EU Advocacy on the MDGs
Overview
The EU process of agreeing a common position on the MDGs started in the first few months of 2010 with the European Commission (EC) drafting the 'April Package'. EU Development ministers met informally on 17 February in Spain to start the discussion on MDGs and EU aid targets. They met again on 10 May and on 14 June at the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meetings. EU Heads of States also discussed the MDGs at the EU Council meeting on 17 June. The conclusions of the June FAC meeting form the EU's policy position for the UN MDG Summit this September in New York.
Read the Conclusions of the 10 May FAC meeting
Read the Conclusions of the 14 June FAC meeting
Read CONCORD's analysis of the 14 June FAC Conclusions
Read the Conclusions of the 17 June EU Concil meeting
The April Package
The European Commission released the April Package on 20 April - a set of communications which was then elaborated by the European Council and agreed at the FAC meetings in May and June. Bond has been engaging with DFID to influence the UK position
The Package consists this year of a number of papers covering the following areas: MDGs (general paper), financing for development, aid effectiveness, aid for trade, tax governance and policy coherence for development. In addition there are a number of papers on specific MDGs to include: health, education, gender, food security.
Bond, together with CONCORD has carried out an analysis of the Package, with detailed comments on aid, Policy Coherence for Development, MDGs and tax.
The European Parliament Development Committee
Michael Cashman MEP from the UK is the rapporteur for the report on the MDGs for the Development Committee of the European Parliament. The report was adopted in plenary by the European Parliament on 15 June.
Bond/CONCORD position paper "Towards the UN MDG Review Summit 2010"
Together with the Pan-European platform CONCORD, Bond has published a position paper "Towards the UN MDG Review Summit 2010. Recommendations to the EU". The paper sets out asks for the EU, its member states, and to the summit itself.
Putting forward overall recommendations as well as goal specific asks, the report sets out the steps that need to be taken to ensure that the 2015 targets can be made achievable.
If you want to get involved in MDG advocacy please contact Leo Williams, Bond MDG Advocacy Officer.
