The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council made several conclusions on development issues.
(Brussels, 16/05/2014) The EU’s Foreign Affairs Council made several conclusions on development issues today at its meeting in Brussels.
CONCORD reactions:
EU remains world’s biggest aid donor but off track on aid targets
“Just one year before the deadline, the EU Member States have to increase their Official Development Assitance by €41.3billion in order to reach the 0.7% target. The EU is repeating its aid commitments without making any concrete action to reach the target. This is unacceptable. Moreover, the EU will lose its credibility if it steps back from its commitments especially ahead of the UN Financing for Development in post 2015” says Luca De Fraia from CONCORD AidWatch. More info on AidWatch’s full reaction.
Post-2015 framework must go beyond business as usual
“The EU needs to take full responsibility for ensuring that the Post-2015 sustainable development framework goes beyond business as usual. This means a future framework that is transformative, universal, integrates the three pillars of sustainable development, tackles poverty and inequality and takes a human rights based approach,” says Sally Nicholson from the CONCORD-Beyond2015 European Task Force.
Human rights “toolbox”
We welcome the EU’s efforts to ensure a Human Rights Based Approach for its development cooperation and the elaboration of the Rights-Based Approach tool-box to support this. Whilst we are pleased to a see the tool-box reaffirm support to human rights defenders and for creating an enabling environment for civil society as partners, we are disappointed that economic and social rights are not better integrated, as they are key to achieve a sustainable development. We count on the EU to foster the human rights based approach, bilaterally and in the post-2015 negotiations in a way which affirms the universal application and indivisible nature of rights held by people across the world.” said Save the Children’s EU Office Director Ester Asin.
ENDS