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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

On the road to Accra: influencing the EU way forward

Source: CIDSE Advocacy Newsletter, issue 37 (November 2007)

The preparatory process for the Third High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra, Ghana, presents a golden opportunity for influencing the delivery and management of European development assistance and improving its quality. In the run up to this major international event, CIDSE and Caritas Europa will build on the existing momentum of their joint advocacy project, EU’s Footprint in the South and use the 2007 OECD DAC Peer Review of European Community (EC) aid recommendations to improve the poverty reduction focus and impact of European development assistance.

Ahead of the 2008 Spring GAERC meeting, where the Member States and the European Commission will agree on a common position for the High Level Forum, CIDSE and Caritas Europa, together with other European NGOs from the CONCORD confederation, will issue a position paper on EU aid effectiveness. Drawing upon the findings of their joint report and their Southern partners’ concerns regarding the participation of local stakeholders and democratic ownership, the two networks will convey the message that aid is most effective when those who are affected by it have a say and a role to play in setting the priorities for, as well as monitoring and assessing the impact of, development assistance.

In this respect, CIDSE and Caritas Europa will also be engaging with the upcoming Slovenian EU Presidency and the members of the European Parliament early January, urging them to consider the potential risks and challenges that may arise under the current Paris Declaration framework.

By targeting the EU and the European Commission, in particular, the objective set is to influence the world’s largest donor and encourage the Member States and the EC to commit themselves beyond the targets of the Paris Declaration. Influencing the EU’s common position would also allow shaping global discussions on the new policy trends triggered by the Paris Declaration process and have a bearing on other donors as well.


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See also Euforic's dossiers on civil society and aid effectiveness