#edd13

On 12  December, just two weeks after European Development Days ministers from EU countries postponed a deal that would cut the percentage of biofuels at the petrol stations from 10% to a watered-down proposal of 7% (instead of an original 5%). The support for the first generation of biofuels is an ill-conceived EU policy that has negative impacts on food prices, deforestation and land degradation in developing countries. This is a sad example of the lacking "policy coherance for development". The EDDs are one of the biggest events in development cooperation community. Last year they were held for the eighth time, on 26-27 November in Brussels with around 7000 participants. Here are a few personal main ponits and observations:

- the focus on cooperation with private sector and especially multinationals was even more evident than in 2012 (CSR, PPP, blending of grants and corporate loans or investments)

- Not much focus on startups, social enterprise or innovative technology, maybe after the excitement with M-Pesa there is no other really succesful innovation that would "disrupt" the status quo in development cooperation.

- Data revolution in development was mentioned but also less enthusiastically  

- Interestingly there was a corner dedicated to data protection with a few NGOs, such as RWB. I guess an EC reaction to the Snowden saga.

- Very big focus on post 2015 agenda and search for the process and content of the goals that should replace the MDGs. These goals could be unified for both developed and developing countries ( quality education, youth employment and inequality reduction...). Also a focus on new metrics of development beyond GDP. Especially inequality.

- How to change the narrative and sell the development agenda to EU citizens? DevCo comissioner Piebalgs used a phrase 'International solution, national interest'. According to a recent Eurobarometer poll 66% of Europeans think helping poorer countries is beneficial also for the EU and 48% would buy more expensive grocieries if they knew the product benefits the poor. 

- Last year a 20th anniversary of OHCHR and EU Special Delagate for Human Rights was celebrated. In 2012 it was an anniversary of ECHO. Human rights and promotion of good governance remain important but they are not so stressed as in the past. New EU members play an important role in sharing the transition experience. But I'm not sure if with Ethiopia or Liberia (participants of one panel on transition)

- The case of worsening education in Nigeria was presneted together with a solution of eLearning delivered by satelite television - an example of PPP. (From our own ICT4E projects in Kenya we could see where some problems may arrise - generators, expensive equipment, need for sustained training and feedback, too ambitious scale-up. But fingers crossed.)  

Jakub Simek, Program Manager (ICT4E  - Kenya, CSR - Belarus)