the European Solidarity Fund (75%) and the Republic of Cyprus (25%) and will be completed by the end of June 2011
CARDET is also looking for information and contacts with similar experience. For further information please contact us at info@cardet.org or visit the website http://www.cardet.org/.
Information provided by Sotiris Themistokleous, CARDET
Toolkit Street Animation for Social Change
A.R.T. Fusion Association Romania implemented during February 2009- September 2010 the project “Challenge YOU and YOUR Community” together with “Community Volunteers” from Turkey. The aim of the project was to stimulate the active participation of young people from Turkey in problems that concern today's Turkish society by using social theatre, creative street animation methods and non-formal education. More information about this project and its implementation you can find on the A.R.T. Fusion website (http://www.artfusion.ro/ ) and on the blog of the volunteer .Based on this project and on A.R.T. Fusion years of experience in the field a practical tool kit was developed for using street animation methods for making social change. The manual can be downloaded free of charge from here. For a hard copy of this guide please contact A.R.T. Fusion team at art_fusion_romania@yahoo.com and with subject of availability we can send you a copy.
The project was implemented under Action 2 (European Voluntary Service - EVS) and supported financially by European Commission trough Youth in Action Program.
For more details, information and comments related to this project or material please contact andreea_loredana_psi@yahoo.com.
Information provided by Andreea-Loredana Tudorache
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
