European Union
Almost 80% of Cambodians live in rural areas with limited access to clean and affordable energy. The EU promotes sustainable consumption patterns and changes behaviours by supporting micro, small and medium-sized companies (MSMEs) to switch to solar energy sources. Read our article here.
The gender equality-environmental nexus came into international debate more than two decades ago. There remains, however, a lot to be done. The international community gathers to discuss how to achieve gender equality in the context of climate change policies and programmes. This article offers insights from one of the EU co-funded programmes mainstreaming gender across ocean and coastal fisheries management. Read our article here.
Southern Neighbourhood women have an important role to affect change in their communities through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The EU supports young entrepreneurs and researchers to boost the region’s economic development. Read our article here.
Southern Neighbourhood women have an important role to affect change in their communities through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The EU supports young entrepreneurs and researchers to boost the region’s economic development. Read our article here.
Les femmes du voisinage Sud ont un rôle important à jouer pour changer les choses dans leur communauté, par le biais des sciences, de la technologie, de l'ingénierie et des mathématiques. L'UE soutient les jeunes entrepreneurs et les chercheurs afin de stimuler le développement économique de la région. En savoir plus sur l'article.
In 2011, the Busan Principles defined what makes good-quality, effective development cooperation worldwide. However, in the ten years since Busan ODA (Official Development Assistance), programmes have become more fragmented and less effective. The Team Europe approach – adopted by the EU and its Member States in 2020 – is a commitment to delivering more and better impact through building joint coordinated, more effective European development cooperation. Capacity4dev spoke with country-level practitioners to learn from their experience on the Team Europe approach. Read our article here.
En 2011, les Principes de Busan ont défini ce qui fait une coopération au développement efficace et de qualité dans le monde. Cependant, au cours des dix années qui ont suivi l'APD de Busan (Aide publique au développement), les programmes sont devenus plus fragmentés et moins efficaces. L'approche Team Europe - adoptée par l'UE et ses États membres en 2020 - est un engagement à produire un impact plus important et de meilleure qualité en mettant en place une coopération européenne au développement conjointe, coordonnée et plus efficace. Capacity4dev s'est entretenu avec des professionnels au niveau national pour tirer parti de leur expérience de l'approche de Team Europe. En savoir plus sur l'article.
Watch this video to discover what we have achieved together in 2021.
Migration et développement vont de pair. Depuis la nuit des temps, les humains ont essayé de surmonter l'adversité et d'améliorer leurs conditions économiques et sociales en se déplaçant vers d'autres lieux. Les moyens de communication et de transport modernes ont multiplié les possibilités de se déplacer, mais le COVID-19 a posé d'immenses défis aux migrants. Vous trouverez ci-dessous quelques bonnes pratiques de l'Afrique orientale et australe en la matière. En savoir plus sur l'article.
Migration and development go hand in hand. Since the beginning of time, humans have tried to overcome adversity and improve their economic and social conditions by moving to other places. Modern communication and transportation have increased the opportunities to move, but COVID-19 has challenged migrants immensely. Below are some best practices from Eastern and Southern African on this matter. Read our article here.
The European Union (EU) has been supporting the global fight against COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and it is committed to making national health systems more resilient. Partner countries have faced many challenges including the distribution of emergency supplies to strengthen local health systems, the launch of national vaccination campaigns and the boosting of economic recovery. The EU has supported its partners across the world wherever necessary and whenever possible, including in Zimbabwe. Read our article here.
International partnerships, being multicultural in nature, often face cultural differences which can generate misunderstandings, tension, and inefficiency. There are both tangible and intangible cultural barriers in EU interventions limiting the capacity to work with internal and external teams. As a result, the quality of policy dialogue and interventions management is hindered, and thus results and relationships are affected. To deal with this situation, solutions are needed. Read our article here.
The world celebrates the anniversary of the Declaration of Children’s Rights adopted on 20 November 1959 by the UN General Assembly. Although one in three people worldwide is a minor, most societies still undervalue the opinion of children and teens. However, young activists like Greta Thunberg and Francisco Vera prove that – for a better world – their voices matter. Read our article here.
El mundo celebra el aniversario de la Declaración de los Derechos del Niño adoptada el 20 de noviembre de 1959 por la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas. Aunque una de cada tres personas en el mundo es menor de edad, la mayoría de las sociedades todavía subestiman la opinión de los niños y los adolescentes. Sin embargo, jóvenes activistas como Greta Thunberg y Francisco Vera1 demuestran que –para un mundo mejor– sus voces importan. Más información aquí.
The Middle East has faced political tension, military conflicts and other disputes for many years. It is, as a result, a region with one of the most enduring conflicts in the world. The EU has set out its policy on the Middle East in a series of high-level public statements including the Venice Declaration of 1980, the Berlin Declaration of 1999, the Seville Declaration and the Roadmap for Peace of 2002, as well as multiple Council conclusions . Against this backdrop, ongoing environmental challenges have severely affected local communities and showcased their transboundary repercussions on neighbouring regions and countries including Palestine, Israel and Jordan. Hence, in spite of regional conflicts, a new ground for cross-border collaboration has emerged with joint research providing supranational solutions to environmental issues. Read our article here.
Cities are home to more than half of the world’s population and 80% of the global economic output. They lead the way as pioneers on sustainability issues, developing innovative solutions for environmental, social and economic challenges. Better knowledge about specific local conditions allows the development and promotion of context-specific solutions that are more likely to resonate with citizens, thus having greater impact. Cities play a crucial role in achieving the SDGs, and city-to-city alliances are steadily emerging. The partnership between Bruges, Belgium, and Ebolowa, Cameroon, highlights the potential of synergies among the Global South and Global North. Read our article here.
Les villes hébergent plus de la moitié de la population mondiale et représentent 80% de la production économique mondiale.1 Elles ouvrent la voie en tant que pionniers sur les questions de durabilité, en développant des solutions innovantes pour les défis environnementaux, sociaux et économiques. Une meilleure connaissance des conditions locales spécifiques permet de développer et de promouvoir des solutions adaptées au contexte et qui sont plus susceptibles de trouver un écho auprès des citoyens, et d'avoir ainsi plus d'impact. Les villes jouent un rôle fondamental dans la réalisation des ODD, et des alliances entre villes voient régulièrement le jour. Le partenariat entre Bruges en Belgique et Ebolowa au Cameroun met en évidence le potentiel de synergies entre l'hémisphère sud et l'hémisphère nord. En savoir plus sur l'article.
Women and girls are at the heart of rural communities worldwide. Their contribution to ending poverty and ensuring food security is fundamental. They also play a critical role in natural resource management and can influence how their communities hunt and fish, improve sanitation, protect habitats and comply with conservation laws. Read more on the Capacity4dev here.
COVID-19 has had a significant negative effect on the economy of Jamaica. As a developing country, the island is heavily reliant on tourism and remittances for revenue. Earnings from the tourism sector dropped sharply – due to low visitor arrivals since March 2020 – when the island closed its borders following its first positive COVID-19 case. The economic contraction and significant loss of revenues has bolstered the case for social intervention programmes to meet the needs of the most vulnerable citizens, many of whom live in inner-city areas. Read more here.
Unsustainable consumption and production patterns are at the heart of the triple planetary crisis: climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. Environmental degradation has become even more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the fragility of our societies. The EU and UNEP are joining forces with multiple stakeholders to ensure a greener future. Read our article here.
Los patrones de consumo y de producción no sostenibles se encuentran en el centro de la triple crisis planetaria: cambio climático, pérdida de biodiversidad y contaminación La degradación medioambiental se ha vuelto aún más evidente durante la pandemia de COVID-19, lo que pone de relieve la fragilidad de nuestras sociedades. La UE y el PNUMA están aunando esfuerzos con múltiples partes interesadas para garantizar un futuro más verde. Más información aquí.
Pour la protection des populations civiles, il est crucial que les troupes déployées dans les zones de guerre respectent le droit international des droits de l'homme (DIDH), le droit international humanitaire (DIH) et le droit des réfugiés (DDR). C'est ce qui est entrepris au Sahel par la force militaire conjointe, créée en 2017, par cinq pays de la région appelée Force Conjointe du G5 Sahel (FC-G5S). Les efforts de collaboration de ces pays pour lutter contre le terrorisme, la criminalité transnationale organisée et la traite des êtres humains sont soutenus par des mesures et des mécanismes concrets et sur mesure qui protègent les civils avec le soutien de l'ONU et de l'UE. En savoir plus sur l'article.
For the protection of civilian populations, it is crucial that troops deployed in war zones respect International Human Rights Law (IHRL), International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Refugee Law (IRL). This is undertaken in the Sahel by the joint military force, created in 2017, by five countries in the region called the Force Conjointe du G5 Sahel (FC-G5S). The collaborative efforts of these countries to combat terrorism, transnational organised crime and human trafficking are supported by concrete and tailor-made measures and mechanisms which protect civilians with the support of the UN and the EU. Read our article here.
Team Europe is an important partner for Kenya’s development cooperation in the commitment to achieve the country’s national priorities and the drive towards the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals. The Team Europe-Kenya partnership is rooted in a joint commitment for prosperity with the aim of improving the quality of life for all. It also contributes to addressing the main challenges identified in Kenya’s national development Vision 2030. One focus of the joint efforts of this partnership is the promotion of conservation. Read our article here.
Adolescent pregnancy is a complex issue, often with severe consequences. Latin America has the second-highest teen fertility rate globally -well above Asia, North America, and Europe. For 15 years, the European Union's flagship programme for social cohesion in Latin America EUROsociAL+ has been providing technical support to policy reforms at the national and territorial level, with a strong emphasis on gender equality and women empowerment. On International Youth Skills Day, it is an opportunity to tackle this hugely important public health issue. Read our article here.
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. Más información aquí.
Illegal logging is a global problem with significant negative economic, environmental, and social impacts. Partner countries around the world, including in the Latin America region, have taken action and introduced measures to tackle illegal logging and mitigate its environmental and socio-economic repercussions. In this process, the FAO-EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Programme is working in forest-rich countries of Latin America, with Guatemala exemplifying these efforts. Read our article here.
La tala ilegal de árboles es un problema mundial con un importante impacto negativo en el ámbito económico, medioambiental y social. Los países socios de todo el mundo, incluida la región de América Latina, han emprendido acciones e introducido medidas para abordar la tala ilegal y mitigar sus repercusiones medioambientales y socioeconómicas. En este proceso, la UE se erige como socio a través de numerosas intervenciones en países ricos en bosques de América Latina, con Guatemala a la cabeza como ejemplo de estos esfuerzos. Más información aquí.
An estimated 152 million children are engaged in child labour worldwide, the equivalent of 10% of the global child population. Of these, 70% are working in agriculture with a link to the fashion sector using goods to be exported to Europe. A recent EU-funded project has raised awareness among European consumers and engaged with policymakers and companies to improve the livelihoods of the smallholder farmers and workers behind these products. Read our article here.
Marine resources are the backbone of Pacific Island economies and are fundamental for the livelihood of their inhabitants. However, the region is at the forefront of climate change and is struggling to control illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices. The EU is working with regional agencies, local authorities and NGOs for their economic, social and environmental benefit. Read our article here.
At a time when humanity has lost nearly one million people to COVID-19, one sector is holding its breath: culture. Cinemas, theatres, museums, opera houses and festivals remain closed. Artists, entertainment workers and industry professionals are caught between dismay and resilience while trying to create innovative solutions to prevent the complete disappearance of their industry. COVID-19 struck the world like a death knell, and no sector of Mali’s economy has been spared by the various measures imposed since the beginning of the pandemic. Read our article here.
A l’heure où l’humanité compte près d’1 million de morts du COVID-19, un monde retient son souffle, c’est celui de la culture. Les salles de cinémas, de spectacles, de théâtres ainsi que les musées, les opéras et les festivals restent fermés. Les acteurs culturels, intermittents du spectacle et professionnels du secteur naviguent entre désarroi, résilience, et développement de solutions innovantes pour éviter la disparition totale. Comme une sonnerie de glas, le monde fut assommé par les douze coups de la COVID-19. Aucun secteur économique n’est épargné par les différentes mesures érigées depuis le début de la pandémie au Mali. En savoir plus sur l'article.
In various parts of the world, LGBTIQ people experience serious rights violations and abuses. As of today, 70 States continue to criminalise same-sex consensual relationships. The COVID-19 crisis has only exacerbated such discrimination and violence against LGBTIQ people. The EU integrates LGBTIQ equality in its external policies by funding interventions and working with international and local partners around the world, including India. Read our article here.
Plus d'un an après son déclenchement, la pandémie de coronavirus continue de préoccuper la communauté internationale. Les journalistes et les médias ont été au cœur de cette pandémie pour informer leurs différents publics. Entre le risque d'exposition à la maladie et l'impossibilité de couverture médiatique sur le terrain, ainsi que les pressions psychologiques et économiques, les professionnels ont déployé des efforts d’imagination pour trouver des moyens ingénieux de faire leur travail. Ces expériences doivent être capitalisées pour le présent et l'avenir. En savoir plus sur l'article.
Over a year after its outbreak, the coronavirus pandemic continues to concern the international community. The media have been at the heart of this pandemic – informing their different audiences. Between the risk of exposure to the virus and the impossibility of media coverage on the ground, on top of psychological and economic pressure, professionals have had to use their imagination to find ingenious ways to do their job. These experiences need to be capitalised on, both for now and for the future. Read our article here.
Autour de la Méditerranée, une jeune génération développe des moyens durables pour aborder les défis économiques, en consolidant les coopérations. Le programme Dialogue Méditerranéen pour les Droits et l’Égalité a lancé l'initiative « Innovateurs méditerranéens pour la solidarité » pour soutenir des projets dans les pays arabes du pourtour méditerranéen. En savoir plus sur l'article.
A young generation in the Mediterranean is finding sustainable ways to mitigate economic challenges by consolidating cooperation. The EU-Programme Med Dialogue for Rights and Equality launched the Mediterranean Innovators for Solidarity initiative to support projects in Arab countries of the Mediterranean region. Read our article here.
Small, local conservation organisations in high-biodiversity areas are among nature’s most powerful allies; this is mainly due to their knowledge of and influence over the environment. However, in most cases, these organisations lack sufficient funding to achieve their full potential. The EU and five other donors to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund are resourcing grants and technical assistance to enable long-term local conservation leadership and to nurture sustainable development. Read our article here.
Bien que les origines de la COVID-19 soient encore inconnues, la plupart des explications pointent vers une source animale. La transmission de maladies de l'animal à l'homme n'est pas rare, mais cette pandémie a intensifié le débat sur la consommation généralisée de viande d'animaux sauvages. L'UE cofinance une initiative internationale majeure visant à améliorer la préservation de la faune et la sécurité alimentaire. En savoir plus sur l'article.
While the origins of COVID-19 are still unknown, most explanations point to an animal source. Although the transmission of diseases from animals to humans is not uncommon, this pandemic has intensified the debate on the widespread consumption of wild meat. The EU is co-funding a major international initiative to improve wildlife conservation and food security. Read our article here.
Structural change is needed to overcome the unbalanced relationship of humankind with nature. The COVID-19 crisis has emphasized an urgent need to examine our footprint on ecosystems and avoid future pandemics of zoonotic origin. Solutions exist. The EU is funding numerous projects with integrated approaches which benefit both people and nature. Read our article here.
Quality education plays an essential role in developing sustainable, equitable and resilient societies. More than being an objective in itself, education is also an enabler of equity, green communities, digital transformation, sustainable growth, migration mitigation and global peace and security. Read our article here.
2020 showed the importance of being connected, and Capacity4dev increased its significance as hub for online collaboration among development professionals. Stay connected, join, learn and continue sharing your work with the Capacity4dev community. Capacity4dev wishes you a healthy and fruitful 2021.
Latin America is progressively incorporating a gender perspective into anti-corruption strategies. It is also developing specific tools to protect women and girls from gender-related violence. The European Union cooperation programme EUROsociAL+ is supporting this action through its initiative "Women and corruption". Read our article here.
The impact of the COVID-19 health crisis has hit the economy in Albania severely, with sharp decrease in tax revenue, debt upsurge and loss of employment. While still supporting the country’s recovery from the 2019 earthquake, the European Delegation to Albania mobilised its staff and financial resources to respond to the health crisis. Read our article here.