Development Policy
Armed group ‘seeks legitimacy’ with Tripoli migrant deal
A powerful armed group, known for smuggling people from Libya, is seeking legitimacy and state security jobs from the Tripoli government in exchange for stopping migrant boats from leaving the coast of Sabratha for Italy, a senior group member said.
Why is world hunger on the rise?
Hunger is on the rise for the first time in a decade, warns a report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). EURACTIV France reports.
More than 40 million people trapped in slavery: New global estimate
More than 40 million people were trapped as slaves last year in forced labour and forced marriages, according to the first joint effort by key anti-slavery groups to estimate the number of victims worldwide of the international crime.
Ansip: In digital, we are equal partners with Africa
Commission Vice President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip debriefed EURACTIV.com following a recent meeting of the EU ministers responsible for development in Tallinn, where “Digital for development” was one of the agenda items.
Figueres calls for EU action plan on ‘imported deforestation’
Former UN climate Chief Christiana Figueres, one of the architects of the Paris Agreement, has called on the European Union to step up regulatory action against deforestation in the global south by tackling emissions of imported agricultural goods, like beef, soy and palm oil.
The EU’s militarisation of development aid
The European Commission and a large part of the European Parliament back the use of development aid for security purposes. But some call this a diversion that will come at the expense of the poorest beneficiaries. EURACTIV France reports.
Financing a ‘global new deal’: How to collect a trillion dollars
One trillion dollars. This “global stimulus” could change the world if a 5% tax hike is imposed on the “top decile” – the 10% richest segment of the population, a report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is proposing.
UN calls for global economic makeover to replace neoliberalism
The world must ditch austerity and economic neoliberalism and undertake a global "New Deal" to rebalance the global economy and achieve prosperity for all, the UN trade and development agency UNCTAD said in a report on Thursday (14 September).
UN chief, Security Council call on Myanmar to end violence
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the UN Security Council yesterday (13 September) urged Myanmar to end violence against the majority-Buddhist country’s Rohingya Muslims that has forced some 400,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.
Juncker criticises lack of solidarity with Africa
In his State of the Union speech, Commission President Juncker reminded member states to contribute to the EU's Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. EURACTIV France reports.
Third of Earth’s soil is acutely degraded due to agriculture
A third of the planet’s land is severely degraded and fertile soil is being lost at the rate of 24 billion tonnes a year, according to a new United Nations-backed study that calls for a shift away from destructively intensive agriculture. EURACTIV's media partner, The Guardian, reports.
Report: EU capacity to promote ‘values’ in the developing world declining
To say the EU’s ability to promote values through external action is declining may be an understatement. This time the observation is made in a report aimed at improving and making more coherent Union diplomacy and the way the bloc's taxpayer money is spent.
Palm oil for fighter jets: Under EU attack, producers seek alternatives
Facing a backlash in Europe over palm oil's environmental toll, the world's top producers are scrambling to find new markets and even striking unusual barter deals, such as exchanging Sukhoi fighter-bombers for the edible oil.
World Bank: More than reconstruction, post-conflict Syria will need development aid
The economic disorganisation of Syrian society, lost connectivity and destruction of business networks has an impact on GDP 20 times bigger than the destruction of buildings, World Bank officials have told EURACTIV.com.
Slight rise in France’s contribution to development aid
After years of financial scarcity, France increased its development aid budget for the second consecutive year. However, uncertainties persist over its aid trajectory over the next five years. EURACTIV France reports.
Report traces Zimbabwe’s illicit diamond trade to Antwerp
Powerful military and political elites have secretly exploited Zimbabwe’s diamond sector in violation of EU trade sanctions, according to research by a global development NGO.
Diverting EU aid to stop migration: The EU Trust Fund for Africa
Migrants have become the focus of the EU's aid strategy. As priority is given to stemming migrant flows in the short-term, long-term development goals are forgone, tarnishing the EU's image as a global development actor, writes Fanny Voitzwinkler.
Development efforts are frustrated by tax evasion
Each year, tax evasion causes developing countries to lose more than the total amount of aid they receive. EURACTIV France reports.
Water resources management: West Africa and Central Asia
A panel discussion at the Bled Strategic Forum highlighted the experience of West Africa in the common management of the water resources over a large area and progress in improving cooperation in an even larger Central Asia.
Is water a female issue?
Around 30% of the world's population still do not have access to safe drinking water and 60% do not have safe sanitation, but lack of access to sanitation affects women more than men, Bruno Tisserand explains in the aftermath of World Water Week, hosted in Stockholm last week.
Macron’s aid promises deemed insufficient
French President Emmanuel Macron announced a “considerable effort” to increase the budget dedicated to development aid from now until 2022. But surprisingly, the budget for 2018 will remain unchanged. And the focus on security enrages NGOs. EURACTIV France reports.
Migrants: 87% drop in arrivals in August, UN warns of risks to refugees
New statistics published by Italy's Ministry of the Interior shows that arrivals have dropped by 10% since the beginning of the year, as asylum seekers are stopped at the Libyan border.
African and European leaders renew efforts to tackle migration
African and European leaders gathered in Paris on Monday (28 August) to broach the subject of migration, where support was expressed for moving the EU’s external border into Africa itself, so that asylum applications can be handled locally. EURACTIV France reports.
Yara boss: Africa has major potential in future food security
Europe will remain an important supplier of agricultural goods in the future but the greatest untapped potential lies in Africa, which could become the “bread basket” for the rest of the world, the president of Yara, a multinational fertiliser and crop nutrition company, told EURACTIV.