Development Policy
The Brief, powered by BP – The lost continent
Europe’s political influence on the African continent is in danger of dwindling, and that is a self-inflicted strategic mistake. Whether on trade, migration, energy or security, Europe will need stronger and closer partnerships with African governments over the next 20 years....
Europe gives go ahead to market Ebola vaccine
The European Union authorised the marketing of a vaccine against Ebola on Monday (11 November), permitting the first wider commercial use of a protection that has helped stem an outbreak in DR Congo.
Why don’t women benefit from international trade as much as men?
President-elect Ursula von der Leyen will be the first female Commission president. Not only that, but she has also succeeded in forming the first gender-balanced EU leadership team. Women are back on the EU's agenda, writes Cecilia Malmström.
Britain to create £1 bn fund for clean energy technology
Britain will create a £1 billion ($1.25 billion) fund for scientists around the world to create and test new technology to help developing countries reduce carbon emissions, Prime Minister Boris Johnson will say on Monday (23 September).
Why multilateralism matters
This September, world leaders will gather at the UN in New York to reiterate the need to speed up action on the global promise to build a more equitable and sustainable world, which is the 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), write Ulrika Modéer and Ahunna Eziakonwa.
G7 Leaders, take a stand for Africa!
Africa is still heavily reliant on coal. To protect the climate, leading industrialised countries should help Africa to invest in clean growth and leapfrog to renewables, says former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
An innovative partnership in the assistance programme for Syrian refugees in Turkey
Alper Küçük and Nils Grede provide insight into the use of the EU’s Facility for Refugees in Turkey, which enables much-needed cash transfers to one and a half million vulnerable refugees living in host communities in Turkey.
€102m grant boosts EU-WHO regional cooperation on global health
The new grant program largely funded by the European Development Fund (EDF) will support all 78 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries in an effort to strengthen their regional health systems and tackle non-communicable diseases and health security issues.
Statistics are at the heart of achieving SDGs, says gender equality advocate
In an interview with EURACTIV France, Fatiha Hassouni, head of the gender equality unit of the intergovernmental organisation Union for the Mediterranean, spoke about statistics being a crucial tool for assessing sustainable development goals (SDGs), especially with regards to gender equality.
One in ten of the world’s children are forced to work, report shows
Every tenth child in the world, which amounts to over 150 million in total, are forced to work to support their family financially, according to the human rights organisation Terre des Hommes. This finding was published in the organisation's 2019 Child Labour Report, which it published for International Child Labour Day (12 June). EURACTIV Germany reports.
Open letter to EU leaders: Our sustainable future must start now
EU leaders must end the political inertia on social and environmental challenges by making sustainable development the EU’s top priority for the next five years, say Europe’s leading coalitions of social, environmental and development networks who have joined forces with 150 organisations.
When climate action means better roads
The European Investment Bank is stepping up its climate adaption projects in developing countries, and that means building roads and infrastructure that can better cope with natural disasters, write Luca Lazzaroli and Léon Faber.
EU-ACP Cotonou successor faces one year delay
A joint ministerial council next week had been earmarked as the moment for formally concluding the successor to the Cotonou Agreement, which expires in January. But there are now doubts that it will be finalised before the end of the year.
A new Africa-Europe partnership: We can’t rewrite history, but we can co-create the future
As ministers come to Washington for the Spring Meetings of the IMF and World Bank this week, they must not ignore a quiet trend shaping the experience of two billion people. Europe is ageing while Africa's youth population booms, writes David McNair.
EU aid increases, bucking global trend
Development aid spending by EU members saw a slight increase to $87 billion in 2018 (€77 billion) a slight increase on 2017, according to new data published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Only inequality-busting aid will help end poverty
The amount of aid matters, but so does how and where it is spent. Development aid must be focused on reducing the inequality that drives poverty, writes Julie Seghers.
Narbaeva: Uzbekistan is determined to reform and put an end to negative stereotypes
Tanzila Narbaeva, the Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, told EURACTIV about her country's efforts to develop modern agriculture, eliminate child or forced labour and invest in human capital, especially women.
US expands abortion ‘gag rule,’ cuts funding to the Organization of American States
The Trump administration on Tuesday (26 March) expanded its anti-abortion policies, cutting funding to the Organization of American States (OAS) and prohibiting the use of US tax dollars to lobby for or against abortion rights.
Here’s what the Brussels conference can do for Syria’s children
The Brussels III Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the region kicks off today in Brussels. Delphine Moralis explains why education must be top of the agenda.
Trouble ahead as Tunisia eyes elections in autumn
As Tunisians go to the polls later this year to elect a new president and parliament, they are confronted by a confluence of factors that could seriously threaten the viability of their young democracy, writes Dnyanesh Kamat.
Five paradoxes EU must address to effectively respond to crises beyond its borders
There are five paradoxes the EU must address to effectively respond to crises and conflicts beyond its borders, argues Bård Drange.
France’s ‘Rana Plaza’ law delivers few results
France wants to be at the forefront of efforts to regulate multinationals’ responsibility towards workers in developing countries, but is having difficulty enforcing its own law on duty of care, according to a report published on 21 February. EURACTIV France reports.
Cotonou successor: EU-Africa relations at the crossroads
Negotiators are hoping to break the back on talks for the successor to the Cotonou Agreement, which expires in May 2020, between the EU and 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP).