Development Policy
UK aid cuts to be enshrined in law, ministers concede
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told UK lawmakers on Thursday (26 November) that new laws would be required to enshrine controversial plans to cut development and humanitarian aid by a third.
UK set to slash development aid budget
The UK government is expected to slash aid spending when Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveils the government’s Spending Review on Wednesday (25 November).
European Green Deal needs to deliver on global challenges
Key elements of the EU’s foreign policy funding will be finalised during 'trilogue' talks this week. Raising the climate spending target there could make a vital difference to supporting partner countries to deliver green recovery plans, writes Rachel Simon.
EU countries urged to support ‘green recovery’ across the globe
European countries should use their influence as shareholders to encourage green investments in countries across the world, said Climate Envoy for the Netherlands, Marcel Beukeboom, as the High Ambition Coalition launched its Statement on a Resilient Recovery.
Development banks make landmark climate pledge, but no fossil fuel phase out
The world’s public development banks on Wednesday (11 November) pledged to align their financial firepower with the Paris Agreement on climate change, but avoided a firm commitment to phase out fossil fuel financing. As a source of funding for many...
EU criticised over surveillance aid in nations where privacy at risk
European Union aid has been used to pay for surveillance equipment and training in countries with inadequate safeguards against excessive state snooping, rights groups said on Wednesday (11 November), calling for an end to the "unacceptable" practice.
Tackling the hidden cost of Europe’s chocolate habit
Chocolate is a cheap treat in Europe, but beneath the wrapper, it is mired in the bitter issues of deforestation, biodiversity loss and child labour.
The Brief, powered by ENTSO-E – Wanted: One strong voice for Africa
A strategic partnership with Europe’s ‘sister continent’ was supposed to be this year’s prize. But the EU-African Union summit, originally due this week, was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
UN raises $1.7 billion for hungry, displaced millions in Sahel
The United Nations raised more than $1.7 billion in pledges to fund aid efforts as UN aid chief Mark Lowcock warned a "preventable tragedy is looming" in the central Sahel region.
Rich nations snap up vaccine stocks in global race for jab
Rich nations representing a fraction of the global population have already bought up over half the promised Covid-19 vaccine stocks, a study showed, as US President Donald Trump pledged to begin inoculating Americans within weeks.
UN chief to push pandemic ceasefire at world leaders meeting, but fears opportunities lost
UN Secretary-General António Guterres will use his annual address to world leaders next week to push for a global ceasefire until the end of 2020 so countries can fight the coronavirus pandemic
Ecology threats likely to send more climate refugees towards Europe by 2050
More than a billion people are at risk of being displaced by 2050 due to rapid population growth, shortage of food and water and increased exposure to natural disasters, which could lead to increased migration flows to Europe, according to a new report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).
Auditors call for overhaul of EU’s Africa spending
The European Court of Auditors, which monitors European Union spending, has called for an overhaul of the bloc’s development spending programmes for African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) to prioritise domestic manufacturing and energy.
Developing countries deserve fair and transparent climate support from the EU
The EU has committed to mobilise climate finance to support developing countries in their efforts to combat climate change. However, new research shows that EU institutions fall short on delivering on their financial commitments, write Mattias Söderberg and Floris Faber.
EU’s trade deals can put an end to deforestation
The EU must take an aggressive “stick and carrot” approach to trade deals in order to put an end to deforestation and avert a next pandemic, writes Fazlun Khalid.
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).