The role of trade and investment in the post-2015 global development agenda

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:23:16 +0000

By Yurendra Basnett with Jodie Keane

As the curtains draw on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), what will be or rather more importantly what should be the next act on the stage of global development agenda?

MDGs matter only minimally for development in Côte d’Ivoire

admin — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 16:56:09 +0000

By Bruce Byiers

Where next for the WEL nexus? Some clues from efforts to integrate in water

admin — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 08:15:35 +0000

By Nathaniel Mason

Celebrating the Voluntary Guidelines on Governance of Land and recognizing the need to move beyond

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:38:46 +0000

By Frauke de Weijer

This article was published on 11 May and is available on ECDPM’s Talking Points blog.

What can the European Union do to promote development-friendly natural resource management?

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:21:53 +0000

By Niels Keijzer

This article was published on 20 April and is available on ECDPM’s Talking Points blog.

Structuring options for a green economy – what does the ERD say about the ingredients, recipes, and cooks?

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 11:16:51 +0000

Green economy deliberations are central to both the G20 Development Working Group where the discussions centre on inclusive green growth and the Rio+20 negotiations, where informal negotiations resumed last week. Over the last week we informed both fora on how the ERD is framing the green economy. The framework used in this year’s European Report on Development, Confronting scarcity: managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth, is proving to be useful for the debate on the green economy.

World Water Forum 2012: well defined rights are key for allocating water across uses and sectors

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 08:49:55 +0000

The World Water Forum in Marseille had a strong focus on issues at the interfaces between water policy and management and energy, climate, agriculture, and trade policies. Therefore the topic of the ERD 2012 “Confronting scarcity: managing water, energy and land for inclusive and sustainable growth“ matched the agenda very well. The report was presented at a side event organised by Falilou Fall from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bonn2011 Conference: the water, energy and food security nexus

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:55:47 +0000

In November 2011, the German Federal Government organised a three-day conference in Bonn on the water, energy and food nexus, very similar to the nexus at the centre of the forthcoming European Report on Development 2011-2012.

Key elements emerging from the ERD panels at the EADI/DSA conference in York

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:52:27 +0000

With ‘Rethinking development in an age of scarcity and uncertainty’ as the overall theme for the recent EADI-DSA 2011 Conference in York, the European Report on Development (ERD) 2011/2012 proved its relevance to debates amongst international development experts. The ERD 2011/2012 incorporates precisely each of the conference title’s three components.

Managing natural resources in the context of increasing scarcities: developing country experiences

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:40:25 +0000

One in five roses on the EU market is dependent on the effective management of one relatively small river basin in Kenya. Lake Naivasha is surrounded by the world’s largest flower companies who are dependent on fresh water withdrawal from the lake.

Climate change negotiations 2011: renewable energy as an opportunity for developing countries?

ERD Admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:25:55 +0000

The major failure of the recent Bonn climate change negotiations was the issue of a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol. Most developed countries claimed that a new legally-binding framework should include all major emitters. Developing nations’ current request is an extension of Kyoto, which obliges almost 40 industrialised nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5.2% below 1990 levels during 2008-12.

Harvesting questions: the results of the first two ERD consultations, and a quick look ahead

ERD Admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:22:52 +0000

During the next few months, a team of authors from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the German Development Institute (DIE) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) will be busy with drafting the 2012 European Report on Development (ERD). Similar to the first two editions, this report will be prepared through a collaborative effort, to which many researchers from other institutions and parts of the world will contribute.

The water scarcity continuum: from economic to physical

ERD Admin — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 07:00:19 +0000

Water is one of three focus areas (alongside land and energy) for the forthcoming European Report on Development (ERD) 2011-2012 on natural resources management for inclusive and sustainable growth, managed by ODI, DIE and ECDPM for the European Commission.

Land grabs, the ‘WEL nexus’, and a lot of questions

ERD Admin — Tue, 31 May 2011 15:09:18 +0000

On the 18^th and 19^th May, ECDPM hosted the partners currently engaged in formulating the 2012 European Development Report.

Effective natural resource management for inclusive and sustainable growth – the role of the public and private sector

ERD Admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 13:25:45 +0000

Population growth and rising incomes, together with a growing middle class in emerging powers, are increasingly putting the world’s natural resources under extreme pressure. By 2030 demand for food, water and energy is expected to rise by 30-40%.

Forests: an increasingly competitive use of land

ERD Admin — Mon, 30 May 2011 13:23:25 +0000

As the global population grows and diets change, the need for agricultural production becomes greater. It is likely that this increased production will come not only from agricultural yields but also agricultural expansion. Added to this, increased demand for biofuels – largely driven by policy measures adopted by the European Union and the United States – also leads to increased demand for productive agricultural land.

An African perspective on social protection

ERD Admin — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 09:58:48 +0000

Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, recently hosted a special workshop which focused on how workers in the large informal sector in Africa, who are often excluded from social protection programmes and mechanisms, could be included.

Transparency and social impact – is there a link?

ERD Admin — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:28:58 +0000

Contributed by Alex Beech, the Communications Officer for aidinfo.

The ERD’s place in the African development jigsaw

ERD Admin — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:17:32 +0000

On Thursday 10 March 2011, Giorgia Giovannetti, the 2010/2011 European Report on Development’s lead author, will be in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to present the ERD’s main findings and conclusions.

Giovanneti’s presentation will take place during a two-day capacity-building workshop which will focus on encouraging stakeholders to share best practice on social protection schemes in the formal and the informal economy, and to discuss the challenges and opportunities to expand social protection in the African context.

Fragility: the challenge of definition

ERD Admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:06:16 +0000

Giorgia Giovannetti took up the challenge of defining state fragility and prescribing ways to deal with it in an article she wrote for The Broker, a bimonthly magazine published by the Foundation for International Development Publications (IDP).

African social protection in action

ERD Admin — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 10:36:38 +0000

In an article for Vox, a portal for economic policy analysis run by the Centre for Economic Policy Research, two members of the ERD team explained that social protection is becoming increasingly feasible in sub-Saharan Africa, as reflected by the programmes already in place, and for these efforts to be scaled up required, above all else, political will.

All you ever wanted to know about the ERD…

ERD Admin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 08:30:38 +0000

Ever wondered what social protection actually means and how it works? Curious for the lowdown on the findings and recommendations of the latest European Report on Development (ERD)? Are you a little vague on what the ERD initiative is all about and what it seeks to achieve?

Then, you’ve come to the right place. A new series of fact sheets explains all the ins and outs of the ERD and related issues. The first three fact sheets cover the following questions:

Let’s hear it for the ERD

ERD Admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 14:52:55 +0000

Since preparations for the first edition of the European Report on Development (ERD) began in 2009, those interested in the report have been able to tune in to regular podcasts to keep abreast of the latest developments and views on the topics at hand.

Reply to ZEIT Online article

ERD Admin — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 15:44:59 +0000

In the previous blog entry, we summarise the contribution by Markus Loewe of DIE, the German Development Institute. He suggests that the European Report on Development 2010/2011 does not address all relevant aspects for a social protection system in poor countries. He notes that the ERD says nothing about how and by whom social protection is to be organised if the government is not willing or able to do so. According to the article, the report does not take into account non-governmental social protection systems, as it sees the latter as a task of the government.

Zeit Online: African welfare states are possible

ERD Admin — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:48:27 +0000

The quality nationwide German newspaper Die Zeit – the most read weekly in the country – has addresses a crucial subject. While agreeing with the European Report on Development that social protection systems are feasible in developing countries and promote development there, it asks whether poor countries have the means to finance such systems.

Completing the development jigsaw

ERD Admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:51:30 +0000

Not lacking in ambition, yesterday’s launch of the European Report on Development (ERD 2010/2011) revealed to a crowded audience nothing less than the “missing piece” in the development puzzle – and outlined a strategy for completing the jigsaw.

And what is that “missing piece”? Those who have been following closely will know that it is, of course, social protection.

Live from European Development Days

ERD Admin — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 16:10:24 +0000

The second edition of the European Report on Development (ERD 2010/2011) was officially launched today at the European Development Days in Brussels.

Françoise Moreau, acting director for EU Development Policy at the European Commission’s Development Directorate-General, introduced the discussion and Giorgia Giovannetti, the ERD’s lead author, presented the report’s main findings.

Social protection for inclusive development in Africa

ERD Admin — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:01:42 +0000

Following the triple shocks of the international food-fuel-financial crises in recent years, what progress has been made in reducing poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa is under threat, as millions more risk joining the ranks of the poor.

In addition, we are less than five years away from the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals which seek, among other things, to halve extreme poverty and hunger.