In November there was dialogue all around: at the Development Days, at the ACP-EU joint parliamentary assembly and with DG Development and DG Trade. CONCORD dialogued intensively with the institutions and other sectors of civil society, such as environmental NGOs. The impact of climate change, development education, consulting the South and the economic partnership agreements were all central issues.
How can aid be really effective? CONCORD monitors the efficiency not only of donors but also of civil society organisations. That’s why the big event this month was organising a regional workshop on aid efficiency for civil society organisations from different sectors and different parts of the world.
The summer was a busy one! CONCORD met intensively with the main European institutions. Members’ networking and capacity-building was encouraged by a Summer School on development education and a meeting of the national platforms to which NGOs from Latin America were also invited.
As usual, June is always a busy month for CONCORD and the European Union institutions: June is when CONCORD holds its first General Assembly of the year and attends the last meetings before the summer. The summer break is the reason why the next CONCORD Flash will appear in September, and will cover both July and August activities.
Accountability has become the central issue of our time. Development NGOs are requesting it from the institutions, while these institutions in turn are asking NGOs for greater accountability and transparency in their activities. Could DG Development’s new group for contact with civil society contribute to this?
This past year, several issues emerged that affect NGOs: DG Justice’s code of conduct to prevent NGOs from being abused by terrorists, the deconcentration of some of the European Commission’s services to developing countries, and the new programme for NGOs and other actors. These are being closely monitored by NGOs.
A busy month for CONCORD, with many institutional meetings: participation in the European Union–ACP joint assembly, a conference with the German presidence, and a meeting with Louis Michel at the first Civil Society Forum.
Consultation – a key word in improving relations between the European institutions and civil society. This month, CONCORD has come up with information and proposals on the Economic Partnership Agreements, the European Development Fund, the thematic programmes, and how to advance African agriculture. Read all about in this issue.
What are CONCORD’s resolutions for the new year? In 2007, CONCORD will reorganise itself to boost its efficiency and improve linkages between members and with the rest of the civil society, in particular the South. Better quality work on aid, gender, migration, development education and of course Africa are top of the list.
With the support of the European Union 
|
All Contents Copyrights � 2003-2006, CONCORD All Rights Reserved - Privacy Policy |
|
|
|
|
