Brussels 24/11/08: While initially scheduled to attend the Financing for Development Review in Doha, the IMF Managing Director Mr. Dominique Strauss-Kahn has hinted that he is no longer planning to attend. A number of civil society organisations, including EEPA, have therefore signed up to a joint letter to Mr Strauss-Kahn urging him to go to Doha since it is crucial that the IMF does not undermine the strength of the UN process as it enters into critical discussions of reform of international finance.

• Click here to read the letter
• Click here to read an article from IPS
• Click here to read an article from The Washington Post
• Click here to read an op-ed by Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul on the importance of the Doha conference
• Click here to read an article from IPS correspondents

Brussels, 04/12/08: The European Parliament today voted through the Regulation for an Emergency Food Aid Facility which was negotiated with Council and Commission by Gay Mitchell MEP. Mitchell said in a statement: "The €1 billion to be spent (€870 million this year and next) will go to assist those suffering from rapid increases in food prices in the developing world. Getting approval quickly was necessary in order to meet the March/April 09 planting season." However, Mitchell clearly stated that he was disappointed that the money would not be taken from the unspent CAP farm funds as suggested in the original Commission proposal. Due to oppision by both Council and Parliament sources, the funds will come from within the budget line for external aid policies, known as Heading 4.

• Click here to read the EPP-ED press release on the approval of the food facility
• Click here to read the Council conclusions on the food facility
• Click here to read an article about the deal from Euractiv.com
• Click here to read an article about reaction to the deal from The Irish Times

Brussels, 20/11/08: From 15-17 November 2008, the European Development Days (EDDs) were held in Strasbourg, France, an annual event organised by the European Commission and the presiding Council presidency gathering both high-level and grass-root people from around the world. During the EDDs EEPA facilitated a seminar for SNV, Netherland's development organisation, entitled “Citizens as partners: Capacity building for ownership in local governance”

On 18 november 2008, LDC Watch jointly organised a seminar in New York on financing development for LDCs with the UN office for the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island States (SIDs), the OECD and UN-NGLS. Please find below the statement that LDC Watch Chair Dr. Arjun Karki presented during the seminar and the programme schedule of the seminar programme.

• Click here for the statement.
• Click here for the programme.

SAAPE and LDC Watch along with its regional partners ,the Asian Regional Exchange for New Alternatives (ARENA) and the Korea Democracy Foundation, have organised a Conference on Democracy, Development and Peace in Asia on 10-11 November 2008 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The conference was inaugurated by Nepali PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda" and eminent Neo-Marxian thinker Professor Samir Amin.

Please click here to see the concept paper.
Please click here to see the conference flyer.

Please click below to see the media coverage:

• www.thehimalayantimes.com
• www.nepalnews.com
• www.gorkhapatra.org.np
• www.kantipuronline.com

Please click below to read the opinion piece "Development through choice"by Nepali PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda"" that appeared in the European Voice on November 7. On the occasion of the World Food Day, Rural Women's Day and the Intn'l Day for Poverty Eradication in the month of October; as part of the SAAPE-Eurostep policy advocacy initiative especially on the issue of "Food Sovereignty" , PM Prachanda agreed to an opinion piece addressing the food price crisis as well as the overall development paradigm in existence today.

www.europeanvoice.com