CONCORD Report on the EEAS 1st Year of Activity

A new report recently released by CONCORD outlines that the European Union is marginalizing anti-poverty objectives within its new foreign policy arm, the External Action Service (EEAS).The report comes amid a storm of criticism from 12 European Member States on the EEAS’ first year performance.

Klavdija Cernilogar, CONCORD Head of Policy, said in the press release for the launch of the report that the EU foreign policy is turning a blind eye to poverty eradication as the new EEAS fails to integrate development policy in the new service. In regions such as the Sahel and the Horn of Africa, anti-terrorism and security operations have been prioritized with little consideration to long term development efforts. Catherine Ashton and her colleagues need to realize that while poverty remains, conflict and instability will always find fertile ground. One year on, there is still no clarity on how the European Commission and the EEAS will coordinate €11billion in development programming.

The CONCORD report shows that competition rather than cooperation prevails between the two institutions. The report finds that the EEAS has done little to prioritize the ‘Policy Coherence for Development’ in its programs, despite the large staff on the ground who can measure the damage being done by its policies first hand. Laura Sullivan, ActionAid’s Head of European Policy and Campaigns, said that by ignoring this ‘policy coherence for development’ problem, the EU is effectively ignoring its responsibilities on global poverty eradication. In the report CONCORD underlines five ways for the External Action Service to improve: create a arrative on EU development cooperation,roles on programming, make Policy Coherence for Development a reality, sharpen development expertise, and work with civil society in country.

Read the full report here (pdf)
Read the press release here (pdf)

For more information contact Daniel Puglisi d.puglisi@concordeurope.org

Information provided by Francesca Romana Minniti, CONCORD

ODA – Opinions, Discussions, Analysis: Policy Briefs of Zagranica Group

In the frame of Presidency Project, Zagranica Group began publishing a series of 5 policy briefs „ODA – Opinions, Discussions, Analysis”. Thanks to them Polish NGDOs, as well as administration and decisions-makers, had an opportunity to get familiar with the most recent development cooperation issues.

ODA1 „Policy Coherence of Development”: Why is Policy Coherence for Development essential for eliminating poverty? Is it possible to implement Policy Coherence for Development to Polis foreign policy? Read the policy brief here.

ODA2 "Economic growth and development": Despite declarations that the development should be socially and environmentally sustainable and as much inclusive as possible, it seems that we are getting back to discussing economic growth as the main development factor. An alternative point of view for development and its indicators in policy brief here.

ODA3 "Act on Development Cooperation. A missed opportunity or the opening for a new quality": The new Polish Development Cooperation Act came into force on 1st January 2012. What is the meaning of the new law for Polish non-governmental organizations? What are the main principles of the new Act and what still needs to be amended? Answers in the policy brief here.

ODA 4 "Development cooperation in the Multiannual Financial Framework": 2011 saw the beginning of negotiations on the new 7-year budget of the European Union, with active participation of Poland. The starting point was the European Commission’s proposal. Details in the policy brief here.

ODA 5 "Aid effectiveness after the 4th High Level Forum in Busan: progress or failure?": What are the results of Busan? How we – both as donors and executer of aid projects – can create mechanism to verify quality of our activity in partner countries? Answers in the policy brief here.

More information: monika.matus@zagranica.org.pl

Information provided by Monika Matus, Zagranica Group

Development and Environment: Peer learning in the Baltic and Scandinavian Countries

How to plan and assess the impacts of the development cooperation programmes to the environment?”- was the question constantly raised among the participants of the second training course of the Baltic-Nordic NGO capacity building programme. The programme entitled "Development Cooperation in the Nordic and the Baltic Countries: NGO-to-NGO Training and Networking” was implemented from 12 to 14 January 2012, in Vilnius,Lithuania. It aimed at strengthening Lithuanian, Latvian, Estonian, Danish, Finnish and Swedish NGOs working in the field of development cooperation (NGDO).

Andreas Ulfsax, Policy advisor from the Swedish organisation Diakonia introduced the participants to an “Environmental lens”, a tool that can help practically assess the environmental impacts on the projects and vice versa, taught the participants how to use it within their respective organisations. The international framework for the environmental issues in development co-operation and in particular the Finish NGDO preparation for the Rio+20 summit, reflection on the new EU development policy „Agenda for change“ were presented by Rilli Lappalainen, Secretary General of Kehys. Finally, the participants had a chance to reflect the relation between the environmental sustainability and international development, to learn from the success case studies from Latvia and Finland. This capacity building programme- the first of such kind- is a result of the successfull cooperation amongst the Baltic and Scandinavian NGDO platforms. The first training focusing on sustainable development was implemented on 27- 28 October, 2011. The implementation of the programme was supported by the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Lithuania and the Association of the Local Authorities in Lithuania.

Material about the event is available here .
For more information contact marta.cubajevaite@eesc.lt

Information provided by Marta Cubajevaite, EESC

Slovak National Global Education Strategy Approved

In January 2012 the Government of the Slovak Republic approved the National Global Education Strategy for 2012-2016 together with the Action Plan for 2012 for this strategy. Slovakia has become the first one out of the EU new member states that have their strategy approved by the Government.

“A Global Education contributes to the development of critical thinking surrounding a global range of topics and further attaining a deeper understanding of themes which are of concern around the globe. The topics that Global Education (GE) covers offer the remit to change attitudes of individuals and strengthen one’s own value and position in the world. It motivates people to take responsibility and educates towards adopting values of an active global citizen.”

The documents were officially submitted jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic which are bound by the tasks from the Action Plan for implementation of the strategy for 2012. Both documents were put together in a multi-stakeholder process initiated by the Slovak NGDO Platform (MVRO). Two initial working groups were lead by Andrej Návojský from the People in Peril Association and Ivana Raslavská for Pontis Foundation. The finalization process was facilitated by the chairwoman of the Slovak NGDO Platform Nora Beňáková.

You can download the English version of the Strategy and Action Plan at www.mvro.sk.

Information provided by Lenka Nemcová, Slovak NGDO Platform (MVRO)

Does Poland make any progress? Polish Aid Watch Report 2010

The „Polish Aid Watch Report 2010” is a review of the Polish government’s development cooperation policy and actions in 2010, including as well an analysis of new trends in this field emerging in 2011. As every year, the report has been drafted by representatives of member organizations of Zagranica Group, the Polish NGDOs platform.
 

2010 was not a year of many strategic changes. The important step forward initialized in 2011 has been the approval of the Act on Development Cooperation, entering into force on January 1, 2012, as well as the ongoing work on the multiannual plan for Polish aid. However, the impact of those steps can be only evaluated with time.

From the NGO perspective, the main problem still remains the lack of a clear and long-term vision of what we would like to do in the countries of Global South and countries undergoing transformation. The amount of money transferred under Polish aid has not grown significantly, even though in 2011 Poland has started contributing to the European Development Fund (EDF). The real value of Polish ODA is even lower, taking into account the fact that the Polish administration is reporting on the international forum part of this budget as climate mitigation action, which is a violation of the Copenhagen Accord (agreed at the Climate Change Conference in 2009).

Fundamental changes are definitely needed in relation to transparency, systems of evaluation and setting priorities for Polish aid, so that – even as a small and new donor – Poland could be perceived as an effective one. Zagranica Group hopes that such a change will be possible in 2012, accompanied by a qualitative improvement of Polish aid in the topics mentioned in the Report.

Read the "Polish Aid Watch Report 2011" here (pdf document)

For more information please contact Monika Matus monika.matus@zagranica.org.pl

Information provided by Zagranica Group

Putting Development Effectiveness into Practice: CSO Development Toolkits available now!

Just one month after concluding the international development agreement with governments and donors in Busan, South Korea, civil society organizations (CSOs) worldwide start work with two important resources to implement their people-centered approach to poverty eradication and advocate for more democratic space: the Implementation and Advocacy ‘Toolkits’ which are available now in English, Spanish and French to guide NGOs, grassroots organizations and other people’s groups to put the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness into practice in their local contexts.

• The Implementation Toolkit provides guidance and concrete examples on the guidelines, mechanisms and indicators that CSOs might use to put the IstanbulPrinciples for CSO Development Effectiveness  into practice in their local realities.

• The Advocacy Toolkit provides tips and advice from fellow CSOs on advocating for a more favorable context for civil society in their own country or region and complements recommendations on minimum standards for an enabling environment for CSOs.

Find the Toolkits here

For more information information on the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness click here or contact Olga Kozhaeva info@cso-effectiveness.org

Information provided by Olga Kozhaeva, Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiviness

New ePRAG of the EC

The European Commission has published an electronic version of the Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EU External Actions, the ePRAG. This is a more user friendly version of the PRAG that allows you to browse through it more easily using the elements of the table of content. It also has a toolbar on the top that gives you direct access to the annexes. You can access it at http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/eprag/

DEEEP Webinar "Busan and Beyond"

DEEEP and the Irish Development Education Association IDEA are pleased to invite you to a series of Webinars on "Development as Shared Responsability". The first session will take place on February 15th, at 1.00 pm (GMT+1). Amy Bartlett, Coordinator of the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness will be presenting the first webinar "Busan and Beyond". Joining the webinar is free of costs, but places are limited. So if you are interested, register by sending an email to Susan Gallwey (susan@ideaonline.ie) before February 9th. Once you successfully registered, you will receive a confirmation and an invitation weblink as well as instructions for using the WebEx.

External Evaluator - Minority Rights Group

The Minority Rights Group is looking for an external evaluator for the programme 'From Needs to Rights: Promoting More Effective Development Policies in Europe' which is the second phase of MRG's work for the promotion of human rights-based approaches (HRBA) to development in the new EU Member States.
Please see more information at

http://www.minorityrights.org/11194/jobs-internships-amp-volunteering/evaluation-expert-promoting-development-policy-in-eu-new-member-states.html

Application deadline 21 February 2012.

SLE Training for International Development Cooperation 2012

The centre for Advanced Training in Rural Development (SLE) (the former SLEplus) has published training offers for the SLE Training for International Development Cooperation 2012. The programme encompasses the following trainings:

• Disaster Risk Reduction: Linking Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation 6 - 17.8.2012
• Management of Development Projects 20.-31.8.2012
• Conflict Management and Conflict Transformation 3.-14.9.2012
• Results-Based Management and Outcome Oriented Monitoring 17-21.9.2012

The Online Registration period is from 1 March to 30 April 2012. For several courses a scholarship could be available, please consult the SLE website.

DEEEP: Consultant Vacancy (16 days)

DEEEP will produce a new advocacy toolkit ("Making the case for Development Education"). To support the DEEEP team in the creation of this publication, we are are looking for a consultant who could work on this for 16 days in February and March (daily rate 300,- Euro). Please find all details in the terms of reference attached, and don't hesitate to circulate this offer to anyone you think might be interested. Deadline for applications is 31 January. Please find more information at http://www.deeep.org/index.php/component/content/article/278

European Development Days 2012

TRIALOG director Christine Bedoya and policy officer Rebecca Steel-Jasinska are currently in Warsaw, attending this year’s European Development Days (EDDs). The event has been reduced in size this year and does not include some of the successful features of previous years such as the development village. However this gives the event a more intimate feel, with smaller discussion panels, and opportunities remain to network during sessions.

The central theme of the event is democracy and development, with a strong emphasis on the Arab Spring. The EDDs were opened by the President of Poland and featured prominent members of Poland’s struggle for democracy including former trade union leader and President of Poland Lech Walesa.

Panels will cover many development topics over the two days of the EDDs including one panel ‘Beyond 2015 – A Citizen Driven Agenda’ organized by CONCORD, two sessions on ‘Agenda for Change’ organised by the European Commission and a number organised by the Polish Presidency, including one on Aid Effectiveness and Accountability organised in cooperation with the Polish platform of NGDOs Grupa Zagranica. Webstreaming is available from the EDD website and the event’s organisers are encouraging interaction through social media such as facebook. Link: http://www.eudevdays.eu/

Information provided by Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG

Busan Partnership Agreement for Effective Development Cooperation adopted

From 29 November to 1 December 2011 the High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) in Busan, South Korea gathered over 3000 international delegates who met to review the aid effctiveness agenda set up at the previous meetings in Rome (2002), Paris (2005) and Accra (2008). After extended negotiations, 18 sherpas elected to represent a wide group of stakeholders reached agreement on the Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation. This declaration for the first time establishes an agreed framework for development cooperation that embraces traditional donors, South-South cooperators, the emerging donors Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa( BRICS), CSOs and private funders. This marks a turning point for international development cooperation. The process has been guided by the Working Party on Aid Effectiveness (WP-EFF), which brings together representatives of over 80 countries and organisations. Five fundamental principles have been set out to make aid more effective: ownership (developing countries are responsible for their development strategies), alignment (donor countries align to these strategies), harmonization (donor countries coordinate and simply aid procedures), results, and mutual accountability. The level of aid at stake has been estimated by the OECD to be $129billion a year, a figure which does not include money from private foundations or countries like China.

Although civil society representatives were proud to be part of the newly forged global partnership for the first time, they recognize that they had to compromise. Better Aid, a platform for CSOs from all over ther world that carried out many of the civil society activities in the lead up to the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (HLF-4) in 2011, expressed the following critics towards the Busan Agreement: no explicit commitments to adopt human-rights based approaches, lack of implementation of Paris and Accra commitments, cooperation retains overall private sector led growth as framework for development. Read the full statement here.

CSOs will continue to pursue a stronger commitment to an enabling environment for civil society to fulfill their role in development.

Read more reactions on the website of the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness

Sources: BCSDN Newsletter Nr. 243, Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, Eurostep, Better Aid

Conquering Rules and Regulations: Building Capacities to work with EuropeAid Standard Contract

From 13th to 14th December 2011, TRIALOG in cooperation with the Slovenian platform of NGDOs SLOGA (Slovenian Global Action) held a training seminar on “EuropeAid Standard Contract Management” in Ljubljana. This seminar was a follow-up to the training on “Quality Criteria for Development Cooperation“ which TRIALOG and SLOGA organised in June 2011. The training on Standard Contract (SC) Management looked at the basics of project management related to the EuropeAid SC and introduced and discussed the various components of the SC. A considerable part of the training was dedicated to exploring the potential for change within the SC system and learning more about the financial regulations of the SC. Hands-on exercises regarding the EC requirements on visibility provided a larger frame to contextualise the SC’s set of laws within participants’ own projects and activities. An additional emphasis on monitoring and evaluation concepts, approaches and methods concluded the training seminar. Ten participants from Slovenian NGDOs, mainly project managers and programme directors working with the SC on a day-to-day basis, participated in the seminar. They appreciated the dynamic and participatory design of the training and expressed the wish and need to continue with such trainings in the future in order to increase NGDO’s capacities of contract management and to ensure that the complexity of the SC is not a limitation but can be transformed into opportunities for NGDO’s work.

Information provided by Emilia Nunnari, TRIALOG