Friday, 21 December 2007

Polish ODA meeting in November

The Polish national platform of development NGOs, the Zagranica group, teamed up with the Polish Green Network in November, to bring together key players and discuss development policy in the region.

The cross-sectoral meeting, Development Assistance – our common responsibility, gathered key players in the four Visegrad countries (V4: the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia) and covered three main themes.

Development Policy Coherence
The Zagranica group has just published a report on Polish development policy (see link below), with a focus on coherence, so this is a very relevant topic. A representative of the Polish MFA talked about how coherence relates to internal policy just as much as donor-recipient coherence, and noted how priorities can have an effect (such as security concerns being valued more highly than development issues). A Polish Green Network representative talked about the importance of development being sustainable, as well as interconnections between issues being recognised. The discussion that followed highlighted issues of incoherence in several countries. The Czech Republic for example has 9 ministries involved in ODA, and coordination between donors is variable.

Priorities
The V4 countries have many overlapping priorities. A second representative from the Polish MFA described how priorities are set, taking into consideration commitments Poland has signed up to, and the capacity Polish actors have on the ground. The Polish institutional view was complemented by a representative from the Czech MFA, who informed participants that a new development agency would be created in 2008. There is a strong NGO community in the Czech Republic as MFA cofinancing complements that from the EU and funding for NGOs is therefore almost guaranteed. A representative from the Slovak Agency of Development Cooperation gave an overview of the situation in Slovakia, where the national platform is part of a group that is writing the new law. She talked about the need for ODA to be made attractive to the media and general public.

These viewpoints were added to by representatives of Slovak and Hungarian NGOs, where concerns included priorities focused on infrastructure and the dominance of business partners in Slovakia. The discussion that followed covered the difficulty of the situation faced by a number of NMS, where economic growth has meant that the ODA percentage commitments countries agreed to, now refer to larger sums of money, and are increasingly difficult to meet.

Development Policy 2007-2013
The third section of the meeting started with presentations from the Global Development Research Group, and representatives from beneficiary countries – the West Ukrainian Centre ‘Women’s Perspectives’ and the development of small towns of Tajikistan ‘Vatanam’. The research group would like to bring a programme-based approach to Poland, instead of the current project-based approach. The two beneficiaries underlined the importance of European ODA and noted that sharing expertise could be just as valuable as financial aid.
The discussion that followed focused on the issue of treating beneficiaries as partners rather than subordinates.

Information provided by Rebecca Steel, TRIALOG Policy Officer

Download the report on Polish development policy, published by the Zagranica group: http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/polish_oda_report.pdf

More information:
The Zagranica Group: http://www.zagranica.org.pl/
The Polish Green Network: http://www.zielonasiec.pl/

New NGO portal of platforms all over the world

In 2005, national NGO platforms in Brazil, Chile, India, France and Senegal decided to join together to reinforce the position of their platforms. At that point, France was already part of the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development CONCORD, but since coming together, the platforms have worked to create regional structures in Latin America, and have launched the creation of similar structures in Africa and Asia.

One initiative that has come from this cooperation is a portal of National NGO Platforms, which gives access to information about platforms all over the world.

By clicking on a section of the world map on the welcome page, visitors to the portal are taken to a more detailed map of that continent. It is then possible to explore the continent, and the name of each platform is given by hovering over the map with the mouse. After clicking on a particular country, visitors are taken to a page that is divided into two– a presentation of the platform, and more detailed information of that platform’s history, and experiences. Contact details are also provided for platform coordinators.

The portal is a very exciting tool, which should continue to evolve as more information is added, helping to bring platforms across continents, and around the world, closer together.

More information is available on the portal itself: http://www.ngo-ong.org

Get involved! If you see that information for your platform is missing, contribute to the website and fill the gaps. Contributions to the website can also be directed to secretariat@concordeurope.org

Information provided by Rebecca Steel, TRIALOG Policy Officer

GLEN - Moderation and Facilitation Seminar in Latvia

At the beginning of November GLEN (Global Education Network of Young Europeans) organized a (TRIALOG-co-financed) seminar in Raiskums, Latvia, where 25 participants from seven countries were invited to work on their moderation and facilitation skills. The seminar was carried out by the Polish-German trainers tandem Soete Klien and Kasia Szeniawska.

One of the first tasks was to clarify the differences in-between facilitation, moderation, leading and teaching for everybody. Afterwards, topics such as group process and visualization were discussed, tried out and analyzed. During the focus groups one could get hints of how to work longtime with a group of activists, more detailed information about moderation or e-learning as a facilitation tool in global education. Moreover, after one session the group was taken “backstage” by the facilitators and talked about how the just finished session was planned. To get even more experience in this field one entire bloc was dedicated to “seminar planning”.

In the end, the floor was given to the participants. In small groups from two up to four people a short exercise was prepared and facilitated for the whole group. The “safe learning space” could especially during the facilitation practice be used by every participant to get from the “comfort zone” into the “stretching zone” in order to learn and improve ones skills. Giving and receiving feedback was also part of the exercise. Finally, the four days seminar gave as well the opportunity for sharing experience in different facilitation practices, networking and getting to know each other better within the GLEN network of global educators.

Information provided by Christina Plank, INEX-SDA (CZ), participant of the seminar
Find more information on: http://www.glen-europe.org/

Thursday, 20 December 2007

Seminar on ODA reporting and monitoring in Slovenia

The international seminar on “ODA reporting and monitoring” was organized in Ljubljana on November 19-20, 2007, by the Slovenian NGDO platform SLOGA in cooperation with Concord, TRIALOG and the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the OECD.

The seminar was designed as a capacity building event for non governmental representatives and governmental officials from different new EU member states (NMS). It was attended by 22 participants from NGOs and governments from 6 NMS countries (Bulgaria, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovenia), from the French NGDO platform and a DAC representative. Additionally, 3 NGDO platforms (Hungary, Poland, Malta) sent their written presentations about ODA reporting in their countries.

During the Slovenian EU presidency, SLOGA and its member organisations are going to assist in the implementation of the European NGDO agenda and will focus also on EU aid effectiveness (a conference is planned for April 2-3, 2008, together with Concord and the French NGDO platform). In this sense the recent ODA seminar was an excellent opportunity for networking among NMS. Development NGDO platforms in NMS are relatively new and have neither established a strategic partnership, nor strengthened dialogue with governmental institutions regarding ODA monitoring and reporting. Therefore, there is the need for NGDOs from NMS to closely work together in the field of capacity building and information sharing in order to be competent to establish a strategic partnership.

The main aspects of ODA covered at the seminar were on the nature of ODA and its evolution, the rules and criteria of the DAC; case studies from NMS (examples/practice); NGO critique of ODA (aid inflating); the pressures ODA is coming under (inclusion of more security spending, climate spending not being additional, etc.); the means to monitor it (Aid Watch Report, Evaluation systems), problems in monitoring (sources, documents, collecting of data at the level of line ministries etc.) as well as experiences from previous Aid Watch Reports and a debate on common methodology of reporting for the next CONCORD Aid Watch Report.

Representatives from six NGO platforms at the end of the seminar came to the conclusion that the main challenge in the past was that the timeframe of the Aid Watch report (information gathering in March or April) was not feasible in most of the NMS. Suggestions were made to include in the next CONCORD Aid Watch report a separate overview of main issues relevant to NMS. The participants identified the need for further training on the topic of Aid Watch that would address concrete problems with ODA monitoring and reporting.

Information provided by Ales Kranjc Kuslan (Ekvilib), Coordinator SLOGA Working Group on ODA monitoring and aid effectiveness, and Anja Mesic, SLOGA

Download the 2007 CONCORD Aid Watch report from:
http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/hold_the_applause.final.pdf
Find a summary of the report, in the TRIALOG bulletin 2007:
http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/trialog_bulletin_2007_6.pdf
Read more on the NGDO project for the Slovenian Presidency 2008 at:
http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/trialog_bulletin_2007_3.pdf
SLOGA website: http://www.sloga-platform.org/

New deadline for the Development Youth Prize

Please note that the new deadline for the Development Youth Prize will be 31 March 2008.

The portal of the Development Youth Prize 2007 (DYP) has been launched and is open for submissions. The DYP is supported by the European Commission, DG DEV, and organised by European Schoolnet. It is the second round of this European school competition.

The focus this year is on sustainable development in Africa. Pupils from all 27 EU Member States at the age 16- 18 can submit posters or multimedia presentations on three themes:
  • climate change
  • water and energy
  • sustainable tourism
  • The creative vision of young people shall help raise awareness among fellow pupils, teachers, families and others. The winners, runners-up and their teachers will be invited to a two-day stay in Brussels. This includes the prize-giving ceremony where the national winners and runners-up will be awarded. The winners and their teachers will again be invited to follow Commissioner Louis Michel on one of his missions to an African country next year to witness European development assistance at work. They will visit development cooperation projects working in the education sector, including relevant initiatives from the EU Member States as well as the Commission.

    The deadline for submissions has been extended to 31 March 2008. Pupils can submit on the portal or sent the original artwork to the DYP office. Find the address on the portal in the submission form. After the deadline the evaluation will take place in two rounds in which the national winner and runner-up per country will be selected.

    The DYP website is: http://www.dyp2007.org/ In case of any further questions or comments, please contact Sylvia Binger, European Schoolnet, at: sylvia.binger@eun.org

    Seminar on Time Management for staff of NGDO platforms

    On the 4th and 5th of December 2007 TRIALOG organized a time management seminar in Vienna - for staff of NGDO platforms from new EU member states.

    The first day was on the methodology of the "Theatre of the Oppressed" (according to Agosto Boal) coming from Brazil. The theory behind that theatre is to show, that the changed role of only one person ("the oppressed") within a specific daily scene is changing the situation as a whole. For the seminar, the theatre pedagogue from the Austrian Sog Theatre, Margarethe Meixner, used the topic of stress and frustration due to overload.

    The second day, led by Petra Kreinecker, TRIALOG capacity building officer, focused on practical tools for banishing so called "time thieves". The issue of prioritisation and planning the daily activities as well as making mid and long term plans in a written form, concerned all participants - organizing methods have the overall aim and potential to free more time through proper organization.

    Information provided by Mirko Dautovic, TRIALOG intern, and Petra Kreinecker, TRIALOG Capacity Building Officer

    Round table discussion in Lithuania

    The round table discussion on „Lithuanian development cooperation. Role of NGO‘s and participation of our society“ took place in Druskininkai on December 13-14, 2007. The meeting was initiated by the Development Cooperation and Democracy Promotion Department of the Lithuanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in cooperation with member organizations of the Lithuanian NGDO platform.

    There were several important issues discussed during this meeting: the evaluation of the results of the 2007 development cooperation (DC) program, the guidelines of development cooperation action for 2008, the role of NGOs in the implementation of the DC policy and the role of the Lithuanian NGDO platform. The subject of information and education of the Lithuanian society concerning DC was also widely discussed.

    Lina Kalibataite, board member of the Lithuanian NGDO platform, reports: "The seminar was useful and important to both sides – the representatives of NGOs and the MFA. It was for the first time that we all together discussed the Lithuanian DC policy implementation, ways and possibilities and shared our ideas and concerns. We got to know each other better which is very important for the further success of our cooperation. As representatives of NGOs we noted the interest of MFA officials in our ideas and work and the willingness to cooperate. We all have agreed that these kinds of seminars are useful and necessary for both sides."

    Information provided by Lina Kalibataite, Lithuanian NGDO platform/Lithuanian Kolping society, lina@kolping.lt

    First Fairtrade week in Estonia

    A Fairtrade week – a well established tradition in most consumer societies – was initiated for the first time in Estonia in 12-18 November, 2007. A thematic week was organized by the Estonian Green Movemement, an NGO which actively advocates responsible consumption and sustainable ways of life, and acts as a focal point for Fairtrade activities in Estonia.

    Retail activities focused on tastings and a lottery which awarded the winner with Oke Fairtrade fruits in the amount of the winner's weight! The central activities and media attention was on the special guests from Tanzania, Finland and the Netherlands. A fairtrade coffee farmer Mr. John Kanjagaile, representing 60 000 coffee farmers at the coast of Lake Victoria, was met by the Foreign Affairs Committee chair at Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) calling for the Members of Parliament to follow the steps of the European Parliament and the Nordic counterparts to switch to Fairtrade coffee and tea.

    Photo: Mr. John Kanjagaile of Kagera Cooperatives Union of Tanzania at the opening of a photo exhibiton presenting Fairtrade coffee to Mr. Peeter Müürsepp, Rector of Audentes International University on November 14, 2007.

    The Estonian Chamber of Commerce hosted a morning coffee and discussion with Fairtrade gurus such as Mr. Erkki Toivanen, Fairtrade Goodwill Ambassador in Finland, Mrs. Ilona Hofstra of Max Havelaar Netherlands and Mr. Jeroen Kroezen of Agrofair fruit company. The event which attracted a wide audience of retailers, enterprises, media and NGOs was supported by the Royal Dutch Embassy in Tallinn, Association for Promoting Fairtrade in Finland and the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute.

    Photo: Mr. Erkki Toivanen, Fairtrade Goodwill Ambassador of Finland and a retired BBC journalist talks at the seminar: "Fairtrade - following the Dutch Example" in Tallinn during the Fairtrade week on November 15, 2007.

    A special title “Fairtrade Friend” was awarded to Open Estonia Foundation as the first organization using Fairtrade products in its office and events, and for its committed support of global justice issues. A photo exhibition on the life of Fairtrade farmers in Nicaragua was displayed in Audentes International University, which continues to be shown in various public locations next year. Fairtrade week is planned annually in the fall.

    For more information, please see http://www.fairtrade.ee/ or contact: Riina Kuusik, Fairtrade project manager, at: info@fairtrade.ee

    DEEEP: Development Education Times

    The latest newsletter of the Development Education Exchange in Europe Project (DEEEP) is available for download at:
    http://www.deeep.org/english/news/de_times/2times5/DE_times_December_2007.pdf

    DEEEP is a 3-year project initiated by the Development Education Forum of CONCORD. It aims to strengthen capacities of NGDOs to raise awareness, educate and mobilise the European public for worldwide poverty eradication and social inclusion.

    From the newsletter content:
    - The European Consensus on Development: the Contribution of Development Education and Awareness Raising launched at EU Development Day
    - Towards Stronger and Coherent Development Education in Europe: Next Steps in the Implementation of the Development Education Consensus
    - New CONCORD Development Education Forum position paper launched
    - Development Education Summer School 2008
    - many other issues...

    Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP Information Officer, c.tripepi@deeep.org

    Latest CONCORD Flash - November

    In November there was dialogue all around: at the Development Days, at the ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly and with DG Development and DG Trade. CONCORD dialogued intensively with the institutions and other sectors of civil society, such as environmental NGOs. The impact of climate change, development education, consulting the South and the economic partnership agreements were all central issues.

    Read more about CONCORD in Action and many other topics in the November CONCORD Flash. Download it from:
    http://www.concordeurope.org/Public/Page.php?ID=1186&language=eng

    New issue of "Development and Transition" on Gender in Transition

    "Development and Transition" is a joint publication of UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and LSE (London School of Economics). It focuses on the nature, evolution and challenges of development and transition in Central and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and also Turkey.

    The newsletter is published three times per year (in English and Russian) and the latest issue published in December 2007 deals with Gender in Transition. It provides a variety of viewpoints and analysis from researchers and practitioners.

    Download the December newsletter: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/uploads/issuesAttachments/20/D&T_8%20ENG%20FINAL.pdf
    Subscribe to the Newsletter at:
    http://www.developmentandtransition.net/index.cfm?module=mailing&page=MailingSubscribeForm
    Visit the Development and Transition homepage: http://www.developmentandtransition.net/index.cfm

    WIDE publication: Gender mapping EU policy and decision-making

    The new WIDE publication “Who decides – Gender mapping the European Union’s policy and decision-making in the areas of development, external relations and trade” written by Maria Karadenizli, provides an analysis of the role that the key EU institutions play in the definition of policy priorities in the areas of development, external relations and trade.

    Aspects of development programmes in the countries of the South are closely examined as are the EU’s gender equality strategy in the area of development, the EU relations with ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States) countries under the Cotonou Agreement and the relations with the South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and India.

    This research is aimed at constituting a reference work for people interested in the EU gender-trade-development nexus. It will give you more information on the EU’s increased focus on economic issues, migration and security at the expense of poverty eradication and social development objectives, one of which is gender equality.

    The study is available at http://62.149.193.10/wide/download/WHO%20DECIDES%20def.pdf?id=547 and a paper copy can be ordered from the WIDE website: http://www.wide-network.org/.

    On the website you can also find a number of other WIDE’s latest publications, including their November 2007 newsletter (http://62.149.193.10/wide/download/2007_News_10.pdf?id=551) and the brochure on the implications of EU-India trade negotiations for social justice (http://www.wide-network.org/index.jsp?id=325).

    Information provided by Mirko Dautovic, TRIALOG intern

    February 1-3, 2008: European Fair Trade Fair

    Equi’Sol, with its European and French partners, is inviting you to the first European Fair Trade fair on 1, 2 and 3 February 2008 in Lyon (France). An opportunity to meet, exchange, discover and present Fair Trade products in a 4000 square meters exhibition hall, with participants from all over Europe!

    The fair proposes a rich and diverse programme aimed at professionals; for half of the time, it will also be opened to the broad public.

    Find all news and details about the European Fair Trade fair on:
    http://www.salon-europeen-commerce-equitable.org/-EUROPEAN-FAIRTRADE-FAIR-.html

    February 19-20, 2008: TRIALOG Central Training, Brno

    The TRIALOG Central Training is a seminar for NGDO platforms from new EU member states (NMS) and accession/candidate countries.

    The 2008 Central Training will take place in Brno (Czech Republic) on February 19 and 20, 2008. It will start on Tuesday, 19th, at 9 a.m. and finish on Wednesday, 20th, in the early afternoon (around 4 p.m.).

    The main topic will be on Public Awareness Raising and Development Education. Additionally, we would like to devote time to the "European Consensus on Development" and here especially to the question "how to implement the written strategy in the NMS countries?". There will also be time for exchange between the platforms on specific questions.

    TRIALOG would like to invite 3-5 representatives of each NMS platform and 1-2 participants from each of the three candidate countries Turkey, Croatia and Macedonia.

    We would like to ask the NMS NGDO platforms to suggest the participants by sending the application form(s) below by Friday, January 4th, 2008 to TRIALOG capacity building officer Petra Kreinecker at p.kreinecker@trialog.or.at. NGO representatives from the three candidate countries can also apply by sending the application form to Petra by the same date.

    Application form:
    http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/application_ct_brno.doc

    If your application is approved by TRIALOG, please make sure to read the documents below, check cheap flight options to both Vienna and to Prague as Brno is easily accessible from both cities. Further logistical information will be circulated to you in January.

    TRIALOG Reimbursement Scheme
    http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/trialog_reimbursement_scheme_april07.pdf
    Travel Expense Claim Form
    http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/Travel_Expense_Form_inclReport.doc

    For more information please contact TRIALOG Capacity Building Officer Petra Kreinecker: p.kreinecker@trialog.or.at