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Harnessing the Potential of Conservation Agriculture to Reduce Poverty
James McNulty is a Seconded National Expert working with the European Union Delegation to Zambia. In this Voices & Views, he shares what he learned about the practical application of conservation agriculture from local farmers.3 7 9 034
Here is the Evaluation Report... so now what do we do?
When we talk about evaluation, we often focus on its approaches and methods, how to undertake an evaluation, and the report. This is all very good and useful, but it is not the whole story. Evaluation is essentially part of a wider process of learning.15 6 5 428
Human Resources for Health: A Capacity Development project implemented in India
On a recent trip to India, Renée Zandvliet, working with EuropeAid’s 'Civil Society and Local Authorities' unit, saw that civil society organisations (CSOs) often play a supportive role in improving the functioning and outreach of public health systems, as well as helping strengthen Human Resources for Health (HRH). As part of capacity4dev.eu's CSOs in India Week, she shares her views.2 6 9 501
A New Tool Assesses Capacity Development Gains
Development professionals are regularly asked to assess results of Capacity Development programmes – a challenging task that is not always easily carried out. But a new tool, called the Rapid Assessment of Capacity, or RAC, has been designed with the intention of being fast, effective and low cost to implement.1 5 10 352
Improving Performance Measurement in the Social Sectors
There are abundant stories about over-ambitious targets and badly chosen indicators in Performance Assessment Frameworks. So should we do away with PAFs as instruments for sector capacity development? No, says Willem Cornelissen from the Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam and trainer for the Aid Delivery Method Programme of EuropeAid, but there is ample room for improving their use in the social sectors and develop related capacities.0 4 11 269
From Science of Delivery to Doing Development Differently
The World Bank has a question; how can it improve its Science of Delivery? The Science of Delivery means "to learn better and adapt more quickly when things work well or when they don't work well and take some of the lessons of that learning and apply them elsewhere." And this comes with structural reforms as well as a change of culture. "We are quite excited about it", said Jeffrey Lewis, Chief Economist of the Global Practices at the World Bank.19 4 6 474
Share your stories with Capacity4dev at the European Development Days
At this year's European Development Days, our team of journalists will be talking to panellists, speakers, guests and exhibitors about the best practices to overcoming today’s key development challenges. Want to share your story?5 4 1 174
Developments in Mapping Civil Society Organisations
It has been a year since the European Commission adopted ‘The Roots of Democracy and Sustainable Development: Europe’s Engagement with Civil Society in External Relations‘ Communication, which promotes a more strategic engagement of the EU with civil society. EuropeAid’s Virginia Manzitti reviews the progress made in mapping civil society, and provides practical advice going forwards.0 4 8 647
New Tool Increases Focus on Quality Assessment of Technical Cooperation
EuropeAid has developed a new Technical Cooperation Quality Assessment Grid, which must be used by its task managers to self-assess quality of TC. This gives a clear signal that focus on quality has moved up a gear as the European Commission reform of TC enters its second phase.0 3 3 643
Evaluation Critical of EU’s Gender Equality Efforts
As the European Union prepares its latest plan to support gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) around the world, a timely evaluation of its efforts so far has found much room for improvement.11 3 4 706
Matter for the SDGs - ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme
Sand, gravel and salt may have a low price per tonne, but their value for domestic development and their potential for local employment creation is significant, especially when compared to the more talked about minerals like copper and gold. With 70% of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050, these humble ‘Development Minerals’ will play a crucial role in building homes and urban environments. The African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, supported by the EU and UNDP, have initiated a capacity-building programme to develop this sector sustainably and improve livelihood opportunities.2 3 3 344
Next Steps for Green Economy
At last year's Rio+20 sustainable development conference, Green Economy emerged as one of the two main issues, alongside strengthening the institutional framework for sustainable development. But how can we translate what has been referred to as the ‘rather abstract’ concept of Green Economy into concrete development cooperation activities and results? Achim Halpaap of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) recently delivered the ‘Introduction To An Inclusive Green Economy’ training, and shares his ideas.1 3 10 112
Zambia: TC Reform on the Rocks?
Making technical cooperation more effective cannot be separated from making all Commission support effective and this requires profound changes in how EuropeAid operates, writes Nils Boesen after an intense and productive learning event about technical cooperation in Lusaka, Zambia.0 3 3 689
The EU Supports Adaptation Strategies of Ten Banana Producing Countries
With an erosion of their preferences to enter into the EU banana market, banana-exporting countries in the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) need to adapt. 2012 heralds the launch of the programming stage of the Banana Accompanying Measures (BAM), which provides a variety of support to eligible countries.0 3 13 007
Capacity Development: Links and Tools
Search the web for capacity development (CD) tools and methodologies and you are likely to find hundreds or even thousands of references, particularly if you include "organisational development" in your search. So how can one find a way through this jungle of material?0 2 9 300
Backbone Strategy Questions and Answers
Find short answers to Frequently Asked Questions about the Backbone Strategy for TC reform and the Guidelines here. The FAQs will be updated and amended regularly.0 2 5 076
Ancient Practices with Modern Value
The roaming farming practices of nomadic pastoralists may appear to have altered little in hundreds of years, but in today’s unpredictable age of climate change these ancient practices may hold the key to flexible farming in hostile environments and donors should do more to support them, say experts.0 2 10 876
Health via Healthy Roads
It may seem curious to begin the fourth thematic month of the European Year for Development on Health by talking about roads, but as experience in Ethiopia has shown, improving transport infrastructure can make a big difference to people’s well-being.5 2 4 817
Putting Culture in Development
Whether helping to foster democracy in the Middle East, teaching adolescents about sexually transmitted diseases in Russia, or denouncing domestic violence in the Solomon Islands, the links between cultural expression and the development agenda are many and varied.4 2 3 045
Replacing Traditional Cooking Stoves with Gas Stoves is Transforming Lives
Some people hope that a dream kitchen will make them happier. The life of one woman in Darfur has been transformed by a $100 gas stove. Cooking with a traditional, open stove made out of stones, the woman’s hands and feet always suffered cuts because of the need to collect firewood every day, said Muna Eltahir, Country Director for Sudan of Practical Action. During the long hours this required, the woman’s daughters had to stay home to take care of their younger siblings.8 2 7 912
Views from the Field: Q&A with Fiona Ramsey, EU Head of Cooperation in Cambodia
Classed as a lower middle income country, Cambodia is a growing economy that is still marked by its history, notably the Khmer Rouge period. In the first of a new monthly series of articles featuring interviews with EU Delegations Heads of Cooperation, Fiona Ramsey shares best practice examples of the Cambodian Delegation’s work on joint programming and budget support, as well as advice for other delegations thinking of using these tools.1 2 1 700
Abordando el embarazo en la adolescencia en Panamá
El embarazo en la adolescencia es un tema complejo, acompañado a menudo de graves consecuencias. América Latina tiene la segunda tasa de fecundidad durante la adolescencia más alta del mundo, muy por encima de Asia, América del Norte y Europa. Durante 15 años, el programa insignia de la Unión Europea para la cohesión social en América Latina, EUROsociAL+, ha brindado apoyo técnico a las reformas de políticas a nivel nacional y territorial, con un fuerte énfasis en la igualdad de género y el empoderamiento de las mujeres. En el Día Mundial de las Habilidades de la Juventud, es una oportunidad para abordar este problema de salud pública de enorme importancia.7 2 3 034
Water becomes priority for economic development
Sustainable Development Goals call for ensuring the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030. But water’s significance goes further.2 2 13 202
Linking Farmers & Tourists to Solve Development Challenges in SIDS
Developing the link between agriculture and tourism could be a significant opportunity for small island developing states. Already an expanding sector in several Pacific and Caribbean islands, agritourism can address a range of development challenges – among them low agricultural productivity, high food imports and loss of tourism revenue, poor public health and youth unemployment.8 2 8 910
The European Development Days (EDDs) 2013 Take Place This Week
The “EU Dev Days” are Europe's premier forum on international affairs and development cooperation. This year, more than 5000 people will gather in Brussels on 26 and 27th November for questions and debate around the event’s main theme - the Post 2015 Development Agenda.5 2 3 978
Declining Bee Numbers: Measures to Protect the Pollinators in Africa and Asia
As the crucial role of bees as pollinators of the world’s food supply is increasingly becoming common knowledge, reports about the serious decline of honeybee populations in Europe and the USA have alarmed governments, the private sector and the general public. A similar decline in Africa and Asia has the potential to further threaten the world’s biodiversity, in addition to compromising the food security and livelihoods of millions of rural resource-poor farmers, as well as having negative impacts on the agricultural income of commercial farmers.3 2 18 039
European Report on Development 2013 to Open Debate on the Post MDG Framework
The fourth edition of the European Report on Development (ERD) is currently in preparation for a launch in Spring 2013. Under the working title, "Development in a changing world: Elements for a post-2015 global agenda", this paper will propose ideas for the next framework for development to follow on from the Millennium Development Goals.0 2 6 415
The Most Popular Voices & Views in 2013
Capacity4dev.eu reviews the most popular Voices & Views in 2013, which covered a wide variety of topics including climate change, education and budget support, and featured several notable speakers from former World Trade Organization head, Pascal Lamy, to British primatologist Jane Goodall.3 2 2 364
How Three Young People are Driving Change Around the World
Young people are not just leaders of the future – they are leaders of today. With more than half the world’s population under 30, the vast majority in emerging and developing economies, young people have a crucial role to play in seeing through the Sustainable Development Goals. This International Youth Day we highlight initiatives by three young people driving change in climate smart agriculture in Malawi, voter engagement in India and professional development in ACP.5 2 5 461
Strategic Partnerships: Uniting the European Commission and Local Authorities
“Although development is a global [issue], the implementation is always local. Because it’s at this level that it is most effective,” said Mr Khalifa Sall, President of United Cities and Local Governments and Mayor of Dakar. He believes that including local authorities in sustainable development is only ‘natural’. So what does it take to unite the European Commission and Local Authorities?7 2 4 986