Excerpts from the interview with PFD co-chair Jorge Balbis

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Jorge Balbis

What do you hope to achieve via the PFD and why did you decide to get involved and even beyond, co-chair the PFD?

We want to capitalize on the experiences of the Structured Dialogue (SD) - to enable the functioning of a dialogue mechanism that has the mandate of many people and can be an example to be replicated in other domains and by other actors in the fields of development and cooperation. We have a lot of expectations and questions, but we think it is very valuable in the space of political dialogue and different actors and the European Commission.

My colleagues selected me as co-chair, and I will do the best that I can do. I can not do it without the participation of others, as it is a delegated task.

What will you specifically like to achieve in 2014? and beyond?

In the Global PFD in Brussels this year, we need to have concrete approaches from different sectors - the positions of each that will allow us to have meaningful dialogue and some clear, systematic reflection on the forum agenda. It is essential that the various sectors and forum participants take over the dynamics, making substantive contributions that allow us to go beyond an exercise in information exchange. Sharing information is rich and necessary, but it is not a sufficient goal for the Forum.

To achieve this, we need to help different sectors to prepare, to arrive at the meetings with positions on papers - on each agenda item. And simultaneously, sectors and participants should prepare their interventions, developed with input from their constituencies and agreed prior to the meetings.

Finally, people must know the forum - we have to spread the word about the PFD. This is  simple but indispensable. We have to dedicate ourselves to spread the meaning and political relevance beyond the people who know the Forum already.  We can use the Forum to meet and try to engage national authorities in the same type of dialogue.

What makes the EU PFD different from other policy fora?

In this forum, we have possibility to have global approaches combined with European issues.

The meeting and dialogue between CSOs and LAs is unique to the Forum. This dialogue is more an ideal than a reality. Normally, each is talking to their own constituents, without much interaction. Each dialogues separately with the EC but not with each other. There has been no tripartite dialogue until now in this Forum. We have not yet achieved a true three way dialogue yet. We must try to achieve this with more direct, more dynamic dialogue.

Click here to read part two of this interview