In a statement released by the Coordinating Committee of NGOs of Spain, of which Juan Ciudad ONGD is a member, and the European network CONCORD, they expressed alarm at the instrumentalization of Development Cooperation to serve commercial, security, and migration objectives.
Although European development NGOs recognize the pro-solidarity elements embedded in the new European Consensus on Development, they consider the following:
On 19 May, the European Foreign Affairs Council adopted the new European Consensus on Development, a key pillar of European development policy that aims to define a common framework for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in the EU and its Member States.
CONCORD, the European Confederation of NGOs for Development, welcomes the renewed commitment to "poverty reduction and eradication in the long term" [1] as one of the key objectives of European development policy. By seeking to align the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement, the Consensus reflects EU leadership and provides a roadmap for sustainable development.
"The Consensus has improved over the different versions. The distinctive and crucial role of civil society in a democratic space, the importance given to local and small-scale agriculture, and the emphasis given to the rights of women and girls are, among others, very valuable elements," notes Johannes Trimmel, president of CONCORD.
A worrying turn in cooperation
However, development NGOs are concerned about the overall direction that European development cooperation is taking, which is increasingly being instrumentalized to control migration movements [2], securitization markets, and the private sector [3]. The European Investment Plan and the Global Strategy were already attempts that served the EU's own interests. Now the Consensus reinforces this vision.
"This framework is not real if Europe doesn't provide itself with the mechanisms to implement it effectively: the direction taken globally could even prevent the achievement of the positive elements of the Consensus. Development Cooperation cannot pretend to lead sustainable development if it simultaneously serves the EU's economic, trade, migration, and security interests," says Tanya Cox, a member of the CONCORD Steering Group on Sustainable Development.
Source: CONGDE. (Translation: Celia Rico).
More information and bibliography:
Notes for editors:
â [1] Article 208 of the Treaty on European Union.
â [2] In 2016, EU aid increased by 13.1%, but much of this increase reflects the growth of funds to cover refugee costs in donor countries themselves. DAC regulations allow donor countries to count certain refugee expenditures as ODA; Germany spent more than 20% of its ODA on refugee costs in 2016. In 2015, 17% of its aid did not reflect a real transfer of resources to developing countries because it went to refugee costs in donor countries, debt relief, student costs, conditional aid, and interest payments. Articles in The Guardian and Devex on OECD ODA statistics in 2016 â April 11, 2017 â Aid Conditionality: https://concordeurope.org/2016/12/12/no-eu-deals-keep-migrants/
â [3] CONCORD calls for the creation of rigorous and high standards to better regulate the use of aid in private sector investments and to ensure that development motivations are not negatively affected by commercial reasons or by DAC members seeking to use ODA to support their own private sectors. We want to ensure that private sector financial contributions are aligned with sustainability and human rights criteria. Recent communications: Open letter to the European Commission on agri-business mergers (March 27, 2017) and Recommendations on the Development Assistance Committee's Approach to Incorporating Private Sector Instruments in ODA (June 2016).
â CONCORD is the European Confederation of Development NGOs, composed of 28 national associations, 20 international networks and 3 associate members, representing more than 2,600 NGOs, supported by millions of citizens across Europe. www.concordeurope.org
â Over the past year, CONCORD has actively worked to implement the Consensus in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Recent communications (documents only available in English):
Letter from the Confederation to EU Ministries on the occasion of the EU EAC meeting on 19 May, available shortly.
âEU's 'New Consensus on Development' puts migration control center-stage,â opinion column by J. Trimmel (President of CONCORD) â April 28, 2017. Document in English.
Response to the Presidency's draft report on the European Consensus on Development of 24 March â 6 April 2017. Document in English.
Response to the Presidency's draft report on the European Consensus on Development of 16 February â 9 March 2017. Document in English.
CONCORD Press Release on the First Proposal â November 2016. Document in English.
â CONCORD calls for the adoption of an agreed EU-wide strategy that is actually implemented and that activates appropriate follow-up mechanisms. Otherwise, the EU's commitments to the 2030 Agenda will never be fulfilled. CONCORD's latest report (published in English only), Sustainable Development â The Stakes Could Not Be Higher, analyzes the EU's implementation of the 2030 Agenda and Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development. This report examines five aspects of EU policies, highlights both good practices and the most alarming cases, and provides a set of recommendations. CONCORD believes the EU should play a leading role and serve as an inspiration to demonstrate that it is possible to combine the ambition of the 2030 Agenda with the implementation of its own plans and with the governance and accountability mechanisms that ultimately reflect the integrated, interconnected, and comprehensive nature of the 2030 Agenda.
