New DARE Forum position papers

The development education working group o the CONCORD confederation, DARE Forum, published two new position papers. The first one, Development needs Citizens, redefines the role and contribution of development education and awareness raising (DEAR) to the development discourse. The paper, which was endorsed by the DARE Forum members at their last meeting in May, defines “development” as “shared responsibility for planet and humanity”. It argues that DEAR fosters public engagement: This would be important in order to provide legitimacy for political action on global justice, to foster individual engagement and to open a public debate on the root causes of global poverty.

Development Education, based on strong universal values and through the promotion of critical thinking and deep engagement, would be particularly well placed to do so. Furthermore, DEAR would foster the emergence of a Global Civil Society: DEAR as citizens’ empowerment for change, not involved with a “powerful giver-grateful receiver approach” would be particularly well placed to engage citizens all around the world in issues of global justice, which then would form the natural tissue of a global civil society. And lastly, DEAR would be central to new development paradigms such as a Human Rights Based Approach to development, Policy Coherence for Development and Development Effectiveness. The paper contains a number of recommendations to NGOs and other development actors. Download the position paper from the DEEEP website.

DARE Forum Youth and Children working group has published a position paper on Involving Youth and Children in Development Education and Awareness-raising.

For more information contact by DEEEP advocacy officer Tobias Troll

Information provided by DEEEP

Quality criteria for development cooperation: Sloga and TRIALOG training

As a part of its annual training events, the Sloveninan development NGO platform SLOGA organised a TRIALOG training entitled “Quality criteria for development cooperation” in Ljubljana between 29.06. and 30.06. The aim of the training was capacity building on how to implement different quality criteria through the project cycle management of development cooperation and education projects.

The training, delivered by TRIALOG capacity building Officer Andra Tanase, addressed the issues of quality in programming, project writing, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of development cooperation projects. Participants from, mainly, Slovenian development NGOs with various experience in this field, were first introduced to different tools that help increase the quality of their projects. After that, they had a chance to use the tools in workshops where they prepared »real« projects.

There was also short workshop on “EC Standard Contract management”, delivered by SLOGA participants of the first module of the TRIALOG Training for Multipliers (11. – 14. April 2011). At the end of the training all participants agreed that there is much room for improvement of quality of their projects. Both the participants and SLOGA as organizer were satisfied with the training and at the same time expressed the need for more training in this field.

Information provided by Aleš Rovšnik, SLOGA

Human Security Initiative 2015 established

An international "Human Security Initiative 2015" group (HS - 2015 -) was created on June 17th, 2011. The group aims at deepening the concept of Human Security as a development paradigm in light of the post Millennium Development Goal (MDG) discourse. The group consists of around 20 international development practitioners, government officials and scholars.

The initiative group was born out of the international conference “Human Security – Towards Empowering Development” that took place on June 16, 2011 in Riga. The conference brought together prominent development economists and Baltic States’ and other European development practitioners at the NGO, government and EC levels to exchange information about the use of the concept of human security. The conference was hosted in Latvia, as it will be holding EU Presidency in 2015, at the time when the MDGs are aimed to be reached.

The main conclusion reached at the conference was that Human Security as a development cooperation concept has a lot to offer: it is human rights-based, participatory, takes into account not only objective but also subjective realities, steps over the irrelevant North-South distinction, offers customized solutions and value for money. Furthermore, it can be used as a tool for prioritizing action as well as assessing progress in achieving human security, that is, empowerment or people’s ability to take responsibility for their own and society’s well-being.

Having assessed the potential of Human Security as a post-2015 lead-concept, integrating and moving beyond the MDGs, the initiative group set two main goals: 1) exploring and deepening the concept of Human Security for development cooperation and 2) following and examining other discussions on the post-MDG agenda.

The conference was hosted by the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia in cooperation with the Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation (AKÜ) and the Lithuanian National Platform of Development Non-Governmental Organisations.

For more information contact LAPAS at info@lapas.lv

Information provided by Ieva Snikersproge, LAPAS

Update on Forecast for up-coming Global Calls

The forecast of the up-coming 2011 global calls for proposals has been updated.

The budgets for the NSA-LA programme have changed (compared to the previous forecast):
- Objective 2 (Development Education) has increased from 27 million € to 55 million €
- Objective 1 (In-country calls) has increased from 15 million € to 32 million €
- Local Authorities (Obj 1 & 2) has decreased from 36 million € to 16 million €

Download the document (pdf).

Information provided by Elise Vanormelingen, CONCORD

EU Earmarks €5.5 Billion for Reforms in the Western Balkans, Turkey and Iceland

The European Commission has finalised its plans for financial support for ongoing reforms in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Iceland, Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Kosovo for 2011–2013. The plans, called Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Documents (MIPDs), outline a revised strategy for funding under the EU’s Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance (IPA). The funding will focus on areas such as reform of the judiciary and public administration, enhancing regional cooperation in the fight against organised crime and corruption, building up a vibrant civil society, fostering reforms and regional cooperation in education, as well as underpinning sustainable recovery from the economic crisis through investment in strategic infrastructure projects. Around 10% of the available IPA funds will be allocated to strengthen multilateral relations in the Western Balkans and Turkey, in areas identified as crucial for European integration and stability in the region where there is a clear need for regional co-operation: tackling cross-border problems, seeking greater efficiency through closer co-operation, leveraging existing instruments and facilitating networks of experts. Funds available for this will total around €521 million for the period 2011-2013. To find out the Indicative IPA financial allocations for the period 2011-2013 click here.

Source BCSDN No. 233

International Framework by Global Civil Society on its Own Role in International Development finalised

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) from across the globe, represented by some 230 delegates from over 70 countries, gathered in Siem Reap, Cambodia, from June 28 to 30, 2011 to finalize the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness at the second and final Global Assembly of the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, organized with the support of Cooperation Committee for Cambodia.

The International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness represents a statement from global civil society on principles, guidelines and external conditions from governments and donors for CSO development effectiveness, and is the culmination of two years of work to consolidate the views of civil society around their own effectiveness as development actors and the enabling environment needed to conduct their work. Finalizing the International Framework is a remarkable success for civil society worldwide as it consolidates a collective voice from the sector on CSO Development Effectiveness that civil society can use to guide their own work and advocate with governments and donors, and that applies to national contexts across the globe. In the next months, CSOs will be widely disseminating the final draft International Framework and prepare to take it to multilateral negotiations at the 4th High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF4) in Busan, South Korea, on the 29 November – 1 December 2011.

Find the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness and related press release.

Information provided by Open Forum for CSO Effectiveness

TRIALOG Partnership Fair 19-21 September 2011, Vienna

Due to the significant success of the previous editions of the TRIALOG Partnership Fair held in October 2006 and February 2010 when many of the later EC-funded development education projects under NSA-LA line were conceived, TRIALOG will host the third edition of this event in September 2011. This time, we expect around 80 participants from across the EU to work on possible projects for the NSA-LA Development Education call, Investing in People and EIDHR.

The partnership fair is a learning, networking and project-designing event from development CSOs from across Europe coming from different sectors (development education, human rights, environment, gender etc). The Partnership Fair facilitates partnerships, cooperation, learning and exchange at an international level for joint projects for development. Key development actors (donors, representatives of the EC and NGOs) will contribute either as speakers, facilitators or participants.

As in the previous editions, the organizers expect that the Partnership Fair will represent a valuable moment of finding new partners, learning from experts, dialogue with the Commission representatives and other key actors and more importantly a moment where successful projects in true partnership are agreed upon and drafted. We expect participants to come to the Partnership Fair, with concrete ideas on possible projects, with complete information and knowledge on their organisations and with decision making powers to commit their organisation to projects in partnership.

Deadline for Applications: 15th of August 2011, with applications processed on a rolling basis, preference to those received before July 19th. For the agenda and application form please visit our website.

Back to the Future! Volunteers returned from overseas to engage in DEAR in Germany, Ireland and Poland

With a kick-off workshop in Esslingen (Germany) on end of May 2011 a new project in cooperation between partners from Germany (finep), Ireland (Comhlamh) and Poland (SWM) has been launched. The horizon of DEAR in Europe will soon be enriched by activities aiming at empowering returned volunteers to become development education multipliers. Financed by the European Commission in the framework of NSA LA in Development, (the Development Education Programme of the EuropeAid Office) the 36-month project will target 2250 volunteers by the end of the implementation period, raising high expectations and even higher excitement among the partners.

The initiative is the result of a meeting among partners during TRIALOG’s Partnership Fair in 2010, and a common view on the problem of low involvement of returned volunteers, with a parallel difficulty of low capacity among volunteer sending organisations to adequately support the volunteers. Therefore, the work plan includes direct work with the volunteers (training scheme, publications, supporting small-scale actions), and activities targeting Sending Organisations and Development Education institutional actors (meetings, consulting, capacity building, among others). Advocacy and promotional activities are planned, in order to mainstream the issue tackled, with a conference in Warsaw, Poland planned for autumn 2011, in the framework of the European Year of Volunteering and the Polish Presidency period.
For further information on the project you can contact the partners in respective countries: Germany: Kai Diederich, Ireland: Grainne O'Neill, Poland: Elzbieta Jakubek.

Check also the Facebook fanpage.

Information provided by Elzbieta Jakubek (SWM Poland) in cooperation with Comhlámh, Finep

TACSO Manuals

The Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organisations (TACSO) in Western Balkans and Turkey is an EU-funded office supporting national NGOs to access EU financial assistance by keeping them aware of funding opportunities and training them to develop, write and submit suitable project proposals.

It can be extremely challenging for individual CSOs which are trying to understand how investment decisions are made within EU institutions and how to successfully apply for EU funding. Indeed, for many CSOs the challenge seems like an insoluble mystery, and for organisations in the Western Balkans region and Turkey, despite being geographically and, in terms of forthcoming accession, close to the EU, the EU’s funding processes can appear mysterious and at times frustrating. To help clarify and explain this process we have produced this Manual. It and the accompanying Toolkit is aimed at assisting CSOs in the Western Balkans and Turkey to understand the process of accession to and subsequent successful management of EU funds. It is intended to show CSOs how they can become both more effcient and more effective in accessing and managing EU funds. Download: Manual on Developing and Managing EU-Funded Projects (pdf). This is particularly for funding under the IPA and is the main reason why this Manual and Toolkit is specifically designed for CSOs in the Western Balkans and Turkey.

TACSO has also published for a new manual on citizens’ participation. The Manual is made up of three main parts. The first part deals with the concepts and general approaches, mechanisms and methodologies for effective citizens' participation; the second one looks at citizens' participation in action, at both the local and national level and the last is a 'Toolbox' which contains checklists and examples of templates and methodologies to be used in support of citizens' participation. Here you can download the Manual on CSOs and Citizens' Participation (pdf).

European Development Days 2011, 15-16 December, Warsaw, Poland

The sixth edition of European Development Days will take place on 15-16 December 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. The EDD is the leading European forum where the questions and issues about international development cooperation are debated. All information, powerpoints and the EU Commission’s meeting report will be available on the website soon: http://eudevdays.eu/index.cfm. You can also contact CONCORD Communications Officer Daniel Puglisi at dpuglisi@concordeurope.org for more information. Be aware that the number of places is limited. Application deadline is 19 August.

OECD Agricultural Outlook

The OECD Agricultural Outlook report provides world market trends for biofuels, cereals, oilseeds, sugar, meats, dairy products and, for the first time, the fisheries sector over the 2011-20 period. This edition also includes an evaluation of recent developments, key issues and uncertainties in those commodity markets. The projections are the result of close co-operation with national experts in OECD and non-OECD countries. A jointly developed modelling system, based on the OECD’s AGLINK and on the FAO’s COSIMO models, facilitates consistency in the projections. In the context of the G20 discussions on agriculture, a section of the report is devoted this year to the policy responses to price volatility. It is the seventeenth edition of the Agricultural Outlook and the seventh co-edition prepared jointly with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Go to the website of the OECD Agricultural Outlook.

Humanity in Action Conference, London 5-7 October

The British Red Cross is running a three day conference (5-7 October 2011) in London on migration and conflict in order to celebrate the conclusion of two educational projects, Positive Images and Justice and Fairness. The conference is designed to encourage teachers and youth workers to discuss and learn new methods of approaching the issues of migration and conflict with young people. Find out more about the conference here.

International Documentary Film Festival HumanDOC, Warsaw, Nov 12-17

The International Documentary Film Festival GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT IN CINEMA is the first festival in Central-Eastern Europe that is solely dedicated to show documentary films and social commercials on various themes and issues concerning development of poor and vulnerable communities from around the world. Through the screenings of selected productions we would like to bring our festival audience closer to current problems of people living in developing nations, and to provide them with deeper insights into the politics of global development and various issues related to international aid for economically depressed countries.

FESTIVAL GLOBAL DEVLOPMENT IN CINEMA OPENED THE CALL FOR FILMS! The organisers are looking for Documentary films, Reportages, Social advertising/campaigns related to development issues. Deadline for sumission is 31st of July.

More Information: http://festival.humandoc.net/en/

European Forum on Food Sovereignty, Krems, 16-21 August

From August 16th to 21st 2011 the Nyeleni Europe Food Sovereignty Forum will take place in Krems, Austria. Nyeleni, the first European Forum for food sovereignty will gather around 600 people from all over Europe that are engaged in promoting the concept of food sovereignty - the right of all peoples, countries and country groups to define their food politics themselves. With the future of European agriculture currently being debated, increasing world hunger, disappearing farms and the collapse of biodiversity, it is vital that new solutions are found urgently. This Forum will be a key cornerstone to developing the idea of food sovereignty, making concrete proposals for decision-makers and developing an action plan for a future joint work between food sovereignty movements from all over Europe. For more infomration visit the website http://nyeleni2011.net/.

See also the related article Torwads a European Forum for Food Sovereignty.