May 11, 2012
Posted: 15:53 PM UTC
by Jeske van Seters on May 11, 2012
On 3-4 May, around 200 delegates came together in Nairobi for the annual Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform meeting. CAADP, endorsed by African leaders in 2003, is the agricultural component of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. Contrary to what the name may suggest, CAADP is not a (donors’) programme, it is a common and Africa-led framework for stimulating and guiding national, regional and continental initiatives to enhance agriculture productivity and food security. Forging partnerships is at the core of CAADP. In that spirit, the 8th Partnership Platform meeting brought together a ...
February 3, 2012
Posted: 16:52 PM UTC
by San Bilal on February 3, 2012
As noted by the Economist last December, and confirmed by a recent report by Invest AD and the Economist Intelligence Unit, Africa is on the rise to become one of the most attractive regions for investment and a pole for growth. The challenge is to transform these opportunities into concrete deliverables for equitable, inclusive and sustainable development throughout the continent. Committed political drive and vision will be key in this process. This week’s African Union Summit of Heads of State was meant to bolster such Africans aspirations. The Summit was dedicated to providing the highest ...
February 3, 2012
Posted: 13:15 PM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on February 3, 2012
On the 1st of February H.E. Shirley Skerritt-Andrew, Ambassador of Saint Lucia, took over as Chairperson of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors. She will preside the group for the coming 6 moths. In an interview with ECDPM, Skerritt-Andrew talks about the challenges and opportunities for the ACP Group in 2012 and beyond. ECDPM: In the global development context, fundamental shifts are under way at the moment. They will change the character international cooperation will have in the future. The development agenda now - in addition to the principal objective of eradicating poverty - embraces multiple ...
November 8, 2011
Posted: 12:49 PM UTC
by ECDPM Challenges Team on November 8, 2011
ECDPM is currently reflecting on the content and orientation of the next issue of its annual Challenges Inbrief. This publication is published at the start of each year, and aims to identify key issues for policy making for EU-Africa relations in the year ahead. The paper, in traditional ECDPM style, aims to be informative and ‘facilitating’, helping readers identify key debates and moments in EU development cooperation and external action. The writing process provides us with an opportunity to take a step back from our day to day work to look forward and to reflect ...
September 30, 2011
Posted: 16:26 PM UTC
by Isabelle Ramdoo on September 30, 2011
The European Commission (EC) finally announced today that countries that have concluded an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) but not taken the necessary steps to ratify and implement it would no longer benefit from the EPA market access to Europe as from 1st January 2014. The EC Market Access Regulation (MAR) 1528 of 1st January 2008 provides duty free quota free market access for African Caribbean and Pacific countries that have concluded an EPA. The Regulation requires countries to sign, ratify and implement the Agreement within a “reasonable period of time”. At it currently stands, the ...
February 28, 2011
Posted: 03:54 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on February 28, 2011
The Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa’s (Tralac) Gerhard Erasmus’ briefing paper entitled “What to do about Sovereignty when Regional Integration is pursued?” argues there is room for debating sovereignty issues in a world of globalisation and deeper regional integration, but that the debate should address questions about the allocation of specific powers. In his second paper, entitled “Decision-making in Regional Organisations”, Erasmus argues that if a decision-making process is properly prepared and guided by the necessary procedures, the discussion itself is more structured, will produce clarity and will avoid uncertainties when it comes to ...
December 20, 2010
Posted: 11:26 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on December 20, 2010
Relations between the European Union and its partners in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP) are in a parlous state. Past readers of ECDPM’s annual Challenges Paper know that we regularly refer to ACP-EU relations as being at a critical juncture, and this is certainly true at the start of 2011. The EU’s credibility in much of the ACP is at an all-time low, and in the EU many seem to have lost faith in the future of the partnership with the ACP. Moreover, there is a collective failure to recognise that in the ...
September 27, 2010
Posted: 05:46 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on September 27, 2010
In this OECD Development Centre Working Paper, Peter Draper of the South African Institute of International Affairs takes stock of the last decade of African development from an African perspective. He pleads for a recalibration of Africa’s regional integration models, a process whereby “champion countries” spearhead a less ambitious, but more effective agenda that addresses the region’s immediate development needs – prioritizing trade facilitation and regulatory cooperation in areas related primarily to the conduct of business and underpinned by a security regime emphasising the good governance agenda at the domestic level. He goes on to ...
July 19, 2010
Posted: 06:25 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on July 19, 2010
Joining up Africa: Support to Regional Integration addresses key issues to improve donor support to regional integration processes in Africa. The principal conclusion is that the Paris Declaration principles are not as well applied at the regional as at national level in Africa, though both regional organisations and development partners are keen that they should be. A number of challenges need to be overcome to achieve real progress before the Seoul High Level Forum in 2011. Can you add any experiences or suggestions?
February 1, 2010
Posted: 10:38 AM UTC
by ECDPM Editorial Team on February 1, 2010
As a small and vulnerable region, the Caribbean is likely to be even more affected by the international economic crisis and new global challenges. The Caribbean has had longstanding relations with the European Union since 1975, but both are redefining their external relations priorities in the context of a rapidly evolving geopolitical scene. The challenge now it seems is to start a joint reflection process on a future partnership that enables both parties to better respond to global challenges. Caribbean integration and the future Caribbean-EU partnership is one area addressed under the recently established Memorandum ...
