Eurostep WeeklyRegular News Update from Eurostep, N° 503 14 April 2008 Commission Communication highlights shortfalls in progress towards MDGs On 9 April, following the publication of the OECD development aid figures which show that European development aid fell from 0.41% in 2006 to 0.38% in 2007 of Gross National Income (GNI), the European Commission issued a Communication calling on Member States to go beyond rhetoric and deliver on their aid commitments. The Communication, entitled "EU as a global partner for development", assesses Member States' progress towards the Millennium Development Goals, and has found serious shortfalls. The Communication names four key areas for action: more money, more effective aid, more coherent policies and better trade capacity. Louis Michel, Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, said: "This year we mark the half-way point towards reaching the UN Millennium Development Goals of 2015. We know what we must do: increase our aid spending to meet targets and then make every euro count. Today's communication maps out just how we can achieve that. It also shows how our investment in others is an investment in ourselves since any solution to the global challenges - such as climate change or migration - requires a significant improvement in the living conditions of those people who live in developing countries." Commission President José Manuel Barros commented: "Europe is the biggest donor in the world. Both Commission and Member States have shown commitment and ideas on development aid - but if we want to remain credible. We have to deliver on our promises. We are doing well on aid effectiveness but we have to be honest and admit that our 2007 aid volume performance is simply not good enough. We have to get back on track at the European level if we are to continue to lead at the global level. So 2008 must be a year for action, not just words. For example, Member States should set out clearly what they are prepared to spend on aid, year by year, until 2015. This will be an important subject for the European Council in June and for the G8 in July." Sources: UK Development Minister calls for stronger commitment to increasing aid UK Development Minister Gareth Thomas has affirmed that, unless the richest countries fulfil their commitment to increase development aid to 0.7% of their GNP by 2015, the Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved. In an interview last week, Thomas commented: “We want member states to fulfil this commitment, as the richest 15 member states committed to the target of 0.7% of GNP by 2015. A number of countries are off-track, and we are obviously talking to these countries about how they can get back on track. This is going to be critical going forward to 2015 if we are going to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.” With regard to the UK’s efforts to meet the target, Thomas stated: “We want to achieve this target by 2013, so two years ahead of the agreed date. We are on course to do that.”
When asked whether the UK would be pushing for the target to be brought forward at the EU level, he said: “We only just set that commitment back in 2005, so we need countries to meet that commitment. Most are on track but some are not, so we are concentrating on helping those that are lagging behind to get on track before we decide to bring the target date forward.” The Minister also welcomed the Lisbon Treaty as strengthening the anti-poverty agenda of the European institutions, and called for reform of the Commission’s institutional set-up concerning development policy. Sources: Conference on promoting civil society in the European neighbourhood On 2 April a conference was held in Brdo, Slovenia on “Giving a stronger voice to civil society in the European neighbourhood”. Civil society organizations from EU neighbouring countries approved a joint statement calling on the EU to facilitate an enabling environment in its neighbourhood, and hold regular, formal consultations between Brussels, national governments and civil society. The current Slovenian Presidency, which has included the European Neighbourhood Policy and the empowerment of civil society among its priorities, has advocated greater civil society involvement in the EU’s neighbouring countries, with a view to promoting democracy, human rights and stability. The conference highlighted the problem that in some neighbouring countries, such as
Serbia, Belarus and Russia, the government is often hostile to civil society organizations, which are viewed as politically subversive. "Civil society has a key role in enlargement, and is the reason for our increased emphasis on civil society dialogue," Jan Truszczynski, Deputy Director General of the Enlargement Directorate-General at the European Commission, told participants at the conference. He added: "NGOs are very often relegated to the role of the poor cousin", and called for "a long-term conscious political effort by politicians, civic actors and opinion leaders." Sources: Maoists take lead in Nepal elections Nepal’s Maoist Party is showing a convincing early lead in Nepal’s first national elections in nearly nine years, held on Thursday 10 April. On Sunday, the Nepalese election commission's official count had the Maoists winning 44 seats out of 79 in the constituencies where counting had been completed, and leading in most of the other areas where the count was not yet finalised. Rhoderick Chalmers of the International Crisis Group commented: "[The Maoists] are doing very well in the first-past-the-post system, which has surprised even them." "They could end up getting between 30 to 40 percent of the total seats in the assembly”, he added. The elections were held under tight security and a temporary ban on the sale of alcohol, amid fears of violence. The EU Election Observation Mission in Nepal expressed strong concerns in the run-up to the election over EU election observation the killings of UML candidate Rishi Prasad Sharma in Surkhet and seven Maoist party members in Dang district. All major parties have agreed that the first action of the newly-elected assembly will be to abolish the monarchy. Sources: Concerns over impending world food crisis EU Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Louis Michel has warned that “A global food crisis is brewing as a result of the price rises on basic foodstuffs. He commented: “It might be less visible than the energy crisis but it could have devastating economic and humanitarian effects, especially in Africa.” Average food prices have risen 45 per cent in the past nine months, creating acute problems for people who rely on a few staple foods. On April 10, the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the International Monetary Fund unanimously agreed that the growing bio-fuels industry was part of the reason for the increase in food prices. The World Bank pointed to the "sense of complacency" towards agricultural investment in fast-growing developing economies over the past two decades, which it claimed has led to a slowdown in agricultural productivity, which is now exacerbating world food shortages. The United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation has also issued a warning that food riots, which are already affecting a number of developing countries, could become commonplace. Sources: Progress on technical assistance and capacity building in LDCs In recent years, technical assistance and capacity building have become ubiquitous phrases at international economic summits. These terms refer primarily to activities such as helping LDC government officials to identify their countries’ interests and pursue them in trade negotiations and assisting nations in creating regulatory frameworks and implementing trade liberalisation obligations. There is some evidence to suggest that these efforts have produced results: at the recent summit in Maseru, Lesotho, many observers commented that the LDCs’ negotiating capacity was markedly improved. “The LDC group needed much less external assistance”, said Panitchpakdi Supachai, the former WTO chief who now heads the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy recognized this progress in his address to the Maseru Summit: “The presence, the strength, the technical capacity of the LDC group has tremendously increased in recent years,” “LDC-specific priorities are now well known to everybody,” he added. David Luke of the UNDP attributes this “upward trend” in LDC capacity to proactive action on the part of the LDCs themselves and the fact that “previous technical assistance has worked.” However, there is much progress still to be made. Several LDCs still have no representation in Geneva, and those that do often have to carry out their work with crippling staff shortages. One solution to this problem proposed by several LDCs is the creating of a permanent ‘LDC secretariat’ in Geneva, jointly funded by a number of LDCs. Sources:
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