The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the EU’s enlargement strategy on 26 November 2009. In it, MEPs reaffirm their commitment to continued enlargement “of the area of peace, security and prosperity in Europe” but highlight the importance of strictly respecting the Copenhagen criteria and the absorption capacity of the EU.
The resolution also points out that if enlargement is to be supported by citizens, both in current and future EU member states, it is essential that they get “clear and comprehensive information on the advantages and consequences of this policy”.
At a Council meeting on 7 December 2009, Serbia moved slightly closer to applying for EU membership. Serbia’s movement towards membership was halted by the Netherlands, which has put increased pressure on Serbia to fully cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, but foreign ministers activated an interim trade agreement with Serbia, and moves are being made to unfreeze the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.
Find the EP resolution at the following link: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P7-TA-2009-0097+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN
Information provided by Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
The Eastern Partnership (EaP) Civil Society Forum (CSF) met for the first time in Brussels on 16-17 November 2009. It was created as part of the EU Eastern Partnership, inaugurated in May in Prague and designed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and six countries along its eastern border.
The European Commission chose 220 civil society organisations to take part in the forum of the 439 that expressed their interest in attending, including the EPAN working group (http://www.trialog.or.at/workinggroupepan) as a whole representing CONCORD and several individual member organisations that specialise in the Eastern Partnership countries. Participants were divided into four working groups, based on the themes of democracy, human rights, good governance and stability; economic integration and convergence with EU policies; environment, climate change and energy security; and contacts between people. These working groups produced recommendations, which were presented at the end of the forum to External relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Swedish Presidency representative Carl Bildt.
A steering group was also elected to lead the future work of the forum. This is composed of two representatives per working group (one from the EaP countries, one from the EU), six country facilitators from the EaP countries and three EU representatives. The steering group will meet next in January 2010.
All documents related to the EaP CSF process so far can be found on http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/eastern/civil_society/index_en.htm
Information provided by Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG
The European Commission chose 220 civil society organisations to take part in the forum of the 439 that expressed their interest in attending, including the EPAN working group (http://www.trialog.or.at/workinggroupepan) as a whole representing CONCORD and several individual member organisations that specialise in the Eastern Partnership countries. Participants were divided into four working groups, based on the themes of democracy, human rights, good governance and stability; economic integration and convergence with EU policies; environment, climate change and energy security; and contacts between people. These working groups produced recommendations, which were presented at the end of the forum to External relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Swedish Presidency representative Carl Bildt.
A steering group was also elected to lead the future work of the forum. This is composed of two representatives per working group (one from the EaP countries, one from the EU), six country facilitators from the EaP countries and three EU representatives. The steering group will meet next in January 2010.
All documents related to the EaP CSF process so far can be found on http://ec.europa.eu/external_relations/eastern/civil_society/index_en.htm
Information provided by Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG
European Citizens as Catalysts for Change: the film!
The European Multi-stakeholder group on Development Education organised a side event in the frame of the European Development Days (EDD), which were hosted by Sweden in October 2009.
Citizens should be at the heart of the global poverty debate, as they are the ones to ask for change and be the change. However, they need to be empowered to fulfil their democratic potential as change actors. Development education, moving form awareness on global challenges, through understanding of causes and consequences of global inter-dependencies to informed action and critical involvement of each citizen is the tool to empower citizens to be “catalysts of change”.
All speakers at the EDD side event made strong statements on the importance of development education. So emphasised Justin Kilcullen, CONCORD president, the central role of citizen’s engagement and development education in the new CONCORD strategy. Eva Joly, MEP and Chair of the European Parliament (EP) Development Committee, committed to support a EP report on the status of Development Education in Europe.
Another aspect explored during the talk show was the need for national strategies on Development Education, still missing in many EU member states. Manuel Correio highlighted the example of Portugal, that has recently endorsed the national strategy, and underlined that political advocacy and campaigning is explicitly included in the strategy as a four pillar, taking development education beyond a purely pedagogic agenda. This strategy was elaborated in an inclusive, multi stakeholder approach, an aspect also underlined by involved other speakers. As Anja Frings put it: “Change can only be achieved if we work together”.
A short film, with the main higlights of the side event is now available! Watch it on http://blip.tv/file/2942358/
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
Citizens should be at the heart of the global poverty debate, as they are the ones to ask for change and be the change. However, they need to be empowered to fulfil their democratic potential as change actors. Development education, moving form awareness on global challenges, through understanding of causes and consequences of global inter-dependencies to informed action and critical involvement of each citizen is the tool to empower citizens to be “catalysts of change”.
All speakers at the EDD side event made strong statements on the importance of development education. So emphasised Justin Kilcullen, CONCORD president, the central role of citizen’s engagement and development education in the new CONCORD strategy. Eva Joly, MEP and Chair of the European Parliament (EP) Development Committee, committed to support a EP report on the status of Development Education in Europe.
Another aspect explored during the talk show was the need for national strategies on Development Education, still missing in many EU member states. Manuel Correio highlighted the example of Portugal, that has recently endorsed the national strategy, and underlined that political advocacy and campaigning is explicitly included in the strategy as a four pillar, taking development education beyond a purely pedagogic agenda. This strategy was elaborated in an inclusive, multi stakeholder approach, an aspect also underlined by involved other speakers. As Anja Frings put it: “Change can only be achieved if we work together”.
A short film, with the main higlights of the side event is now available! Watch it on http://blip.tv/file/2942358/
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
ODA Evaluation in Visegrad Four region
The Pontis Foundation presented the publication "ODA Evaluation in the Visegrad Four", a landmark study into the evaluation of Official Development Assistance (ODA) within the Visegrad four region.
Despite some good intentions and tentative steps, none of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries undertake full and independent evaluations of their Official Development Assistance (ODA) policies, programmes or themes. This important study, funded by the International Visegrad Fund, maintains that the main challenges to progress comprise budgetary constraints, the lack of personnel capacity and limited policy leadership on the issue from V4 Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Using the Western Balkans as a case study, Pontis Foundation estimates that the V4 countries have collectively spent over 40 million Euro in aid to the Western Balkans since 2003. This significant sum has been spent without knowing the impact or outcomes of its use. Evaluation is the basis on which programming adjustments are made. Without evaluation, ODA funds from the V4 countries will continue to be spent without regard to value for money, policy priorities, or impact on development in the recipient or partner countries.
Non-V4 ODA agencies freely provide a spectrum of tools and mechanisms from which V4 countries can learn best practises. The V4 should use these lessons learnt as a basis for constituting their own evaluation policies. But moving forwards can only come from arriving at the final decision to make evaluation a central component of ODA policy.
The Pontis Foundation welcomes comments on the study and is looking forward to taking the next steps, to enable the issue of evaluation to be discussed at the V4 level and beyond.
Download the study from: http://www.nadaciapontis.sk/tmp/asset_cache/link/0000023707/091201_V4ODAEvaluation.pdf
Information provided by Pontis Foundation, http://www.nadaciapontis.sk/en/14521
Despite some good intentions and tentative steps, none of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries undertake full and independent evaluations of their Official Development Assistance (ODA) policies, programmes or themes. This important study, funded by the International Visegrad Fund, maintains that the main challenges to progress comprise budgetary constraints, the lack of personnel capacity and limited policy leadership on the issue from V4 Ministries of Foreign Affairs.
Using the Western Balkans as a case study, Pontis Foundation estimates that the V4 countries have collectively spent over 40 million Euro in aid to the Western Balkans since 2003. This significant sum has been spent without knowing the impact or outcomes of its use. Evaluation is the basis on which programming adjustments are made. Without evaluation, ODA funds from the V4 countries will continue to be spent without regard to value for money, policy priorities, or impact on development in the recipient or partner countries.
Non-V4 ODA agencies freely provide a spectrum of tools and mechanisms from which V4 countries can learn best practises. The V4 should use these lessons learnt as a basis for constituting their own evaluation policies. But moving forwards can only come from arriving at the final decision to make evaluation a central component of ODA policy.
The Pontis Foundation welcomes comments on the study and is looking forward to taking the next steps, to enable the issue of evaluation to be discussed at the V4 level and beyond.
Download the study from: http://www.nadaciapontis.sk/tmp/asset_cache/link/0000023707/091201_V4ODAEvaluation.pdf
Information provided by Pontis Foundation, http://www.nadaciapontis.sk/en/14521
Twenty Years of Transition and Human Development
The December 2009 issue of "Development and Transition" is devoted to ‘Twenty years of transition and human development’, marking the twentieth anniversary of the end of communism and of UNDP’s first Human Development Report. Articles consider both the human development and transition paradigms, as well as country experiences during the past two decades.
The content covers a wide range of issues, reaching from crisis impacts in the region to survey results and articles on specific areas (e.g. Russia, Ukraine, South Caucasus,..) as well as many other topics.
Read Development and Transition online at http://www.developmentandtransition.net/index.cfm?module=ActiveWeb&page=WebPage&DocumentID=734 or download the pdf version from http://www.developmentandtransition.net/uploads/issuesAttachments/26/DEVTRANSeng%2014.pdf.
Information provided by Development and Transition, LSE/UNDP
The content covers a wide range of issues, reaching from crisis impacts in the region to survey results and articles on specific areas (e.g. Russia, Ukraine, South Caucasus,..) as well as many other topics.
Read Development and Transition online at http://www.developmentandtransition.net/index.cfm?module=ActiveWeb&page=WebPage&DocumentID=734 or download the pdf version from http://www.developmentandtransition.net/uploads/issuesAttachments/26/DEVTRANSeng%2014.pdf.
Information provided by Development and Transition, LSE/UNDP
CONCORD Flash
The latest issue of the CONCORD Flash - which reports news from the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development - was published recently and covers the period of September/October 2009.
In the issue:
- CONCORD at the European Parliament from the start
- A time to meet the political parties
- What’s wrong with Development Aid?
- CONCORD report on the coherence of European policies
- CONCORD and the Council of the EU discuss coherence of policies and aid
- CONCORD at the Development Days
- CONCORD and the European Court of Auditors on the same line
- Meeting President Barroso again
- How to strengthen democracy: the CSCG in action
and other topics.
Download the CONCORD Flash from: http://www.concordeurope.org/Files/media/internetdocumentsENG/4_Publications/1_CONCORD_Flash/Flash2009/September-October-EN.pdf
Information provided by Agnès Philippart, CONCORD
In the issue:
- CONCORD at the European Parliament from the start
- A time to meet the political parties
- What’s wrong with Development Aid?
- CONCORD report on the coherence of European policies
- CONCORD and the Council of the EU discuss coherence of policies and aid
- CONCORD at the Development Days
- CONCORD and the European Court of Auditors on the same line
- Meeting President Barroso again
- How to strengthen democracy: the CSCG in action
and other topics.
Download the CONCORD Flash from: http://www.concordeurope.org/Files/media/internetdocumentsENG/4_Publications/1_CONCORD_Flash/Flash2009/September-October-EN.pdf
Information provided by Agnès Philippart, CONCORD
Seasonal office closure
We would like to inform you that the TRIALOG head office in Vienna will be closed during the Christmas and New Year period from Monday, December 21, 2009 until Wednesday, January 6, 2010. The TRIALOG Brussels office will be closed from Wednesday, December 23, 2009 until Monday, January 4, 2010. We send early season greetings to all partners and are looking forward to be in touch again in the New Year!
TRIALOG is searching for an intern to support the DE Partnership Fair
TRIALOG (http://www.trialog.or.at/) is searching for an intern based in the Vienna office for the period January - February 2010 to mainly work on the logistical preparation and implementation of the 2nd Edition of TRIALOG´s Development Education Partnership Fair. Duration: 2 months. Deadline for applications is January 7th, 2010. Start of the Internship: January 11th, 2010.
Find more information on the tasks and requirements for this internship in the area of development cooperation event management at: http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/de-fair-internship-announcement.pdf
If you are interested, please send your CV, contact details (email and phone number) and 1 - 2 paragraphs explaining why this position interests you to Andra Tanase, TRIALOG Capacity Buidling Officer at a.tanase@trialog.or.at
Information provided by Andra Tanase, TRIALOG
Find more information on the tasks and requirements for this internship in the area of development cooperation event management at: http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/de-fair-internship-announcement.pdf
If you are interested, please send your CV, contact details (email and phone number) and 1 - 2 paragraphs explaining why this position interests you to Andra Tanase, TRIALOG Capacity Buidling Officer at a.tanase@trialog.or.at
Information provided by Andra Tanase, TRIALOG
DEEEP is now recruiting an intern
DEEEP (http://www.deeep.org/) is currently seeking for an intern, starting in February 2010, for a 6 months collaboration in the office in Brussels. A full job description is available at: http://www.deeep.org/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/Job_descriptions/DEEEP_Internship_-_job_description_2010.pdf
If you want to apply, please send your CV and motivation letter to vacancies@deeep.org. Deadline for receiving applications is January 8, 2010. Only short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. For further information, please contact Cinthia Alaerts c.alaerts@deeep.org
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
If you want to apply, please send your CV and motivation letter to vacancies@deeep.org. Deadline for receiving applications is January 8, 2010. Only short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. For further information, please contact Cinthia Alaerts c.alaerts@deeep.org
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
Call for GLEN Tutors 2010
The GLEN Multipliers Training Cycle (MTC) has started! On this occasion, the Global Education Network of Young Europeans (GLEN) is looking for tutors who will train, prepare and accompany the participants of GLEN MTC 2010.
Please find the Call for GLEN Tutors 2010 at http://www.glen-europe.org/index.php?lnk=9&bc=439. The deadline for applications is January 10th 2010. Please Note! The venues and dates of the Team Seminar and 1st seminar of GLEN Eng have slightly changed since the call was first published. Please check your availability on the dates stated in the call.
Information provided by Kasia Szeniawska, GLEN
Please find the Call for GLEN Tutors 2010 at http://www.glen-europe.org/index.php?lnk=9&bc=439. The deadline for applications is January 10th 2010. Please Note! The venues and dates of the Team Seminar and 1st seminar of GLEN Eng have slightly changed since the call was first published. Please check your availability on the dates stated in the call.
Information provided by Kasia Szeniawska, GLEN
Development Education Summer School: Call for facilitators and candides
Each working group of the Development Education Summer School (DESS) to take place in June 2010 in Hungary (see Event section in TIS) is composed of participants (of course!) but also of one facilitator and one candide, who will together guide the participants through the week. DEEEP is now seeking 4 facilitators and 4 candides. Download the job description at http://www.deeep.org/summerschool2010.html and send your application (a CV and a motivation letter) by January 15, 2010 to Cinthia Alaerts (c.alaerts@deeep.org) and to Gabriella Nagy (artemisz@artemisszio.hu).
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
January 24-29, 2010: Training course - New Media for NGOs, Prague
Transitions Online (TOL) is pleased to announce its "New Media for NGOs" training course, which will be held in Prague from January 24-29, 2010. The course will train non-profit organisations how to use new media to spread their message wider and faster, manage IT projects, improve internal efficiency and revamp their online strategy – even with a minimal technology budget.
Transitions (TOL) is a non-profit organisation that supports other non-profit organisations and independent media through a variety of training courses, seminars and internships. Last year, TOL trained over 300 people from some 50 countries. TOL also published an internet magazine, Transitions Online.
More detailed information about the course can be found on the following website http://journalism-courses.tol.org. For further questions please contact Joann Plockova at plockovaj@tol.org.
Information provided by Joann Plockova, TOL, http://www.tol.org
Transitions (TOL) is a non-profit organisation that supports other non-profit organisations and independent media through a variety of training courses, seminars and internships. Last year, TOL trained over 300 people from some 50 countries. TOL also published an internet magazine, Transitions Online.
More detailed information about the course can be found on the following website http://journalism-courses.tol.org. For further questions please contact Joann Plockova at plockovaj@tol.org.
Information provided by Joann Plockova, TOL, http://www.tol.org
June 6-13, 2010: Development Education Summer School - Call for Participants
The Development Education Summer School (DESS) 2010 will be hosted by Hungary, from June 6 to June 13, 2010. Artemisszio and the Hungarian Interchurch Aid, on behalf of the Hungarian NGDO platform HAND and in coordination with DEEEP are finalising the programme. The overall theme for this year is "Schools as Key Actors in Promoting Global Education", and the overall objective is to improve quality and quantity of NGOs and school cooperation in the field of Global Education.
Participants will be divided into 4 working groups, focusing on the following topics: 1) Environmental sustainability, 2) Trade and Consumption, 3) Poverty, 4) Diversity. Participants will also have the opportunity to follow some thematic sessions, according to their personal and professional interest. The following thematic sessions will be made available: a) NGO/School cooperation, b) Quality and evaluation of global education projects, c) Teacher trainings, d) School curricula and whole school approach.
A local Action Day - during which participants will go to a local school, and implement some global education activities - is foreseen on Friday June 11. Organisers have also included - following the success such activities had in previous DESS editions - the "market place", where participants can introduce their work and organisations, the cultural evening, to learn more on each other's cultures and countries, the audiovisual evening, to share movies.
The Summer School can host 54 participants from the EU, 10 from Network NGOs of CONCORD, and up to 16 from Economically Less Developed Countries. Participation fees depend on the country of residence. Travel costs will be reimbursed by DEEEP after the DESS (up to EUR 400).
Participants interested can fill in the application form, and send it to their National Platform for the final selection, before January 24, 2010. To find the list of national representatives visit http://www.deeep.org/usefullinks.html. If you have further questions, you can contact Cinthia Alaerts (c.alaerts@deeep.org), DEEEP Coordinator. To learn more on the Summer School, and to download the application form, please visit http://www.deeep.org/summerschool2010.html
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
Participants will be divided into 4 working groups, focusing on the following topics: 1) Environmental sustainability, 2) Trade and Consumption, 3) Poverty, 4) Diversity. Participants will also have the opportunity to follow some thematic sessions, according to their personal and professional interest. The following thematic sessions will be made available: a) NGO/School cooperation, b) Quality and evaluation of global education projects, c) Teacher trainings, d) School curricula and whole school approach.
A local Action Day - during which participants will go to a local school, and implement some global education activities - is foreseen on Friday June 11. Organisers have also included - following the success such activities had in previous DESS editions - the "market place", where participants can introduce their work and organisations, the cultural evening, to learn more on each other's cultures and countries, the audiovisual evening, to share movies.
The Summer School can host 54 participants from the EU, 10 from Network NGOs of CONCORD, and up to 16 from Economically Less Developed Countries. Participation fees depend on the country of residence. Travel costs will be reimbursed by DEEEP after the DESS (up to EUR 400).
Participants interested can fill in the application form, and send it to their National Platform for the final selection, before January 24, 2010. To find the list of national representatives visit http://www.deeep.org/usefullinks.html. If you have further questions, you can contact Cinthia Alaerts (c.alaerts@deeep.org), DEEEP Coordinator. To learn more on the Summer School, and to download the application form, please visit http://www.deeep.org/summerschool2010.html
Information provided by Chiara Tripepi, DEEEP
July 18-23, 2010: International AIDS Conference, Vienna
The International AIDS Conference is convened every two years by the International AIDS Society (IAS) in partnership with local, regional and international partners. The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) will take place in Vienna, Austria, from 18 to 23 July 2010. Those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV and other individuals and organizations committed to ending the pandemic from all over the world will take part.
AIDS 2010 will mark an important milestone: the deadline by which world leaders have committed to ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The conference will be an opportunity to evaluate progress to date and to identify what must be done, both individually and collectively, to achieve this critical goal. With an estimated 25,000 participants and 2,500 media in attendance, the eyes of the world will be upon Vienna.
The theme of AIDS 2010 will be "Rights Here, Right Now" and emphasizes the central importance of protecting and promoting human rights as a prerequisite to a successful response to HIV. It also stresses the need for concrete human rights measures to protect those most vulnerable to and affected by HIV. One part of the conference will be the Global Village which is open to the general public as well as to conference delegates. It aims to intensify the involvement of affected and marginalized communities in the conference and in the global response to HIV/AIDS.
For more information about the global village please see http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=164, for the youth programme http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=178. Registration and submissions for global village, youth programme, abstracts, workshops, exhibition space, scholarship applications etc. are now open. For more key dates please take a look at http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=177. You may wish to also sign up for the AIDS 2010 eUpdate: http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=160 For further information please refer to the Fact Sheet (http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/aids2010-fs.pdf) and the website http://www.aids2010.org/. Alternatively, you can also contact the Community Forum Austria organizing the civil society participation in AIDS 2010: Christine Keplinger at keplinger@aids.at.
Information provided by Tina Hofstätter, AIDS 2010 - Local Secretariat
AIDS 2010 will mark an important milestone: the deadline by which world leaders have committed to ensuring universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. The conference will be an opportunity to evaluate progress to date and to identify what must be done, both individually and collectively, to achieve this critical goal. With an estimated 25,000 participants and 2,500 media in attendance, the eyes of the world will be upon Vienna.
The theme of AIDS 2010 will be "Rights Here, Right Now" and emphasizes the central importance of protecting and promoting human rights as a prerequisite to a successful response to HIV. It also stresses the need for concrete human rights measures to protect those most vulnerable to and affected by HIV. One part of the conference will be the Global Village which is open to the general public as well as to conference delegates. It aims to intensify the involvement of affected and marginalized communities in the conference and in the global response to HIV/AIDS.
For more information about the global village please see http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=164, for the youth programme http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=178. Registration and submissions for global village, youth programme, abstracts, workshops, exhibition space, scholarship applications etc. are now open. For more key dates please take a look at http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=177. You may wish to also sign up for the AIDS 2010 eUpdate: http://www.aids2010.org/Default.aspx?pageId=160 For further information please refer to the Fact Sheet (http://www.trialog.or.at/images/doku/aids2010-fs.pdf) and the website http://www.aids2010.org/. Alternatively, you can also contact the Community Forum Austria organizing the civil society participation in AIDS 2010: Christine Keplinger at keplinger@aids.at.
Information provided by Tina Hofstätter, AIDS 2010 - Local Secretariat
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