Download the latest DE Times, the newsletter of DEEEP, the Development Education Exchange in Europe project, from: http://www.deeep.org/english/news/de_times/2times4/detimes2_04_en.pdf
DE Times now has a new design and provides information on development education and development cooperation issues, conferences, seminars, meetings, NGO funding opportunity, job vacancies, DE resources and more. Read in this issue reports on the Development Education summer school, reflections on how young people can make a difference, on policy and practice, an article on the Teleproject "Global Education Week at School in Slovakia" and more.
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP Information Officer
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Latest Development and Transition newsletter
The July issue of Development and Transition is available online at http://www.developmentandtransition.net/. The theme of this issue is the Private Sector and Poverty Reduction, with a special focus on microfinance. This issue examines the current state of the region's private sector, and how development agencies can strengthen its pro-poor characteristics.
As the title suggests, Development and Transition aims to be a forum for policy-oriented discussions and debates about how the nature, evolution, and challenges of development and transition intersect in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and also Turkey. The aim is to discuss and think differently about policy frameworks by bringing together a variety of viewpoints and analytical approaches from researchers and practitioners to explore and explain the core issues and problems, and to extract the best practices.
Previous issues can be also downloaded from: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/
The newsletter on Development and Transition is published three times a year as a joint enterprise between UNDP and LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science).
Information provided by James Hughes and Ben Slay, Development and Transition
As the title suggests, Development and Transition aims to be a forum for policy-oriented discussions and debates about how the nature, evolution, and challenges of development and transition intersect in Central and Eastern Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and also Turkey. The aim is to discuss and think differently about policy frameworks by bringing together a variety of viewpoints and analytical approaches from researchers and practitioners to explore and explain the core issues and problems, and to extract the best practices.
Previous issues can be also downloaded from: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/
The newsletter on Development and Transition is published three times a year as a joint enterprise between UNDP and LSE (London School of Economics and Political Science).
Information provided by James Hughes and Ben Slay, Development and Transition
WIDE News from August and September
WIDE News, Number 8, covering news from August and September 2007 is now awailable online at: http://62.149.193.10/wide/download/2007_News_8.pdf?id=505
From the content:
- Accra High Level Forum on aid effectiveness: where has the process got so far?
- Civil Society Conference on effective democratic governance and the aid effectiveness agenda
- Launch of EU Gender Watch Report – Losing women’s issues through gender mainstreaming?
- Alternatives to the direction of the European Union
For more information please turn to: http://www.wide-network.org/
Information provided by Gea Meijers, WIDE Network Officer
From the content:
- Accra High Level Forum on aid effectiveness: where has the process got so far?
- Civil Society Conference on effective democratic governance and the aid effectiveness agenda
- Launch of EU Gender Watch Report – Losing women’s issues through gender mainstreaming?
- Alternatives to the direction of the European Union
For more information please turn to: http://www.wide-network.org/
Information provided by Gea Meijers, WIDE Network Officer
UNCTAD: The Least Developed Countries Report 2007
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD published The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) Report on Knowledge, technological learning and innovation for development. The Report gives a comprehensive insight into the development objective of technological learning and innovation capacity-building in LDCs. It is intended to increase awareness of this issue and enrich the policy dialogue toward the new "paradigm shift" on poverty reduction through productive capacity-building.
For more information and to download the report turn to:
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=4314&lang=1
Source: oeza aktuell Nr. 83/ September 2007
For more information and to download the report turn to:
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/WebFlyer.asp?intItemID=4314&lang=1
Source: oeza aktuell Nr. 83/ September 2007
Bled Strategic Forum: EU 2020 - Enlarging and Integrating
The second Bled Strategic Forum, organized by the Center for European Perspectives in Bled/Slovenia, was dedicated to the question of future EU enlargement and the future of the EU integration process. The conference was held from 26 to 27 August 2007 and brought together high level decision-makers - mostly from the public and private spheres as well as academics -to discuss on the topic "European Union 2020: Enlarging and Integrating" and some major challenges the European Union is facing today such as energy and environment. The issues of global warming and energy security have been addressed as problems that concern not the EU alone, but will have to be dealt with on a global scale. Europe has a leading role in the fight to curb global warming, but much remains to be done and the participants posed the question whether an enlarged Europe has also become a management challenge.
The four panels of this year’s Bled Strategic Forum dealt with the following topics:
The Next EU Enlargement Energy and Climate Change Global Preponderance The Future of EU Integration Process
The four panels of this year’s Bled Strategic Forum dealt with the following topics:
Two breakout sessions in the afternoon on 27 August focused on ”Economic and Political Trends in the South Caucasus and Central Asia: The Role of the EU and the OSCE“ and ”Turkey in Europe".
The Conference Background Paper and some of the speeches can be downloaded from: http://www.bledstrategicforum.org/index.php?id=4&lang=en
Source: http://www.bledstrategicforum.orgDecember 4-5, 2007: TRIALOG Time Management Seminar; Vienna
The target group of this participatory TRIALOG seminar are new EU member states' NGDO platform coordinators, their assistants and substitutes. The event will be held in Vienna as a two-day seminar on the 4th - 5th of December 2007 (9:00 - 17:00).
For the first day we have invited a theatre pedagogue to work with the technique "statues" of the methodology "Theatre of the Oppressed", originally developed in Brazil. During the second day we will focus on practical working tools, to organize ourselves taking into acount all the needs and requirements of the different stakeholders.
If you are interested, please send your Application Form (see link below) to p.kreinecker@trialog.or.at by Monday, October 15, 2007.
Application Form for Participation in Events:
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/application_for_events_2007.doc
Information provided by Petra Kreinecker, TRIALOG Capacity Building Officer
For the first day we have invited a theatre pedagogue to work with the technique "statues" of the methodology "Theatre of the Oppressed", originally developed in Brazil. During the second day we will focus on practical working tools, to organize ourselves taking into acount all the needs and requirements of the different stakeholders.
If you are interested, please send your Application Form (see link below) to p.kreinecker@trialog.or.at by Monday, October 15, 2007.
Application Form for Participation in Events:
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/application_for_events_2007.doc
Information provided by Petra Kreinecker, TRIALOG Capacity Building Officer
Wednesday, 3 October 2007
New structure of EuropeAid
In summer 2007 EuropeAid has been restructured. The new Direction F has four departments: F1/Relation with civil society and co-ordination (headed by A. Bouratsis), F2/programming RELEX (mainly human rights and democracy budget lines, under the responsibility of External Relations Directorate General - DG RELEX), F3/ programming DEV (thematic programmes under the responsibility of the Directorate General for Development - DG DEV), F4/Contracts and finances (former 05). The former service 04 is replaced by the departments F2 and F3 which now manage the thematic budget lines. The staff responsible for NGO co-financing is now working in F3. The department F1 is responsible for the general communication with NGOs.
View the new EuropeAid Organigramme at:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/general/pdf/organigramme_europeaid_en.pdf
Find more information in the "Who we are"-section of the EuropeAid website:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/who/index_en.htm
Information provided by bengo, eu-mail-info Nr. 195-17.07.2007 and CONCORD/FDR.
View the new EuropeAid Organigramme at:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/general/pdf/organigramme_europeaid_en.pdf
Find more information in the "Who we are"-section of the EuropeAid website:
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/who/index_en.htm
Information provided by bengo, eu-mail-info Nr. 195-17.07.2007 and CONCORD/FDR.
Provisional Data on the 2006 EC Calls
The first provisional results on the 2006 EC NGO Co-financing Calls for Proposals have been communicated by EuropeAid recently. Both 2006 calls of the budget line 21 02 03 (ED, PVD) have been two stages calls for proposals (1st stage: concept note, 2nd stage: full proposal).
The final selection of development education and awareness raising projects (ED) has not taken place yet, the provisional statistics contain the number of full proposals that were submitted. Out of the total of 150, 35 full proposals were submitted from new member states NGOs. A decision is expected not earlier than for the end of October 2007. It will show how the extra 10m EUR for actions in new member states (NMS) have been assigned.
The provisional data on selected NGO projects in developing countries (PVD) shows the following picture regarding new member states results: only 1 Czech NGO was successful in getting a PVD project approved. Hungarian and Lithuanian concept notes did not pass into the second stage, Polish and Slovak full applications did not succeed in the second stage. For the moment, the reasons for this are unknown.
To compare with the previous years:
In 2005, 1 Czech and 1 Slovenian NGO were successful as applicants in ED versus no new member states contracts in PVD.
In 2004, the year of the EU enlargement and first possibility to apply, no NMS NGO received a contract within the NGO co-financing budget line.
However, since 2004 many NMS NGOs have participated as consortium members or partners in EC funded projects.
View the PROVISIONAL 2006 NGO Co-Financing Calls for Proposal data at:
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/provisional_statistics_2006pvd_sept2007.pdf
The final selection of development education and awareness raising projects (ED) has not taken place yet, the provisional statistics contain the number of full proposals that were submitted. Out of the total of 150, 35 full proposals were submitted from new member states NGOs. A decision is expected not earlier than for the end of October 2007. It will show how the extra 10m EUR for actions in new member states (NMS) have been assigned.
The provisional data on selected NGO projects in developing countries (PVD) shows the following picture regarding new member states results: only 1 Czech NGO was successful in getting a PVD project approved. Hungarian and Lithuanian concept notes did not pass into the second stage, Polish and Slovak full applications did not succeed in the second stage. For the moment, the reasons for this are unknown.
To compare with the previous years:
In 2005, 1 Czech and 1 Slovenian NGO were successful as applicants in ED versus no new member states contracts in PVD.
In 2004, the year of the EU enlargement and first possibility to apply, no NMS NGO received a contract within the NGO co-financing budget line.
However, since 2004 many NMS NGOs have participated as consortium members or partners in EC funded projects.
View the PROVISIONAL 2006 NGO Co-Financing Calls for Proposal data at:
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/provisional_statistics_2006pvd_sept2007.pdf
TRIALOG support to the Slovenian platform SLOGA
Slovenia will host the EU-presidency from January to June 2008 and will be therefore the first new member state fulfilling that crucial task. It is a big opportunity for the Slovenian NGDO platform SLOGA to raise awareness on development issues and to launch important campaigns, targeting national and European politicians and the broader public. But it is also a big challenge, as SLOGA is a young platform which only became CONCORD member in 2006.
TRIALOG facilitated during the last months the networking process within the platform member organizations to develop the joint presidency project “Difference is our Strenght” on Development Education and Awareness Raising in Slovenia. Although SLOGA has not received until now the written contract from EuropeAid, the platform got positive feedback and is looking forward to sign the formalities during the nearest future.
To prepare the big Conference in June 2008 in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana – planned as the main activity of the presidency project - will be the dominating topic of the planning session this October between SLOGA, the Development Education Forum (DEF), DEEEP (Development Education Exchange in Europe Project) and TRIALOG.
Information provided by Petra Kreinecker, TRIALOG Capacity Building Officer
For more information on SLOGA, turn to: http://www.sloga-platform.org/
TRIALOG facilitated during the last months the networking process within the platform member organizations to develop the joint presidency project “Difference is our Strenght” on Development Education and Awareness Raising in Slovenia. Although SLOGA has not received until now the written contract from EuropeAid, the platform got positive feedback and is looking forward to sign the formalities during the nearest future.
To prepare the big Conference in June 2008 in the Slovenian capital Ljubljana – planned as the main activity of the presidency project - will be the dominating topic of the planning session this October between SLOGA, the Development Education Forum (DEF), DEEEP (Development Education Exchange in Europe Project) and TRIALOG.
Information provided by Petra Kreinecker, TRIALOG Capacity Building Officer
For more information on SLOGA, turn to: http://www.sloga-platform.org/
GCAP Europe meeting in Rome
GCAP Europe (Global Call to Action against Poverty) held its annual meeting in Rome between the 13th and 15th of September 2007, with the aim of constructing its vision for political change for the coming three years. The new EU member state GCAP campaigns from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Romania and Slovenia were present. The participation from BG, H, MT and RO was made possible through TRIALOG support.
The main question tackled during the meeting was: “What are our objectives for change in the next three years?” Participants noted that GCAP Europe had no roadmap for the future, and during the three intense days of workshops and discussion set out to agree what changes to make in the next few years and what GCAP Europe might set out to achieve together. In particular the meeting set out to explicate what additional framework to Montevideo we as Europe believe is useful. It was made clear from the start that all the demands need to be made within the resources that we have i.e. within what is achievable and within what is in our power.
Participants agreed to find ways to measure the changes they aspire to and to create attainable indicators of success. Participants also agreed to more action at a European level, in particular in view of the forthcoming 2009 Elections to the European Parliament. Recurring key words were Governance, More and better Aid, Trade Justice, Debt Cancellation, Gender Equality, Climate Change, Corporate Accountability and the Europe – Africa partnership.
Participants also shared their plans for the forthcoming International Day against Poverty (October 17), agreeing that the main objectives of the day will be to raise awareness, put pressure on political decision makers, mobilise mass numbers of people, ensure wide media coverage, and demonstrate the ever growing number of people that agree with the main aims of GCAP.
The meeting concluded with participants agreeing to set a deadline to improve the strategic framework by January 2008 in view of having in January 2008 a GCAP Europe Strategic Framework 2008 - 2010.
Information provided by Vince Caruana, Kopin Malta
For more information on GCAP, please go to: http://www.whiteband.org/
The main question tackled during the meeting was: “What are our objectives for change in the next three years?” Participants noted that GCAP Europe had no roadmap for the future, and during the three intense days of workshops and discussion set out to agree what changes to make in the next few years and what GCAP Europe might set out to achieve together. In particular the meeting set out to explicate what additional framework to Montevideo we as Europe believe is useful. It was made clear from the start that all the demands need to be made within the resources that we have i.e. within what is achievable and within what is in our power.
Participants agreed to find ways to measure the changes they aspire to and to create attainable indicators of success. Participants also agreed to more action at a European level, in particular in view of the forthcoming 2009 Elections to the European Parliament. Recurring key words were Governance, More and better Aid, Trade Justice, Debt Cancellation, Gender Equality, Climate Change, Corporate Accountability and the Europe – Africa partnership.
Participants also shared their plans for the forthcoming International Day against Poverty (October 17), agreeing that the main objectives of the day will be to raise awareness, put pressure on political decision makers, mobilise mass numbers of people, ensure wide media coverage, and demonstrate the ever growing number of people that agree with the main aims of GCAP.
The meeting concluded with participants agreeing to set a deadline to improve the strategic framework by January 2008 in view of having in January 2008 a GCAP Europe Strategic Framework 2008 - 2010.
Information provided by Vince Caruana, Kopin Malta
For more information on GCAP, please go to: http://www.whiteband.org/
Financial Sustainability of NGDO platforms
On the 10th September 2007, in Brussels, members of CONCORD including the new member states (NMS) platforms attended the training that aimed to discuss issues such as: why and how to elaborate a financial strategy for a NGDO platform; pros and cons of different membership fee systems; financial reporting, limiting expenditure, diversifying funding etc. The main speakers were Jake Bharier from the CONCORD board, Andreas Vogt from the CONCORD secretariat and John Cammack, consultant, who brought important input on financial management for the NGDO platforms.One of the most important aspects that was discussed was the existence of the reserves, which is not necessarily specified in all legislations. The financial strategy, as well as the existence of the reserves is not written down for most of the platforms, or in some cases, it may be found split up in different strategic papers. One of the ways to resolve this is to introduce one phrase in your strategic papers such as: “The platform aims to hold its reserves at a level of 35%, or just over 4 months worth, of its expenditure budget. This target should be achieved over the next 3 years, by 31 March 2010. The board will then review this percentage annually, at the time when the budget is being set.” This will insure your financial strategy and will give you time to think it through.
Returning to the reserves issue, it was concluded that they may depend on:
- Level of membership fees
- Portfolio of donors
- Governmental future income
- Formalization of government/NGOs partnership
Moreover, most of the platforms identified a risk to having most of the financing from the government: the diminishing for the platform’s independence. Focusing on the financial independence based on the level of membership fees, it was said that in most cases the membership fee could or should be raised.
Find more information on financial management at: http://www.johncammack.net/
Information provided by Claudia Iatan, Romanian Platform for Development Cooperation FOND
Photos provided by Andris Gobins, Latvian Platform for Development Co-operation LAPAS
The Maltese NGDO platform: Update from the Heat of the Isle
The Maltese Platform has formed a new Secretariat composed of Mario Gerada and Angie Farrugia. Mario Gerada was already a member of the Secretariat last year, whilst Angie is a newcomer. Angie and Mario have commenced their duties in the Secretariat as of 1st September 2007. Both Mario and Angie come from a social work background and can build on the sterling work done by the previous coordinator Roberta Micallef.
In the past few months, the Platform has particularly focused on 2 persisting issues: Maltese Aid and Migrants’ Health, through its working groups Aid Watch and Health Access to Migrants (H.A.M.). The Platform, through its Aid Watch Working Group has managed to create an ongoing national debate about Maltese Aid. This working group has also held talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss issues related to how Maltese Aid is allocated and its transparency.
The Platform’s Health Access to Migrants Working Group has worked very closely with Medecins du Monde (MdM). Staff members from Medecins du Monde were in Malta for 5 months to offer medical services in the Open Centre. MdM would have liked to extend their medical services to the detention centres as well, but the local Authorities only issued a permit for entry to detention centers during MdM’s final week in Malta (only after this was reported in the local media). Medecins du Monde together with H.A.M. held a meeting with Government Officials to discuss the possibility of continuing the medical service offered by Medecins du Monde. MdM has also collected data on health of migrants and migrants’ access to Maltese Medical Services. Medecins du Monde, in collaboration with the Platform, has launched a report on this data in a press conference on Friday, 31st August 2007. For more information regarding this report please access the links below. The Platform’s Working Group on Health Access to Migrants plans to follow the work done by Medecins do Monde.
Links to Newspapers Articles on the launching of the Medecins du Monde Report:
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=56682
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=273081
Link to the full Medecins du Monde report "Access to health care and human rights of asylum seekers in Malta. Experiences, results and recommendations":
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/Malta_MdMreport_HAM.pdf
Information provided by Angie Farrugia, National Platfom of Maltese NGDOs. For further information please contact: ngdo@maltaforum.org
In the past few months, the Platform has particularly focused on 2 persisting issues: Maltese Aid and Migrants’ Health, through its working groups Aid Watch and Health Access to Migrants (H.A.M.). The Platform, through its Aid Watch Working Group has managed to create an ongoing national debate about Maltese Aid. This working group has also held talks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss issues related to how Maltese Aid is allocated and its transparency.
The Platform’s Health Access to Migrants Working Group has worked very closely with Medecins du Monde (MdM). Staff members from Medecins du Monde were in Malta for 5 months to offer medical services in the Open Centre. MdM would have liked to extend their medical services to the detention centres as well, but the local Authorities only issued a permit for entry to detention centers during MdM’s final week in Malta (only after this was reported in the local media). Medecins du Monde together with H.A.M. held a meeting with Government Officials to discuss the possibility of continuing the medical service offered by Medecins du Monde. MdM has also collected data on health of migrants and migrants’ access to Maltese Medical Services. Medecins du Monde, in collaboration with the Platform, has launched a report on this data in a press conference on Friday, 31st August 2007. For more information regarding this report please access the links below. The Platform’s Working Group on Health Access to Migrants plans to follow the work done by Medecins do Monde.
Links to Newspapers Articles on the launching of the Medecins du Monde Report:
http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=56682
http://www.timesofmalta.com/core/article.php?id=273081
Link to the full Medecins du Monde report "Access to health care and human rights of asylum seekers in Malta. Experiences, results and recommendations":
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/Malta_MdMreport_HAM.pdf
Information provided by Angie Farrugia, National Platfom of Maltese NGDOs. For further information please contact: ngdo@maltaforum.org
November 15-17, 2007: Civil Society Forum on Euro-African Dialogue; Lisbon
The Civil Society Forum on Europe-Africa Dialogue, which will take place in Lisbon from 15th to 17th November 2007, is the key event of the Portuguese NGDO Platform’s Presidency Project. This event will be an instrument for policy analysis and debate, aiming at opening and broadening the perspectives of the dialogue between the European and African continents.
The Forum will gather together representatives from European and African civil society organisations and will be structured into plenary sessions, comprising a wider participation, as well as several specific workshops, including a more limited participation. The opening and closing sessions will be held in conjunction with the Euro-African Parliamentarian Forum organised by the North-South Centre (Council of Europe). The discussions will be focused on four main themes: Trade and Development, Governance and Fragile States, Migration and Development, and Cooperation Issues.
The Civil Society Forum on Europe-Africa Dialogue will offer a unique opportunity for a wide range of civil society representatives to voice their main concerns and make recommendations on how to improve the Europe-Africa dialogue. The final product of the Forum will be a political declaration and specific recommendations on the main topics tackled during the event.
For more information about the programme and registration turn to:
http://www.plataformaongd.pt/site3/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=177&Itemid=139
Read the second newsletter issue of the Portuguese NGDO presidency project at: http://www.plataformaongd.pt/site3/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=179&lang=en
Source: http://www.plataformaongd.pt/
The Forum will gather together representatives from European and African civil society organisations and will be structured into plenary sessions, comprising a wider participation, as well as several specific workshops, including a more limited participation. The opening and closing sessions will be held in conjunction with the Euro-African Parliamentarian Forum organised by the North-South Centre (Council of Europe). The discussions will be focused on four main themes: Trade and Development, Governance and Fragile States, Migration and Development, and Cooperation Issues.
The Civil Society Forum on Europe-Africa Dialogue will offer a unique opportunity for a wide range of civil society representatives to voice their main concerns and make recommendations on how to improve the Europe-Africa dialogue. The final product of the Forum will be a political declaration and specific recommendations on the main topics tackled during the event.
For more information about the programme and registration turn to:
http://www.plataformaongd.pt/site3/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=177&Itemid=139
Read the second newsletter issue of the Portuguese NGDO presidency project at: http://www.plataformaongd.pt/site3/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=179&Itemid=179&lang=en
Source: http://www.plataformaongd.pt/
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Vacancy at TRIALOG: Policy Officer
TRIALOG is currently looking for a full time policy and advocacy officer based in Brussels. The deadline for applications is October 11, 2007. For more information, please refer to: http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/policy_officer_trialog_2007sept.pdf
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