Latest International Developments

International Development, Global Europe, Publication, Policy Briefing
24/04/2012
Investing in Afghanistan's future
Stability in Afghanistan after the NATO drawdown in 2014 demands urgent action on an array of fronts. With security in the country still precarious and volatile, the international focus on building Afghanistan’s security forces is important. However, a strong army and police force cannot of themselves ensure growth and development.
News article, International Development
18/04/2012
American nominee Kim gets top World Bank job

Dr. Jim Yong Kim, an American national and current President of Dartmouth College, is to become the 12th President of the World Bank Group, following a decision taken April 16 by the Executive Directors of the World Bank.
International Development, Global Europe, Trustees Speak Out
30/03/2012
Verhofstadt calls for Marshall plan for new Arab democracies
A major liberal conference took place in Barcelona on "Arab spring one year on". The Conference which gathered together European and Arab leaders, such as Mahmud Jibril from Libya, Ahmad Hariri from Lebanon, Yassin Brahim from Tunisia and Fawaz Tello from Syria, focused on the state of play in several Arab states and the role the EU should play.
International Development, Global Europe, Trustees Speak Out
30/03/2012
Carl Bildt: The Afghan endgame mirage
On a recent visit to Afghanistan and Pakistan, I could not fail to notice the increasingly frequent international calls for an “endgame” in Afghanistan. But an endgame for that country is a dangerous illusion: the game will not end, and neither will history. The only thing that could come to an end is the world’s attention and engagement in Afghanistan, which could well lead to catastrophic consequences.
International Development, Global Europe, In the News
28/03/2012
New Tang Dynasty Television, NATO Newsroom
Shada Islam, Head of Policy at Friends of Europe, is interviewed by New Tang Dynasty Television and gives her views on women's rights in Afghanistan at the conference "NATO and EU long-term commitment to Afghanistan" at the European Parliament.
News article, International Development
27/03/2012
Photo and video report: New perspectives on the South
Friends of Europe's partner Agence Française de Développement (AFD) in association with Magnum Photos present the photo and video report Nouveaux regards sur le Sud (New perspectives on the South).
International Development, Global Europe, Trustees Speak Out
08/03/2012
Pascal Lamy: Local governments, global governance
The Director General of the World Trade Organization says a ‘Declaration of Global Rights and Responsibilities’ is required before global governance can succeed. Calling for a platform of common values, which would be shared “not only by the ‘West’, but with the ‘rest’”, Lamy emphasised the need for basic agreement between nation states on a strong set of core principles to underpin all discussions on global public goods.
International Development, Greening Europe, Guest Contribution
06/03/2012
New Opportunities to Reinforce US-EU Cooperation on Climate Change and Development
By Kit Batten Through the US-EU Development Dialogue, we work jointly with our European allies to advance adaptation, mitigation and low-emissions development strategies. USAID is pleased to release to Friends of Europe a new Climate Change and Development Strategy for 2012-2016 that can only deepen this cooperation.
News article, International Development, Global Europe
02/03/2012
North Korea agrees to stop nuclear program in exchange for US aid
North Korea has agreed to halt its nuclear tests, long-range missile launches and enrichment of uranium in exchange for United States aid, according to officials in Pyongyang and Washington. The announcement followed bilateral discussions between the United States and North Korea last week in Beijing.
International Development, Global Europe, Publication, Policy Briefing
29/02/2012
Encouraging Myanmar’s Transition: A Role for Europe
By Shada Islam and Patricia Díaz Europe can play a vital role in encouraging sustainable democracy, reform and economic progress in Myanmar. European Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs has pledged a 150 million euro two-year aid package, while European businesses are looking to invest in Myanmar.
News article, International Development, Global Europe
24/02/2012
World leaders discuss the future of Somalia
Leaders from over 40 countries and international organisations have met at a London conference on February 23, promising increased efforts to tackle Somalia's many problems.
News article, International Development, Global Europe
20/02/2012
ADB says South Asia not meeting key MDG targets
South Asian nations are making the least progress in the Asia-Pacific region on meeting the Millennium Development Goals they pledged to achieve by 2015, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
News article, International Development, Food
17/02/2012
Save the Children warn about the global malnutrition crisis
Almost half a billion children are at risk of permanent physical and mental growth damage over the next 15 years due to malnutrition, Save the Children warn in their latest report entitled “A Life Free from Hunger: Tackling Child Malnutrition”.
News article, International Development, Global Europe
14/02/2012
Piebalgs announces €150 million aid package for Burma/Myanmar
EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs has expressed support for easing sanctions against Burma/Myanmar, noting the importance of sending a message of political support to the reform efforts being undertaken by the country.
International Development, Development Cooperation, Publication, Report
01/02/2012
Policies for promoting the private sector's role in development

The Development Policy Forum (DPF) debate on the role of the private sector in development cooperation focused on the current development cooperation landscape, different types of private sector intervention, the ‘pros’ and ‘cons’ of the private sector as a new development player and its impact on the development agenda.
News article, International Development
17/11/2011
Liberalisation and Regulation of Trade in Banking Services in Bilateral Trade and Regional Integration Agreements
On 1 December 2011 Trade.Com Facility, ECDPM and GIZ on behalf of BMZ, will be hosting a seminar at the GIZ Representation in Brussels on the liberalisation and regulation of trade in banking services in bilateral trade and regional integration agreements. 
International Development, Publication, Policy Briefing
04/11/2011
The private sector and development cooperation
Official Development Assistance from rich industrialised countries to poorer developing nations was once considered pivotal in achieving growth and development. In the 21st Century, however, the global architecture of development cooperation is changing rapidly. Official and private aid can complement each other and it is increasingly important that official and private donors work together to promote development.
Op-ed, International Development
04/11/2011
Promoting the private sector’s role in development
by Shada Islam Official Development Assistance (ODA) from rich industrialised countries to poorer developing nations was once considered pivotal in achieving growth and development. Official north-south financial flows remain a vital factor in the combat against poverty. In the 21st Century, however, the global architecture of development cooperation is changing rapidly.
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Green Economy, Social Equity
03/11/2011
UN report warns: Human development could go in reverse
Development progress in the poorest countries could be reversed if no steps are taken in the developed world to tackle climate change and social inequality. This was the dire warning from the annual Human Development Index published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on 2 November.
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Agriculture and Food
22/09/2011
Oxfam report: ‘Land grabbing’ worsening plight of world’s poorest
According to a new Oxfam report nearly 227 million hectares, the size of Western Europe, have been sold or licensed for global agri-business since 2001, with the bulk occurring in the last 2 years.
International Development, Publication, Report
05/09/2011
Africa: Building on growth
A new, more assertive and confident Africa is making its mark on the global stage. The continent’s economies have, for the most part, grown over the past decade; African governments have become more democratic and many countries have integrated achievement of the Millennium Development Goals into their national aspirations.
International Development, Food, Publication, Report
02/09/2011
Europe's development policy comes of age
Friends of Europe's Development Policy Forum organised a roundtable on 17 May which was especially timely because it took place against a background of an impasse in the World Trade Organisation’s Doha discussions, the United Nations taking a new approach to the Least Developed Countries, negotiations on reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, and the EU considering new ideas on the Generalised System of Preferences. The key issue was how to reconcile development and trade policies.
News article, International Development
29/07/2011
US Government Increases Assistance to Horn of Africa
The United States is now providing more than $600 million in aid that is helping more than 4.6 million people suffering from drought and famine in the Horn of Africa.
International Development, Trustees Speak Out
22/07/2011
Pascal Lamy: Aid for Trade
Let me begin with a quote from a more modern source. I’d like to tell you it is hand-written by a calligrapher and inscribed on silk. But, no, it came off an office printer at the UN last year! "Over a 25-year period, the poverty rate in East Asia fell from nearly 60 per cent to under 20 per cent.”
International Development, Trustees Speak Out, Food
20/07/2011
Franz Fischler: Banishing Starvation
VIENNA – Of the world’s almost seven billion people, about one billion are starving, owing to a long list of unfortunate local events and circumstances, together with steadily increasing demand, unpredictable weather patterns, and poor financial management.
International Development, Economic Growth and Trade, Food, Guest Contribution
23/06/2011
Agricultural trade and development
By Valentine Rugwabiza Agriculture plays an important role in the development of many WTO Members. While the share of agriculture exports in total world merchandise exports is low, approximately 9 per cent in 2009, developing countries account for about 35 per cent of this agriculture trade.
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Food, Climate and Environment, Food, Future of Europe
15/06/2011
UN report calls for eco-revolution in farming
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says the present paradigm of intensive crop production cannot meet the challenges of the new millennium. It calls for a fundamental change towards eco-farming if the world is to feed more than 9 billion people in 2050.
International Development, Trustees Speak Out
08/06/2011
Pascal Lamy: “Trade in value-added” as a better measurement of world trade
Today's trade realities look different from when the rules governing world trade were originally shaped after the Second World War. The old version of the international division of labour between nations has been radically changed by globalization.
International Development, Trustees Speak Out
30/05/2011
Elmar Brok: The External Action Service as a new framework for Development and Cooperation (DEVCO) - Challenges and potentials
Regarding the role of Development Policy within the European Unions External relations, and more specifically within the European External Action Service (EEAS), we should first have a look at the idea and purpose of the EEAS.
Press release, International Development
19/05/2011
African farmers hit out at European Union
BRUSSELS, 19 MAY 2011 The European Union has come under strong criticism from a top African farmers’ spokesman at a “trade and aid” debate by Friends of Europe. Within days of the European Commission’s plans to reshape of its General System of Preferences (GSP) import scheme, Mamadou Cissokho, President of the Network of West African Farmer and Producer Organisations, claimed.
News article, International Development
18/05/2011
FUUTA: Le temps est venu d'en parler
In honour of World Africa Day, Tostan France and its partners will be exhibiting a documentary examing the excision and forced marriages in Senegal. A debate will take place at the end of the film with contributions from film directors and various testomonies. Both the debate and film will be in French.
Op-ed, International Development, Global Europe, Food
06/05/2011
Time for Asia-Europe cooperation on food security
by Shada Islam Brussels - Asian and European policymakers meet in Chiang Mai, Thailand, next week for talks on food security amid fears that currently volatile food prices could trigger a new “food price shock” similar to the food crisis in 2006-2008.
International Development, Development Cooperation, Publication, Report
03/05/2011
What can the world expect of the new EU-U.S. development cooperation?
The decision made in Washington in 2009 to “reinvigorate” the development dialogue between the two was spurred by a desire to “improve the quality and effectiveness” of development assistance in light of the 2015 deadline for meeting many of the MDGs and since then, USAID Deputy Administrator Donald K. Steinberg has witnessed what he describes as the “single most fundamental shift” in U.S. development policy in his lifetime.
Op-ed, Policy area, International Development, Greening Europe, Governance, Energy Revolution, Climate Chaos, Climate and Environment
01/05/2011
Fraud and corruption in international climate markets: time for a rethink?
By Willy De Backer Are market-based solutions to climate change really cheaper and more effective than command-and-control? If one looks at the amount of fraud and corruption in the carbon market, one might want to rethink one of the basic tenets of global climate policy.
News article, International Development, Development Financing
27/04/2011
EU aid target missed for 2010
The European Union (EU) has once again missed its official development assistance (ODA) target for 2010, after failing to meet the collective target of 0.56% of gross national income (GNI). The EU’s overall ODA target remains 0.7% of GNI as aid by 2015 – and the 53.8 billion euros that EU countries gave in aid last year, makes the Union the largest ODA donor in the world.
Op-ed, International Development
04/04/2011
Aid coordination key to fighting poverty
by Shada Islam With aid budgets under pressure in most donor nations, the focus has rightly moved to improving the quality and effectiveness of international assistance, encouraging private/public partnerships, making national and international policies more coherent and helping developing nations to improve tax collection regimes.  Stronger coordination, rather than aid competition, among key aid donors to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is also crucial.
Op-ed, International Development, Global Europe, Governance, Future of Europe
18/03/2011
European Diplomacy's First Test
by Giles Merritt It took eight years of ill-tempered political wrangling to create the European Union’s new diplomatic service, but its fate – and that of its chief, Catherine Ashton – may well be decided over the next few weeks. The Union’s failure so far to respond adequately to the crisis engulfing the Arab world is sharpening knives in foreign ministries across Europe. 
News article, Policy area, International Development, Greening Europe, Green Economy, Climate Chaos, Climate and Environment
14/03/2011
Low-carbon growth: a tale of two tribes?
Environment and development go hand-in-hand in the continuing battle to combat global poverty, according to Erik Solheim, Norway's "double-hatted" minister of environment and international development. Minister Solheim was debating the issue of climate finance and the search for a low-carbon growth path for developed and developing countries alike in a Friends of Europe Café Crossfire which took place on 14 March.
International Development, Publication, Report
14/03/2011
Combating global poverty: How climate and financing policies can help
Environment and development policies must go hand-in-hand in the continuing battle to eradicate global poverty. That was the overarching view of the panellists taking part in the Friends of Europe ‘Café Crossfire’ debate on 14 March, which considered the issue of climate financing and the quest for sustainable, low-carbon growth.
News article, Policy area, International Development, Greening Europe, Global Europe, Energy Revolution, Climate Chaos, Climate and Environment
14/03/2011
After Fukushima: meltdown for the nuclear renaissance?
The explosion of two nuclear reactors at the Fukushima power plant has restarted the debate about the future of nuclear energy.  The global nuclear renaissance which the industry was hoping for could go into meltdown.
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Energy Revolution, Climate Chaos, Climate and Environment
08/03/2011
Low-carbon roadmap sticks to 20% target for 2020 and 80% cuts by 2050
The European Commission presented on Tuesday 8 March its low-carbon economy roadmap for 2050. By mid-century the Commission wants the EU to reduce its carbon emissions by at least 80% but it might face strong resistance from some member states who fear the “de-industrialisation” of Europe.
Op-ed, Policy area, International Development, Greening Europe, Global Europe, Green Economy, Natural Resources, Geopolitical, Climate and Environment, Economic Growth and Trade
02/03/2011
Is China shifting from breakneck growth to sustainable prosperity?
by Willy De Backer There are some interesting signs that the Chinese government is ready to move its economic policies “beyond GDP”. Recent discourses by Prime Minister Wen Jiabao and Environment Minister Zhou Shengxian indicate that the Chinese leaders start to understand the inescapable link between high economic growth, resource overconsumption and environmental chaos.
International Development, Trustees Speak Out, Economic Growth and Trade, Food
23/02/2011
Pascal Lamy: More Trade, Less Hunger
GENEVA – The recent sharp spike in food prices and growing concerns about food security have sparked anxiety worldwide. The possibility of being unable to put food on the table fills parents with a deep sense of foreboding. And, because the world’s poorest people spend a higher proportion of their income on food, they are the worst affected, raising the risk that years of progress in reducing poverty could be reversed.
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Global Europe, Agriculture and Food
17/02/2011
Global Food crisis: “World one poor harvest away from chaos”
According to the latest figures of the World Bank Group, rising food prices have pushed an estimated 44 million people into poverty in developing countries since June 2010 as food costs continue to rise to near 2008 levels.
Op-ed, International Development, Global Europe
16/02/2011
Europe’s Burma sanctions dilemma
by Shada Islam European Union governments are set for weeks of difficult debate ahead of a planned review of long-standing sanctions against Burma/Myanmar on April 30.  EU policymakers should take a deep breath: the discussion, difficult and emotional at the best of times, has become even more complex – and urgent - following the release in November last year of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the organization of elections in the country and the establishment of a new civilian government headed by Thein Sein.
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Global Europe, Geopolitical, Governance
16/02/2011
G-Zero or the lack of global governance
One of the most discussed themes at the recent World Economic Forum was the G-Zero story coined by Ian Bremmer and Nouriel Roubini. The two analysts claim that the G-20 is not fulfilling its role and there is no global leadership at a time when this is urgently needed
News article, International Development, Greening Europe, Global Europe, Green Economy, Natural Resources, Geopolitical, Agriculture and Food
04/02/2011
Resource scarcity moves higher on EU agenda
The European Commission is planning measures to secure critical raw materials for the European economy and curb speculations in the commodities market. European industries are heavily dependent on external supplies of energy, metals and minerals as well as agricultural products and food.
Op-ed, International Development, Global Europe, Future of Europe
02/02/2011
The Need for a Strategic European Vision on Asia

by Shada Islam With the structure of the new European External Action Service finally in place, it’s time to start work on a much-needed new European strategic vision for engaging with Asia. Europe and Asia have good trade and business ties but need to develop an equally dynamic and forward-looking political and security relationship.  This is crucial if Europe is to become a credible partner for a rising Asia.

 

 
International Development, Trustees Speak Out
25/01/2011
Pascal Lamy: Trade is part of the solution to rising food prices
In his opening address to the Berlin Agriculture Ministers’ Summit, WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy and Praesidium Member of Friends of Europe has stressed that "trade plays or can play a better role in addressing the rise in food prices and tackling food insecurity. Trade is part of the solution, and not part of the problem."

News article, International Development
20/01/2011
Pressure within EU to sanction Belarus
Pressure is mounting within the EU to take a forthright stance against Belarus following fraudulent elections and repressive crack-downs on opposition activists. Poland has responded with a unilaterally imposed travel ban on Belarusian officials that it hopes will eventually be extended Europe-wide, while Germany’s PM Angela Merkel has suggested that the 27-member block revive trade sanctions against ex-Soviet state.
Page 1 of 2First   Previous   [1]  2  Next   Last