CONCORD recently partnered with the European Parliament in the organisation of their 3-day Beyond Growth conference. The event apparently drew 2000 people to join physically, while 2000 more were online. That is an enormous success.
Equality: Turning words into actions to leave no one behind
CONCORD hosted our first ever Equality Day this month, at which many practitioners, EU officials and CONCORD members came together see what more we could do.
What will the new world order look like… and when will we know?
The one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was marked by numerous articles in all
sorts of scholarly (and less so) journals, and pretty much the same question was on everyone’s lips:
what will it take to stop the war?
What will the OECD DAC stoop to next?
It’s that time of year again: CONCORD is busy preparing its annual AidWatch report. It is a key monitoring and accountability tool, looking into how much Official Development Assistance, or ODA, the EU (really) gives to partner countries, how effective it is and whether the EU and its Member States are serious about trying to leave no one behind, the hallowed principle of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
EDD 2022: Lacking inspiration and answers
The European Development Days, or EDD, is a development fair that is particularly useful to meet and to network, but also to exchange ideas and – hopefully – to learn. I’ll come back to exchange of ideas, but on the learning front, this year’s EDD was certainly a missed opportunity to demystify the Global Gateway – or rather, to go beyond the slogans.
When the rubber hits the road … who are you going to call? Civil society’s fundamental role in times of crises
I am struck, again and again, by how governments of all colours and persuasions – but clearly some more than others – can question the role of civil society. And not just question our role, but actively undermine it.
Is it time for a feminist approach to EU foreign policy?
As International Women’s Day comes around again, and the European Union is facing a historic situation with war at its borders, I’ve been mulling over, and talking with colleagues about, the merits of feminist foreign policy and wondering whether the EU should adopt one.
Is civil society losing out in institutional behind-the-scenes power play?
The EU-AU Summit is a mere three weeks away, but civil society has been shut out from having any real influence over the shape or likely outcomes of the Summit. Our Director reflects on EU institutional behind-the-scenes power play and how it can affect civil society involvement.
Will another chance for the EU to deliver on its promises go to waste?
The fifth UN Conference to support Least Developed Countries (LDC5, as it’s known) is around the corner. This is another moment – following hot on the heels of the disappointing COP26 – when the EU must step up. Given the extremely difficult situation that LDCs are facing, the EU must not only meet previous pledges but go further. Unrealistic? Maybe. Necessary? Definitely.
The future is digital, but what if digital is rigged?
The latest revelations around Facebook have proven the scale of their misdeeds. What does this mean for an already shrinking civil society space? And who should be held responsible? The future is clearly digital. But that future must still respect human rights… and currently that is in the balance. That is why the EU’s efforts to curb the powers of such companies are so important.