The European Development Days: Towards a more effective European aid
The European Development Days constitute a unique forum for exchanging ideas about current development-related issues. 5,000 people from all over the world will gather to debate and learn more about the latest hot topics in the domain of international cooperation. Belgium, the current holder of the EU Presidency, will be organising the fifth edition of the event in Brussels, working closely together with the EU institutions.
Brussels
This year the European Development Days (EDDs) will take place on 6 and 7 December in Brussels, with the participation of Belgian Development Cooperation. This high-profile international meeting is the year’s top event for those involved in European and international development cooperation.
Core Topics
2010 will see the 5th edition of the European Development Days, which will primarily be geared towards mapping out the way forward for European development cooperation. The debates will centre around:
- The Green Book for Development that the European Commission will publish on the sidelines of the EDDs;
- the Agenda for Aid Effectiveness; and
- the institutional reforms arising from the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon.
Programme of the European Development days - Short Overview - Programme in detail
Belgium and the European Development days
Belgium is organising two high-level political panels:
- The Post-Lisbon panel on the impact of the Treaty of Lisbon on European aid.
- The LDC panel on the need to attend to Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Africa in particular.
We will also be organising two technical seminars on topics that are important to Belgium: 1) Aid Effectiveness and Domestic Accountability (being accountable to citizens), and 2) Child Labour in the Cocoa Sector. You can follow these debates directly on the EDD website.
For the general public
The EDDs Public Programme gives citizens an opportunity to enjoy around 10 socio-cultural events that have something to do with international solidarity. Between 27 November and 7 December there will be a fashion show, concerts, films, workshops, exhibitions, dance performances and competitions in Brussels to choose from, mostly accessible free of charge. The Public Programme was put together and financed by Belgian Development Cooperation.
Find out all about the Public Programme and The Public Programme in detail Ontdek het publiek programma en het Publiek Programma in detail.
Open format
The forum’s open format means that anyone can take part: NGOs, business leaders, universities, politicians, members of parliament, international institutions, local authorities, media representatives, youth representatives, and so on. The debates will be balanced in terms of the participants’ gender and geographical origins.
An emmission-free forum
Climate change could condemn millions of people to poverty, and an event of this kind generates plenty of CO2 emissions. Consequently, it would be irresponsible to disregard its impact on the environment. CO2 emissions can be offset by setting up energy-efficient projects. Exhibitors and organisers will have their opportunity to do so by financing a green project of their choice to ‘rub out’ the ecological footprint of a panel or stand.
For further information : http://www.eudevdays.eu./
The European Development Days in number
5,000 participants from 125 countries
2 days to exchange ideas and debate
250 speakers
15 high-level panels and 35 seminars
110 stands in the ' Development Village', a trade fair for development experts
10 days of socio-cultural events in Brussels
