CONCORD PRIORITIES FOR 2006

1
CONCORD PRIORITIES FOR 2006 Presentation for
the TRIALOG Central Training Budapest, 9 10
March 2006
2
Overview of the presentation

1. OVERALL FRAMEWORK OF DEVELOPMENT AID AT EUROPEAN
   LEVEL
2. CONCORD ADVOCACY WORK
3. KEY ISSUES FOR 2006
4. CONCORD PRIORITIES FOR 2006

3
Advocate for EU level engagement

• Is the European Commission more than 26th donor?
• Member States see mainly two added values of EU
  mega infrastructure projects and regional
  integration
• EC hardly develops own strategies. No added
  value.
• EC has no political role in UN but has channelled
  1 bio. through UN agencies. No added value.
• If added value of common Development Strategy is
  not seen, development aid could be
  re-nationalized in a few years.      

4
Advocate for EU level engagement

• -         Foreign Policy
• -         Neighbourhood
• -         Accession Countries
• -         Trade
• -         Security and Defence
• -         Migration
• -         Development

If Development is still seen as priority, there
is a fight for resources between -        
Southern Governments -         United Nations
(and Under-organisations) -         EU
Institutions (e.g. EIB) -         Private
Sector -    NGDOs / CSO
5
Advocate for EU level engagement

• Added value of European level ???
•  Potential  added value of European level
• 3 Cs Coordination, coherence, complementary at
  MS level
• Acquis communautaire
• Policy dialogue
• Framework setting
• Weight as region in international processes (UN,
  WTO, Cotonou,)
• If we do not participate in this process,
• others will decide for us.

6
(No Transcript)
7
Members of CONCORD
39 members in 2006
Hungarian platform
Representing over 1600 European Development and
Relief NGOs
8
Membership
Development / Relief NGO
NGO Network (18)
National Platform (21)
CONCORD EUROPE
Social, Environmental,
Civil Society Contact Group
9
Why do NGOs choose to join CONCORDs members?
EU National Level
Main Priorities Advocacy (29)Improve the
quality of their activities (26)Increase access
to funding (25)
10
Main sectors of advocacy for EU NGOs
No dominant sector of advocacy a strength or a
weakness?
EU National Level
National Development Policies most common
(8,6) Weapons traffic 0
11
Structure

• Working groups Experts from CONCORD members
• Policy group Presidency, Gender, Security and
  Development, Financial Perspectives, Coherence
• EU Funding for Development and Relief
  Deconcentration, Financial regulations,
  Rationalisation
• Development Education Forum
• Food Security, Enlargement, Cotonou,
  Humanitarian aid, Trade, FFD
• The Convenors' Forum Convenors of working groups
  to ensure coherence
• The General Assembly / Consultative Assembly
• Board
• Secretariat

12
Objectives

• MAIN OBJECTIVE
• To enhance the impact of European development
  NGOs vis-à-vis the European Institutions by
  combining expertise and accountability.
• CONCORD contributes to a responsible and coherent
  EU Development Policy towards the developing
  world.
• CONCORD promotes the role of European development
  and humanitarian NGOs in defining and delivering
  European development and humanitarian aid
  policies.

13
Activities

• Exchange information, analyses and
  intelligence Working groups
• Define, approve and disseminate common positions
• Civil Society Contact Group common statement on
  rationalisation of thematic funding instruments
• Advocate
• Meetings with European institutions
• Communicate
• Extranet, news letter
• Organize trainings, meetings, conferences
• European NGO conference on MDG5

14
CONCORD advocacy
GENERAL SECRETARIAT
DG DEV
ECHO
EUROPEAID
COM FOREIGN AFFAIRS
ECON / SOC COMMITTEE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
DEV COM
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
COREPER
SECRETARIAT
BUDGET COM
15
Key issues for 2006 (I)

• Coherence
• GAERC
• Conference Austrian Presidency
• Finnish Presidency
• CONCORD Evert Vermeer Foundation Project  EU
  Coherence 
• Role of Civil Society
• Transparency Initiative (Kallas)
• Plan D (Wallström)
• Code of Conduct (Frattini)
• Critics in EP
• Preparation of German Presidency

16
Key Issues for 2006 (II)

• After GCAP 05 Monitoring EU/EC aid commitments
• Aid Monitoring Report
• Aid Watcher Seminar
• Advocacy at national and European level
• Negotiations on EU-Budgets, Instruments and
  Programs
• DCECI EP document
• Geographical and thematical Programs
• Framework of Dialogue with Civil Society
• European public awareness and development
  education strategy
• Deconcentration
• OECD DAC

17
Key issues for 06
Global

• EU
• EU Coherence for Development among EU external
  policies
• Quantity and Quality of Aid
• Financial perspectives 07-13, Policy Framework,
  Programs
• Civil Society Engagement, dialogue with EU
  instit.,
• EC-NGO-Partnership, Financial Regulation,
  Non-State Actors

• CONCORD
• EU Coherence project with EVF, Austrian
  Finnish Presidencies
• More and better aid, Aid-watcher,
• Policy WG
• FFD WG
• FDR WG, WGE?
• FDR WG, Vision paper
• Role of Civil Society, German Presidency, CSCG

Specific
18
Challenges for CONCORD 2006

• Future of GCAP (Europe)
• Membership support
• Reflection on framework for contacts with
  extra-european NGO-Platforms
• GAs and Board elections
• And many more
• MEMBERSHIP SUPPORT always there for you !
• avogt_at_concordeurope.org
• 32 2 743 87 72

19
The confederation
Belgian Platform