Learning for a Just and Sustainable World - DE Conference in Warsaw

DEEEP organised, together with Grupa Zagranica the Polish national platform of development NGOs, an international development education (DE) conference on Learning for a Just and Sustainable world: Global Education and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in initial teacher training.

This multi stakeholder event with around 100 participants took place on 14 December in Warsaw, preceding the European Development Days. The conference in the frame of the Polish EU presidency examined the relation of development education and education for sustainable development, and discussed the role of both in initial teachers training. Among the speakers were Prof. Charles Hopkins, UNESCO chair at Toronto University; Polish development under-secretary of state Krzysztof Stanowski; Under-secretary of state on environment Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera and Kerstin Wittig, Chair of the CONCORD DARE Forum Formal Education Working Group.

For more information visit the DEEEP website .

Eurobarometer: Europeans and the Future of Development Aid

The European Commission has published recently a Eurobarometer poll on "Making a difference in the world: Europeans and the future of development aid" (pdf).

An anaylsyis done by DEEEP reveals that:

A vast majority of Europeans (85%) think it is important to "help people in developing countries". However, there is a continuous decline over the years (2004: 92%, 2009: 88%).

There is no significant difference between EU12 and EU15 member states on this question: While Hungary (23%), Estonia (24%) and Slovenia (28%) are the countries with highest rates saying helping people in developing countries is "not important", Cyprus is the country with by far highest percentage of people saying helping people in developing countries is "very important" (74%), and is together with Poland the country with the lowest percentage saying help is "not important" (4%). Poland (92%), Czech Republic (83%) and Slowakia (84%) show higher support to help people in developing countries than UK (81%) or France (82%). There is no pattern or common characteristic for EU12 or EU15 as categories.

Sub-saharian Africa is by far considered as the region most in need of aid (70% of responses). Also, it is "number one" in all member states. However, there is a tendency that in many EU12 states (excluding Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta) plus UK, Portugal and Italy, priority given to this region is lower (>66%) than in other countries. Interestingly, eastern Europe outside EU as a development priority is cited most in Austria (27%), Sweden (26%) and Denmark (23%).

There seems to be awareness on questions of policy coherence, trade/finance, peace building, migration and agriculture being mentioned most often as policies having biggest impact on developing countries ("in addition to aid"). However, 13% say "none" or "don't know".

62% of Europeans say aid should be increased (64% in 2010). However, 80% state that "in addition to fighting poverty, (..) aid should be linked to other European objectives such as the management of migration flows, access to energy and raw materials or trade opportunities of the EU". Aid only if you take back your migrants and let us exploit your resources.

47% of Europeans are ready to pay more for fair trade products, 47% aren't. This varies significantly between countries, depending on economic situation, with RO (22%), PT (21%) and BG (19%) ranking last. Interestingly, 60% of the students are ready to pay more: More than income, level of education seems to be a key factor when it comes to fair trade products.

More information at the DEEEP website.

Information provided by Tobias Troll, DEEEP

Towards a Federal Solution in Cyprus

The ENGAGE-Do Your Part for Peace project which is being implemented by the Management Centre and the NGO Support Centre, with the co-operation of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Good Offices in Cyprus, hosted a public discussion on the 18th October in northern Cyprus. The UN Secretary General’s Special Adviser Mr Alexander Downer was the guest speaker of the evening, which was titled Towards a Federal Solution-What does this mean to you? Mr. Downer, who believes the only structure that the two sides can agree on, is a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation said that “the predicted outcome at this point in the negotiations is a federal structure with limited authorities, which will be discussed when the constitution is formed. In this federal structure there will be Cyprus Greek and Cyprus Turk partial government.” Further he underlined that there are many different federal structures in the world, and the system that will be formed here will be unique to Cyprus. Mr. Downer, who reminded that ownership, security and guarantor ship are the hardest issues to discuss, stated that the sides were getting closer to an agreement on the topics of ruling, sharing of power, EU and internal affairs.

The event provided an opportunity for the Turkish Cypriot Community to take part in an open discussion with a representative directly involved in the negotiations process and ask questions related to the concept of a Federal Cyprus. Those that attended the meeting included mayors of Local Authorities, local business men, non-governmental organization representatives, politicians, foreign residents in Cyprus, people living in the region, and a multitude of media representatives.

For more information about the project please visit the official website or contact Jale Canlibalik jcanlibalik@mc-med.eu

Information provided by Jale Canlibalik, The Management Centre and NGO Support Centre

Seminar Series on Civil Participation

Südwind NÖ South and their international partners in Weimar and Brussels organise in March and September 2012 a workshop series to strengthen civil participation in Europe called "Play Your Part – Active Participation in Civil Society". The conditions for participants are really good and if you want to participate you are more than welcome to apply. Applicatiions are welcome for persons from an EU country or from Albania, Croatia or Macedonia. Deadline for application is 10th of January. You find more information about the programme and application procedures at http://mitost.org/active_participation.html

Photo Competition “Human Rights in Development Cooperation”

The first year of the photo competition for amateurs and professionals called “Human Rights in Development Cooperation”, that was organized by the Slovak NGDO Platform (MVRO) in cooperation with PDCS (Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia), lasted from 6th June to 9th September 2011. Through this photo contest, organizers aimed to refer to the interconnection of basic human rights and development of the poorest countries in the world.

The jury has selected the best 30 photos that were consequently displayed within the exhibition touring through Slovak cities. The opening of the exhibition took place on 17th October 2011 during the Development Day 2011 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that concentrated on the theme “Human Rights and Freedoms in the context of Slovak Development Cooperation”. Thereafter the exhibition moved to other Slovak cities.

Finally, the exhibition returned to Bratislava where it formed part of the international festival of documentary films “One world” organized by People in Peril Association. The exhibition is now displayed in the European Information Center in Bratislava until the end of December.

The photo competition and exhibition were organized within the project „V4 Aid – United Support for Millennium Development Goals“ funded by the European Commission and co-financed by SlovakAid. The photo competition will be organized again in 2012.

Information provided by Andrea Girmanová, MVRO

High School Students Debate on Development Approaches

At the occasion of the International Day of Human Rights, the Slovak NGDO Platform (MVRO) in cooperation with its member organizations eRko, People in Peril, UNICEF Slovakia, and the Slovak Debate Association organized a debate on the Human Rights Based Approach in development cooperation. The debate took place on 9th December 2011 at the European Information Center in Bratislava. Around 70 students from 6 high schools in Bratislava and Malacky participated. At the debate two approaches to development were discussed: the charity approach and the Human Rights Based Approach. Members of the Slovak Debate Association discussed the thesis: the Human Rights Based Approach in development cooperation is more effective than the charity one. One team of students was advocating the thesis and another group was disapproving it. After the debate a vote followed. Despite the fact that the opposing team used interesting arguments in favor of the charity approach, most of the participants voted for the Human Rights Based Approach.

The Slovak NGDO Platform believes that the Human Rights Based Approach is an important tool to achieve the MDGs. The Human Rights Based Approach enables the new donors, where Slovakia belongs, to concentrate more on quality than quantity of aid and fight poverty more effectively.

Information provided by Andrea Girmanová, MVRO

Social Watch Report 2012: The Right to a Future

The Social Watch Report 2012 refers to the upcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). The lengthy study, based on the contribution of citizens’ organizations in 66 countries from all over the world that produced their national reports, concludes that “growing inequalities and unregulated finances are expropiating people everywhere from their fair share in the benefits of global prosperity”. “Our children will inherit the burden of deforestation, desertification, erosion of biodiversity and climate change. To revert this trend, the promise of universal dignity brought by human rights has to be enforced and the rights of future generations need to be recognized and properly defended,” concludes this 16th edition of the Social Watch Report.

The report includes thematic chapters written by members of relevant social and academic organizations, such as the Civil Society Reflection Group on Global Development, Third World Network, Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), Social Development Network (SODNET, Kenia), Eurostep, Feminist Alliance For International Action (FAFIA, Canadá), Global Policy Forum and terre des hommes.

Also a number of organsiations from the EU12 contributed with national chapters, such as on Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Slovenia. There is also a chapter on Croatia.

For the full report and the country chapters visit the Social Watch Report Website.

NGO-IDEAs Publications on Monitoring and Evaluation

NGO Impact on Development, Empowerment and Actions (NGO IDEAs) is a cooperation of 8 African, 22 Asian and 13 German NGOs working in the field of development cooperation. It is a unique concept as it intends to identify and develop, jointly with all partners some genuine concepts and tools for NGOs in the areas of Outcome and Impact Assessment and Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E). Three publications of NGO IDEAs and VENRO are available now online:

NGO-IDEAs Impact Toolbox: The Impact Toolbox describes simple tools for participatory planning and monitoring of grassroots’ projects. It is designed to enable NGOs, groups and group members to steer a project to enhance positive outcomes or impacts, and reduce negative ones. For download of the NGO-IDEAs Impact Toolbox (910 KB), please click here.

“How do they do it? – Civil Society Monitoring Self-effectiveness”: An NGO-IDEAs documentation of field experience: The publication presents descriptions of examples of outcome and impact analysis, which illustrate to staff of development organisations how outcome and impact assessment can be implemented and used in different ways. For download of the documentation of field experience (1 MB), please click here.

„Monitoring Self-Effectiveness“: A Manual to Strengthen Outcome and Impact Oriented Project Management: The Manual intends to support an organisation to focus its planning, monitoring and evaluation procedures towards increased outcome and impact orientation. For download of the Manual (1,47 MB), please click here.

Environmental Project in Europe

Circolo Legambiente Cuneo (Italy) is seeking partners from the EU countries for an environmental project under the programme “Europe for Citizens, 2007-2013”. Circolo Legambiente Cuneo is a branch of Legambiente, the most widespread environmental organization in Italy. The project aim is to connect, convene and facilitate dialogue among organizations and single citizens, enabling them to learn and share sustainable best practices on the resource efficiency in Europe and to create value for their community. More..

Second Module of Training of Multipliers 2011

From 19th to 21st of October TRIALOG held the second module of the ”Training of Multipliers 2011” in Vienna. The event hosted 9 participants from Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Malta and Slovenia. The first module, held in April 2011, had focused on the EuropeAid Standard Contract and its implication for contract management as well as on training skills. The second module instead laid emphasis on training aspects like working with groups and improvement of training skills on the one hand, and on the other hand on Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) of projects and within the framework of an EC Standard contract. The unit on M&E was facilitated by Anja Fischer, who has spent many years working in Papua New Guinea for HORIZONT3000 with a lot of experience in M&E as well as in organisational development.

Between the first and the second module, the participants were asked to conduct a training or training unit. The aim was to gather experience and to present some of the learned issues to platform members or the organisation. These commitments and activities were presented on the first day and it turned out that all participants had been very engaged in the time between the two modules.

The participants actively participated in group exercises and discussion on various topics, in an energetic and lively atmosphere to which a cultural evening added. Three intense days in which the spirit of initiative, vitality and commitment have been protagonists, making the atmosphere stimulating and satisfying the expectations of the participants and the TRIALOG team. We hope that in future the trained participants will contribute to their platforms with the newly gained skills.

Read also about the first module Contract Management and Training Skills: new round of TRIALOG Training of Multipliers started in April

Information provided by Emilia Nunnari and Ulrike Bey, TRIALOG

TRIALOG: Junior Policy Officer in Brussels Office

TRIALOG is currently looking for a Junior Policy Officer based in Brussels (the main TRIALOG office is in Vienna), starting on 9 January 2011. Tasks and Responsibilities will include supporting the policy officer with tasks related to coordinating the CONCORD working group on Enlargement, Pre-Accession and Neighbourhood, supporting the policy officer with tasks related to NMS involvement in other CONCORD working groups and processes, supporting the policy officer with the preparation of an advocacy and lobby guide through research and drafting certain sections, other office support tasks as and when necessary, including researching the current situation of CSOs in countries of interest, attending and reporting back from relevant meetings and administrative tasks.

Applicants must have the right to live and work in Belgium. EU12 applicants are strongly encouraged to apply. The salary will be 722 EUR according to the Belgian Convention d’immersion professionnelle contract. The period of engagement will last for a total of six months, including a trial period of one month.

Please send your CV and covering letter to Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG Policy Officer, trialog@concordeurope.org by 1 December 2011. Please use ‘TRIALOG JPO’ as your title. Interviews will take place in December. See the full vacancy (pdf).

Report Launch: 2011 Spotlight on EU Policy Coherence for Development

CONCORD, the European Development NGO confederation, launched a new report entitled "Spotlight on EU Policy Coherence for Development: a Lisbon Treaty provision, a Human Rights obligation". Following a first report in 2009, the new Spotlight Report assesses different EU policies in the areas of Food Security, Natural Resources, Human Security and Migration against the benchmark of EU Policy Coherence for Development (PCD). All chapters examine in more detail specific EU policies, functions and tools in place that promote or undermine efforts towards the effective implementation of PCD. A number of recommendations to redress coherence are proposed to the EU institutions, relating to the policies, as well as to the political and institutional set-ups.

With the article 208 of the Lisbon Treaty, PCD became a legal obligation applicable to all EU institutions and Member States. The article implies that all EU policies must be in support of developing countries’ development needs, or at least not contradict the aim of poverty eradication. Nevertheless, cases of EU policies whose external impacts are clearly negatively affecting poor people in developing countries are many.

PCD is all about bringing development concerns into the policy debate in policy areas where poverty eradication is hardly ever discussed. Therefore, development education is a key strategy. Strengthened awareness and capacity in the EU insitutions and in the Member States is necessary to avoid creating incoherencies. The launch event of CONCORD's second report "Spotlight on EU Policy Coherence for Development" took place on 7 November in Brussels with a panel discussion bringing together CONCORD members and representatives from EU institutions including MEP Birgit Schnieber-Jastram, PCD Standing Rapporteur, MEP Ska Keller, Vincent Grimaud, Head of Unit at European Commission DG DEVCO.

The report and other PCD-related documents (case studies, country profiles, position papers, statistics, etc) are available on CONCORD’s new dedicated website: http://www.coherence.concordeurope.org/

Information provided by Blandine Bouniol, CONCORD

FDR meeting: A Look Back and a Vision for the Future

From 12-13 October 2011, the CONCORD working group on Funding for Development and Relief (FDR) met in Brussels for its second annual meeting. Representatives of national platforms and of transnational networks shared information about current developments and took a look into the future of the work of the FDR, discussing the draft Strategic Framework for 2011-2020.

The exchange between the working group members revealed the devastating impact of the financial crisis on funding for development cooperation. In some countries, calls for proposals have been frozen and funds put on hold – leaving NGDOs in a funding gap and struggling to survive. The continued work of the FDR for more and better EU funding for quality work by NGDOs is a crucial element in overcoming these challenges. Looking back, the successes of the last year were celebrated such as the growth of issues studied by the FDR and its broadened scope.

The meeting also saw the election of a new Steering Group (now composed of World Vision, Handicap International, Plan, CARE and the Spanish and German National Platforms) and the election of Anette Wulf (German National Platform) as new co-chair alongside Alexandra Makaroff (Plan). Regarding the composition of the Steering Group, a more balanced representation between platforms and networks and an increased participation of EU12 representatives was expressed as desired. This will be taken into account in future planning.

Other topics of the meeting included an update about the Structured Dialogue and its follow-up, the FDR engagement on the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) and future external action instruments as well as inputs from the FDR subgroups (Financial Regulation, Deconcentration, DCI Thematic Programmes). The EPAN working group (Enlargement, Pre-Accession and Neighbourhood) presented a draft statement on the new European Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility which was announced by the EC in September 2011 in reaction to the events of the “Arab Spring” and its strong CSO involvement. EPAN has long advocated for such a civil society facility to be established in the neighbourhood and welcomes this initiative. At the same time, EPAN voiced concern over the accessibility of the funds for CSOs. Following the discussions between the working groups, an FDR-EPAN statement will be developed. Read the statement.

A joint session with members of the DARE (Development Awareness Raising and Education) Forum at which both groups’ priorities for 2012 were presented concluded the meeting.

Information provided by Faika El-Nagashi, TRIALOG

CONCORD Special Event on Identity

‘We are all CONCORD’, the ‘Octopus’, ‘A common position of Development NGO’s’…CONCORD can mean different things to different people, depending on their relationship and involvement in CONCORDs work as the special event on CONCORD identity showed on 9 November in Brussels. Participants from right across Europe gathered to discuss how to shape a clearer identity for CONCORD, as part of the first major event on the topic. Members were given an informative overview by President Justin Kilcullen of how CONCORD was set up in 2003 and the challenges faced from establishing a new organization from the origins of the old NGO Liaison committee. Consultant Florian Eisele moderated the event. He outlined that every organisation has a brand, an identity, a perception about what it is and this ultimately has effects on the strength of advocacy relations with other stakeholders. The CONCORD Board leading several workshops and open discussions amongst members. Workshops discussed CONCORDs relationships with other stakeholders and CSO’s, it’s core identity and its relationship with members. There was a general sense that CONCORD identity can improve, and that a special taskforce could be set up to follow on with discussions. More information will follow with a detailed report of the meeting soon. A big thank you to all participants for open and fruitful discussions. For any specific information contact: communication@concordeurope.org

Information provided by Daniel Puglisi, CONCORD