Feasibility visit between KOPIN (Malta) and APE (Egypt)

In the beginning of December 2012, KOPIN (Koperazzjoni Internazzjonali – Malta) hosted Mrs Syada Alhamy Greiss, Chairperson of the Egyptian Association for the Protection of Environment (APE), for a three-day meeting during which the relative representatives discussed a potential partnership, shared ideas and opportunities for collaboration between the two NGOs.

The discussions held over these three days helped the organisations get to know each other better. It was clear that the mission and vision of both organisations deal with social and economic sustainable development. The two organisations have shown a great interest in establishing a strong and long-term partnership in support of the Zabbaleen community in Cairo.

APE works with the informal garbage collectors of Cairo known as the Zabbaleen (garbage collectors). The focus of this NGO is to enable women and children in this marginalized community to engage in education. Amongst the different programmes implemented by APE, an afternoon project gives children the opportunity to learn new skills in an informal way while also providing them with support in their formal educational formation. Women, too, are at the heart of the NGO. With the help of volunteers, APE has managed to equip a significant number of Zabbaleen women with weaving, recycling and craft skills. All the products are produced from collected waste materials.
KOPIN works in the field of development cooperation and its overall aim is to contribute actively to the alleviation of global poverty and social injustice. The NGO’s main areas of work deal with networking, advocacy, global education and development cooperation.

This event was made possible through the financial contribution of the European Commission through the Youth in Action Programme. Three young KOPIN volunteers, Annabelle Khalil, Maria Psaila and Gisele Correia, helped in the preparation and organisation of the visit.

For further information, contact William Grech, Executive Director at KOPIN: william.grech@kopin.org

Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation discussed in Warsaw

From 7th-8th December 2012, Polish Humanitarian Action (PAH) organized an international conference - “Key Challenges of Humanitarian Aid and Development Cooperation in the 21st Century” at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw. The conference was part of the celebrations of the Foundation’s 20th Anniversary.

During the conference a number of issues relating to development cooperation were discussed including prevention of the food crises; working in areas of armed conflict; the effectiveness of global education; the impact of the financial crisis on development cooperation; problems of migrants in Poland; and the importance of cross-sectoral cooperation. The conference was attended by more than 30 experts from all around the world, and nearly 500 participants.

The president of Poland, Bronislaw Komorowski, inaugurated the conference with his opening speech. He spoke about the positive changes that have been taking place since the political transition in Poland. The President stressed that the aid which Poland received from other countries during that period puts on our shoulders moral responsibility to cooperate with and help countries and societies that now need similar assistance. Helping others is the most beautiful form of diplomacy one can imagine, and humanitarian and development aid is the form of struggle for freedom, equality and democracy, said the President.

Minister Pełczyska - Nałęcz transferred to the hands of the president of PAH a congratulatory letter from the minister of foreign affairs Radosław Sikorski. In addition to the letter, she highlighted the changes that have occurred in the Polish society during the past years, relating to development cooperation. She said: More and more people in Poland are interested in development cooperation, as much as 78% of citizens believe that Poland should support the countries of the Global South that are in need by providing them with humanitarian assistance and development aid. Poland is progressively becoming a mature donor. The Undersecretary of State also spoke about the legal act introduced in early 2012, which defines the key concepts of development assistance, and sets its direction. In addition, the audience had a chance to listen to the words of the Minister of Foreign Affairs - Radoslaw Sikorski, who wrote the letter to be read to the audience at the conference.

The president of the Board of PAH, Janka Ochojska, also took an opportunity to warmly welcome the audience of the conference. She stressed that the 20th anniversary celebration of PAH is an unique opportunity to evaluate the performance of PAH, as well as examine the overall achievements and errors pertaining the implementation of humanitarian and development aid and to analyze the challenges of the present and the future. Polish society is certainly experiencing significant transformation - Janina Ochojska emphasized. However, society’s education in terms of the global education and humanitarian aid still remains a challenge. The media play an indispensable role in building awareness and educating the public. She also referred to the above mentioned act, stating that it requires some changes to enable organisations to conduct long-term activities.

Information provided by Aneta Sarna, PHO

Slovak Development Cooperation Forum in Nairobi

The Slovak Embassy in Nairobi and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Slovak Republic organized a Development Cooperation Forum in Nairobi . The forum that took place from 19th – 21st November 2012 aimed at discussing development cooperation that has been provided to Kenya for almost 17 years by Slovak development NGOs and 10 years by the official development assistance programme “SlovakAid”.

The forum gathered together representatives of 10 Slovak NGDOs and universities that are active in Kenya, their local partners as well as the representatives of the MFA SR and their Kenyan counterparts, private sector, other donors, the EU and the UN agencies. Participants of the conference accessed their experience from working in Kenya and defined strategies and policies for the next period in order to make Slovak development cooperation with Kenya even more effective and sustainable. The forum was accompanied by a Kenyan-Slovak Trade and Economic Seminar on 19th November 2012 where Slovak companies participated.

In the frame of the programme “SlovakAid”, 5.8 million Euros have been allocated for bilateral development projects since 2004. Projects are implemented by universities, NGOs, research institutes or business entities. Apart from the programme, Slovak organizations implement projects thanks to fundraising campaigns. According to Slovak NGDOs, the Slovak Development Cooperation Forum in Nairobi was a unique event that provided space for experience sharing and discussing possibilities of increasing the positive impact of the cooperation.

More information on Slovak development cooperation in Kenya can be found in the material prepared by the Slovak NGDO Platform “Slovakia has been helping Kenya for 17 years”.

Information provided by Andrea Girmanova, MVRO- Slovak NGDO Platform

Emergency Health Care Programme for the Disabled Poor in Guatemala

Integra Foundation, Malta  are partnering with the Research Institute for Health and Social Change (RIHSC), Manchester Metropolitan University, UK on an action research project providing disabled people in extreme poverty in Guatemala with emergency health care, in particular those residing in the poorest rural areas and indigenous populations . It prioritises those living in the most impoverished conditions. Working collaboratively throughout all stages with local level Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) and other trusted partners as well as families and communities, the project contributes to alleviating the barriers in particular the costs that traditionally bar access to emergency health care, while offering a sustainable and individualised health care programme that is locally owned and run. The project is currently funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Malta.

For more information see http://integrafoundation.org/guatemalaproject/ and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CYhKFmlvSk.

Contact for project: Dr Shaun Grech E-mail: integrafoundation@gmail.com

Information and picture from the project provided by Shaum Grech, Integra Foundation

CSO Partnership on Development Effectiveness

The end of one process often marks the beginning of a second, and this is true of the Open Forum, which successfully completed its mandate this month. The decision was taken to merge the two CSO global processes dealing with aid effectiveness - Open Forum and BetterAid – after the fourth high level forum on aid effectiveness in Busan. The new CSO Partnership on Development Effectiveness (CPDE) is a result of worldwide CSO consultations over the past year and intends to respond better to the post-Busan development agenda. The CPDE Global Council met in Nairobi in December 2012 to finalise the strategy, working groups and mandate.

The ‘ABC’ of the New Global CSO Platform (taken from the last Open Forum newsletter):

- Mandate: The CPDE is an open platform for civil society organizations worldwide that promotes CSOs’ vision of development effectiveness as based on a rights-based approach prioritizing women’s rights, sustainability, improved livelihoods, mutual accountability - as well as CSOs’ own effectiveness and enabling environment - in the scope of the policy and practice of the Busan Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation, and by focusing on country level outcomes while coordinating CSO efforts globally.

- Structure: The CPDE is led by a Global Council representing the major regional and sectoral civil society groups worldwide and is assisted in its task by a Coordination Committee, Global Secretariat, thematic Working Groups, and an Independent Accountability Committee.

The CPDE will focus on three priority areas: CSO Development Effectiveness; enabling environment for CSOs and the Human Rights Based Approach.

For more information on the CPDE:
 Consult the CPDE Bulletin and website of BetterAid
 Refer to the Open Forum CPDE webpage

Information provided by Rebecca Steel-Jasińska, TRIALOG

Maltese Mission Fund Project in India

Mission Fund is a voluntary organisation set up in Malta to provide support to a number of Maltese missionaries spread out in about 40 countries throughout the globe. For the last 20 years, Mission Fund has funded 22 construction projects in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

This year’s project consisted in the construction of an extension to St. Xavier College run by the Jesuits in Maharo, Dumka, India. This building will serve as an accommodation hostel for about 400 tribal girls attending the college coming from remote Santal villages.
On 13th October 2012, a group of seventeen Mission Fund volunteers left Malta for a 5-week stay in Maharo to help in the construction of this project. The group was accommodated in St Xavier College where they received a very warm welcome by the Jesuits running the college as well as the students, who showed their appreciation for the volunteers who came to help in this project. The group also met 8 Maltese missionaries who have been serving in the vicinity of Dumka for a long time, some for over 50 years. Before returning to Malta, the group took the opportunity to visit the tomb of the Blessed Mother Theresa in Calcutta as well as the homes for handicapped children and for the elderly which are run by the Missionaries of Charity.

In the photo: constructing the extension of St. Xavier College.

For further information about this project, please contact Mr. John Sammut, Public Relations Officer – Mission Fund at: sammutjohn@onvol.net

European Commission announces increased Support for Civil Society in the Neighbourhood Area

The European Commission has adopted the second phase of the Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility to enhance involvement of civil society organisations in the European Neighbourhood area. The goal is to support them in the policy dialogue with partner governments, to strengthen civil society's role in fostering public accountability and support their increased role in national reforms process and in local development agenda. The Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility will receive a new budget allocation of EUR 45.3 million for 2012-2013.

Read the press release here.

Global Citizens: Development Education Theory & Practice

Kerry One World Centre (KOWC) invites you to attend this insightful course for Adult Basic Skills/Literacy Educators - fully funded by the EU. Join with an international group of professionals and peers to enhance your skills and improve your capacity to assist your students to learn in an environment that encourages active citizenship.

Development Education (DE) methodologies will be introduced by an expert team and participants will be facilitated to explore how to integrate DE approaches and resources into their work. Take this opportunity to gain crucial competences to boost your personal and professional profile as well as the potential of your organisation.

The course is fully funded by the European Union's Grundtvig Lifelong Learning Programme. You will first need to apply to your national agency before 16th January 2013 to obtain this grant. Applications can take several days so it's best to begin your application now.

Course Dates:
Session 1: 27/05/2013 - 31/05/2013
Session 2: 17/06/2013 - 21/06/2013
The course takes place in Tralee/Kerry, Ireland.

Costs:
A grant is available under the EU Grundtvig Inservice programme to cover travel & accommodation expenses and fees for this course.

Registration:
Attendees must register by Monday, January 16th 2013.

Further information:
Contact Mary McGillicuddy by email coordinator@kade.ie of KOWC

How to apply:
1. Find your National Agency here.
2. Email them or visit their website to download the application form for Grundtvig in-service training. Grundtvig is for teachers of adult learners or other forms of informal learning (for example librarians, local council staff)
3. Choose the dates that you want to attend (Session 1: 27/5/2012 - 31/5/2012, or Session 2: 17/6/2012 - 21/6/2012).
4. Complete the pre-registration booking form. You will be issued with a pre-acceptance letter by email.
5. Complete your National Agency form.
6. Submit the application form and pre-acceptance letter in time for your local national deadlines (all countries are different so check with your local Agency).
7. Please contact coordinator@kade.ie with details of your acceptance/rejection.
8. We will then furnish you with the necessary pre-course information.

Further details can be found on the Kerry One World Centre website: www.kade.ie/globalcitizens

Interactive Web Portal for CSO Development Effectiveness

The CSO Development Effectiveness Web Portal, which was launched this week, is an open online platform where civil society practitioners interested in and working towards improving the impact of their work in development, can access and share tools, resources and case studies with others also working on improving their effectiveness. On the site, you can search for ideas and examples from other CSO practitioners, upload your contributions, and rate the tools you think work best for implementing a particular aspect of the CSO Development Effectiveness agenda.

Visit the web portal at http://wiki.cso-effectiveness.org/

A second tool launched through the Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness, to apply civil society’s standards of effective development, expressed in the International Framework for CSO Development Effectiveness and recognized by the Global Partnership agreement, is The Practitioner’s Activity Guide to the CSO Development Effectiveness Principles - a training methodology to transmit the collective experience behind the International Framework to help civil society organizations (CSOs) take the first planning steps towards improving their effectiveness by applying the eight ‘Istanbul’ Principles for CSO Development Effectiveness.


For more information please contact Olga Kozhaeva: info@cso-effectiveness.org

Source: Open Forum for CSO Development Effectiveness

UNIDO Report: Networks for Prosperity - Connecting Development Knowledge beyond 2015

This report of UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) illustrates the importance of network governance in the context of economic globalization, aid and development. It argues that this is of particular relevance in the context of the current debate on the establishment of a new set of global development goals by 2015. This report has been jointly produced by UNIDO and the Centre for Global Governance Studies in Leuven, Belgium, under the overall umbrella of the Spanish MDG Achievement Fund. It includes contributions from a wide variety of experts in the field of knowledge networks and network governance.

Among the expert contributions is an article on KNOW-HOW3000, the knowledge management programme of TRIALOG´s lead agency HORIZONT3000. The article provides an insight to the structure and methods of the programme, as well as an assessment and lessons-learned.

Read the UNIDO report online.

Source: UNIDO

November News from TRIALOG

This month the TRIALOG team is dedicated to preparing the Partner and Strategy Meeting of EU13 development CSO platforms and other consortium members, which will take place from 3rd to 4th of December 2012 in Vienna. The event will start with a Partner Meeting where the coordinators and liaison officers of the EU13 platforms will discuss practical issues related to the implementation of the new TRIALOG project phase. The second day will be dedicated to the exchange of information and the identification of synergies for joint actions. The updated information of each platform will be made available on the country pages on the TRIALOG website.

We are happy to announce the new TRIALOG information leaflet which gives an overview of the activities planned for the next three years; it is available for download here (pdf).

In the TRIALOG office Vienna we welcome Ulrike Bey, who is back from maternity leave.

The current team members are:
Christine Bedoya – Director: c.bedoya@trialog.or.at
Pilar Lendl – Project Assistant: office@trialog.or.at
Ulrike Bey – Capacity Building Officer: u.bey@trialog.or.at
Rebecca Steel-Jasińska – Liaison Officer: trialog@concordeurope.org
Elisa Romero – Information Officer: information@trialog.or.at

In almost all EU13 development CSO platforms the liaison officers, financially supported by TRIALOG, have started to work on increasing the capacities of their platform and members to engage in important European policy exchanges.

Information provided by Elisa Romero, TRIALOG

Launching the first national AidWatch Report in Romania

The International Day for Eradicating Extreme Poverty (17th of October) was marked in Romania by the launch of the first national AidWatch Report – “Romania’s performances as ODA donor, 2007-2012”. For Romania, this is an innovative advocacy tool which emphasizes both the ODA progresses and challenges (related to legislation, funding mechanisms, transparency and support given to the civil society organizations).

The national report provides a very complex view of the 5 years as donor, taking into consideration the international commitments, the national strategic framework of the development cooperation policy, the main actors involved and analyzes the amount of funding spent on ODA projects and activities. A special attention is given to Republic of Moldova, one of the Romania’s main partner countries, with a chapter focused on the Romania ODA disbursed in this country.

Even if the legislation on ODA funding has recently been updated (through Governmental Decision 1052/2011), there is still need for an implementation unit to evaluate and monitor the projects funded from the national ODA budget. The report highlights some recommendations, based on a complex process of consultation with the FOND Policy/Advocacy Working Group and the White Paper of the NGO sector in Romania (launched this month, FOND coordinated the chapter on International Solidarity), as well as relevant events organized for the national development community in Romania (Romanian Development Camp V in July 2012).

FOND has started to disseminate the national AidWatch Report among the decision-makers (Ministries, Parliament, local authorities, other NGOs). The FOND Policy/Advocacy Working Group will be actively involved in future activities of the platform, in order to continue the capacity building process and active engagement in policy work both at European and national level.

Information provided by Adriana Zaharia, FOND

The Black Sea NGO Forum 2012: Participation and Inclusion for responsible Development in the Black Sea Region

During 24-25th of October, the Romanian NGDO Platform (FOND), in partnership with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Representation of the European Commission in Romania organized the fifth edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum, entitled “Participation and inclusion for responsible development”.

The forum represents a unique opportunity in the region by gathering the most important stakeholders and grassroots organizations, in order to debate common issues and find solutions for the problems in the Black Sea region. Among the guests invited were Staffan Nilsson, President of the European Economic and Social Committee, Luminita Odobescu, State Secretary (Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs), representatives from the European Commission, Governments, civil society representatives from the region, media. This anniversary edition was attended by Rilli Lappalainen, member of CONCORD Board and Secretary General of the Finnish NGO Kehys who addressed a mobilizing message to the audience regarding the potential of the region and how important are the networks for empowering civil society in the Black Sea area.

This edition brought together around 160 participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania and Russia. The discussions of the Forum were structured around 3 main topics: social entrepreneurship and community development in rural areas, transparency and public integrity, youth policies and youth development. The forum combined both plenary sessions and workshops and encouraged networking throughout the event. The main recommendations were related to a new Black Sea Strategy and the need to prioritize the main concerning issues on the agenda of the European Commission. There are two successful results of the previous editions of this Forum. The regional coalition on child protection in the region (ChildPact) and the Black Sea Youth Network.

The Representation of the European Commission in Romania awarded for the third time, the Black Sea NGO Award for Excellency. The winner is Black Sea NGO Network from Bulgaria, a network dedicated to sustainable development, European politics and environmental issues. The aim of this award is to enhance the profile of the Black Sea Synergy and its role in proposing a regional, cooperative approach in the region, as well as the multilateral dimension of EU external policies.

Find more information about the previous editions online. 

In the photo: panel at the Black Sea NGO Forum 2012
Information provided by Adriana Zaharia, FOND

Development Day 2012 in Bratislava

On the occasion of the International Day of Poverty Eradication, the 17th October, one hundred participants interested in Slovak development assistance gathered in the University Library in Bratislava for the Development Day 2012, organised by the Slovak NGDO Platform MVRO. The topic of the event was Cooperation for Development. Panel discussions focused on cooperation among all stakeholders involved in development cooperation.

The event demonstrated on examples from Slovakia and abroad how important it is to mobilize specific capacities of all relevant stakeholders in order to increase effectiveness of development cooperation, including business entities with potential to engage in development activities.

Gunter Schall from the Private Sector and Development Section of the Austrian Development Agency introduced a functional model of involving the business sector in development cooperation. Nora Beňáková, coordinator for development policy for the Slovak NGDO Platform, presented the 2nd National AidWatch Report 2011, analysing the bilateral development assistance of the Slovak Republic in 2011. The importance of cooperation across sectors was discussed on a panel with representatives from the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, the Ministry of Finance, business representatives, academics, as well as representatives of development NGOs.

The Slovak NDGO Platform in cooperation with PDCS prepared the second photography competition for amateurs and professionals “Human Rights in Development Cooperation”. At the occasion of the Development Day, the winners were announced and the exhibition was opened. The 30 best photographs will be presented at exhibitions in various Slovak towns.

The event was financially supported by the European Commission and SlovakAid (as part of the project “V4 Aid – United support for Millennium Development Goals“), as well as by CONCORD.


In the photo: participants of the Slovak Development Day 2012
Information provided by Lenka Nemcová, MVRO