1st Regional Meeting Europe
On 15 and 16 January 2018, the first Regional PFD Meeting Europe took place in Ghent (Belgium). More than 100 representatives of civil society organisations and local authorities and European institutions came together to discuss a variety of relevant topics related to the EU's development policies and the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the New European Consensus on Development. The discussions focused in particular on the following topics:
- Policy coherence for development to achieve the SDGs
- Enabling environment for development actors
- Cities: how can urban centres foster inclusive sustainable development?
- Recent trends in EU external action policies and programmes
List of participants
International Convention Center Agenda |
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12:00-12:30 |
Welcome speeches
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12:30-13:15 |
Objective: To introduce the PFD to the participants, presenting its main goals, on-going work and relevance to encourage further policy dialogue amongst stakeholders. This session will include PFD Task Team members and invite participation from the audience.
Moderator: Loic Lallemand Zeller, Deputy Head of Unit, Civil Society, Foundations, DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission |
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13:15-14:15 |
Lunch |
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14:15-15:45 |
Objective: To look at the EU’s commitment to Policy Coherence for Development in light of the SDGs as a new, universal approach. This panel session will share different perspectives on policy coherence for development. Speakers will also discuss progress towards achieving the SDGs.
Marie-Aurelie Vernin, Team Leader, Policy Coherence for Development (PCD), DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission Eva Corral, Policy Adviser, Development Cooperation Coordination Division at European External Action Service Marta Marin, Delegate of the Basque Country to the EU Sally Nicholson, Head, Development Policy and Finance, World Wide Fund for Nature Mirza Muleskovic, Head, Department for International Affairs and Projects, Unija poslodavaca Crne Gore, Montenegrin Employers Federation
Moderator: Maruxa Cardama, Global sustainability agendas adviser |
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15:45-16:00 |
Coffee Break |
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16:00-15:45 |
Objective: To understand the current trends in civic space in the achievement of the sustainable development goals looking into the challenges to the preservation of civic space and their effects on the work environment of development actors.
Vassilis Maragos, Head of Unit, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Eastern Partnership, DG Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission Frédéric Vallier, Secretary General, Council of European Municipalities and Regions Anton Leppik, Executive Secretary, Pan-European Regional Council – International Trade Union Confederation (PERC-ITUC) Asa Thomasson, EU Policy Coordinator, CONCORD, Sweden
Moderator: Rosário Bento Pais, Head of Unit, Civil Society and Foundations, DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission |
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17:30 |
Departure for site visit at “Peace house” with welcome by the Mayor of the city of Ghent and networking dinner |
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09:00-09:30 |
Objective: to remind participants of key points of discussion of day 1 |
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09:30-11:00 |
Objective: This session aims to debate how sustainable urban development can be realised and how urban governance challenges (city management, need for land management, urban planning, urban design, urban mobility, etc.) affect governments as well as civil society, private sector, workers and social entrepreneurs. Panellists will discuss possible new ways to boost the development of inclusive and sustainable cities through the use of twinning/partnership tool, taking into account the recent Staff Working Document on Sustainable Cities and its Action Plan on Local Authorities.
Paolo Ciccarelli, Head of Unit, Cities, Local Authorities, Digitalisation and Infrastructure, DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission Jérôme Tebaldi, Deputy Mayor of Tours (France), Cités Unies France William Cobbett, Director, City Alliances Ramon Mari D. Bultron, International Coordinator, International Migrants Alliance (IMA)
Moderator: Wouter Boesman, Director, PLATFORMA |
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11:00-11:15 |
Coffee Break |
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11:15-13:00 |
Objective: To examine more in-depth several current EU development policies and relate them to the current political challenges, stated policy values and progress toward the SDGs discussed on the first day. Specifically, to look at the European Investment Plan, including its window for sustainable cities and the increasing context of fragility and subsequent security and migration issues.
Panel 1 covering: Private sector accountability in development: The private sector makes an important contribution to job and growth creation, but how to guarantee that jobs are decent and growth is sustainable? What are the potential investment opportunities for cities under the new European External Investment Plan (EIP)?
The debate will explore how to ensure private sector interventions support development goals. It will explore how PFD constituents can engage in EU initiatives on innovative development financing (EIP) and how to ensure these mechanisms abide by development effectiveness principles.
Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, Head of Division, Development Cooperation Coordination Division, European External Action Service Wobine Buijs-Glaudemans, Mayor of Oss (Netherlands), Association of Netherlands Municipalities Paulus Geraedts, Team Leader, Outreach and Investment Services, Secretariat of the External Investment Plan, European Commission Paola Simonetti, Coordinator for Development, International Trade Union Confederation – Trade Union Development Cooperation Network (ITUC – TUDCN) Marc Noel, International Development Director, International Cooperative Alliance Marie Gad, Chair, Development Group, BusinessEurope Moderator: Teri Schultz, Independent journalist |
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13:00-14:00 |
Lunch |
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14:00-15:30 |
Panel 2 covering: Security, migration and peacebuilding: During the last years, we have witnessed the rise of challenges such as fragility, inequality, climate change and forced migration. Can development efforts provide solutions to these challenges?
The debate will look at how EU development policies (A Strategic Approach to Resilience in the EU’s External Action) can play a role to further the peace and security agenda and the place of CSOs and local governments to support those efforts.
Manuela Cabral, Head of Unit, Resilience and Fragility, DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission Geneviève Sevrin, General Director, Cités Unies France Liina Carr, Confederal Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation Izabella Toth, Senior Strategist, CORDAID, CONCORD Policy Direction Committee, member of the PFD Task Team
Moderator: Elizabeth Collett, Director, Migration Policy Institute Europe |
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15:30-16:00 |
Coffee Break |
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16:00-17:00 |
Rosário Bento Pais, Head of Unit, Civil Society and Foundations, DG International Cooperation and Development, European Commission Izabella Toth, Senior Strategist, CORDAID, CONCORD Policy Direction Committee, member of the PFD Task Team Kelmend Zajazi, Executive Director, Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe |
Related documents
PDF presentation Gent 2018
English (3.87 MB - PDF)