Development Policy
EU among group pushing for relaxation of debt relief rules
The EU, along with a group of countries, is pushing for a relaxation in how debt relief is defined in the latest round of talks at the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on Thursday (25 June), EURACTIV understands.
Developing countries need grants not more debt to recover from the Covid-19 crisis
Piling on more debt on to the shoulders of developing countries will not help them recover from the Covid-19 crisis, write Isabelle Brachet and Maria Jose Romero.
Civil unrest has doubled, and COVID-19 could make things worse
Civil unrest has doubled in the past decade as citizens protest against issues ranging from economic hardship and police brutality to political instability, according to this year’s Global Peace Index. The COVID-19 pandemic could make things worse. “The economic downturn...
EU, UK back new vaccine fund after COVID-19 disrupts immunisation
Leaders pledged more than $7.5 billion to finance the distribution of vaccines to combat infectious diseases in the world’s poorest countries over the next five years at a UK-hosted Global Vaccine summit on Thursday (4 June).
What the EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy means for farmers in the Global South
The EU's new Farm to Fork strategy is a good start towards a 'just transition' in European farming, but what will it mean for farmers in the Global South, asks Isabelle Brachet.
The EU steps up for a more equal post-corona future
The EU's ambitious new budget proposal to drive recovery following the coronavirus pandemic is a good start. But long-term investment will also be needed in health, social protection, and human development, writes Emily Wigens.
Some 50 world leaders call for post-pandemic development cooperation
World leaders on Thursday (29 May) called for resilience and cooperation after the pandemic recedes, during a UN videoconference in which the United States, China and Russia did not participate.
Poor countries need more than debt suspension, says Merkel
Rich countries should help the world's poorest survive the coronavirus pandemic by keeping up development aid and mulling relief measures that go beyond a moratorium on debt payments, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday (20 May).
Turning the page on the age of oil
Governments have a choice: stimulate fossil fuel industries or invest in a more resilient recovery, powered by renewable energy. This is a once in a generation chance, write Achim Steiner and Francesco La Camera.
Eritrean activists sue EU for funding roads built with ‘forced labour’
Eritrean activists sued the European Union (EU) on Wednesday (13 May) and asked it to halt €80 million in aid to the east African nation, saying the money funded a scheme built on forced labour.
The UN and the EU: together for a sustainable future beyond the crisis
The coronavirus an unprecedented wake-up call on the need for global action. The EU and international agencies must work together to shape a better future, writes Barbara Pesce-Monteiro.
We need co-ordination to avoid a food security crisis, UN expert says
Preventing the coronavirus pandemic from morphing into a food security crisis is increasingly the focus of policy-makers. “Co-ordination of trade policy is the order of the day,” says Arif Husain, chief economist of the UN's World Food Programme. “This is a global crisis which requires a global solution.”![CREDIT[Paul Falardeau/Flickr]](https://www.euractiv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/09/money_tax_creditpaul_falardeau_flickr.jpeg)
Increase tax collection fairly: How poor countries can tackle the coronavirus crisis
Governments need billions, if not trillions, of euros to tackle the impact of the coronavirus crisis. Many poor countries lack that money, and they need support in collecting more tax, and do so fairly, write Chiara Putaturo and Lis Cunha.
EU to discuss Africa debt relief
EU countries will discuss a request for debt relief from five Sahel countries as part of efforts to help them cope with coronavirus, European Council chief Charles Michel said Tuesday (28 April).
Pandemic threatens ‘biblical famines’, warns UN food programme
The COVID-19 pandemic could lead to 'biblical famines' and almost double the number of people suffering acute hunger, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Tuesday (21 April) as it released a new report on food crises around the world.
Despite controversy, the Energy Charter Treaty is silently being pushed into Africa
Joining the Energy Charter Treaty could cost developing countries money that is urgently needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis, argue Pia Eberhardt, Cecilia Olivet and Faith Lumonya.
G20 agree debt relief ahead of crucial IMF spring meetings
The G20 group of leading economies agreed on Wednesday (15 April) to suspend debt payments owed to them by some of the world's poorest countries in a bid to cushion the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Gates Foundation calls for global cooperation on vaccine for 7 billion people
The wealthy Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation called Wednesday (15 April) for global cooperation to ready COVID-19 vaccines for seven billion people, while offering $150 million toward developing therapeutics and treatments for the virus.
EU announces €15 billion to fight virus in developing countries
The European Union is to put up €15 billion to help poor countries fight the coronavirus epidemic, the bloc's chief announced on Tuesday (7 April).
UN to create global coronavirus fund to assist developing countries
The United Nations will create a fund to support the treatment of coronavirus patients worldwide, Norway’s foreign ministry said on Monday (23 March).
Activists warn over slavery as Mauritania joins UN human rights council
Mauritania is backsliding in efforts to eliminate descent-based slavery, an activist and opposition member has warned, as the West African country joined the UN Human Rights Council for the first time this week.
New chapter in EU-Africa relations can only succeed with support of civil society
Since the start of the new Commission, European leaders have switched gears to accelerate the advent of a new era of relations between the EU and Africa, writes Luca Jahier.
The Brief – What if Coronavirus reaches Africa?
Amongst mounting concern about the coronavirus outbreak, EU health ministers will gather in Brussels on Thursday to discuss Europe’s readiness to face a potential large-scale epidemic of the virus.