EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has identified three priorities: a geopolitical EU Commission, the development of a European Green Deal and a stronger global role for the EU. What opportunities and challenges arise from these priorities for EU development policy and for relations with Africa? How can these priorities be agreed with the AU-EU summit, the negotiations on the multiannual financial framework or the post-Cotonou agreement? And how can Germany help shape these debates as part of the EU Council Presidency in the second half of 2020? These questions were discussed on a panel organized by the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) and the EU Commission representative in Germany on 19 December 2019 in Berlin.
Koen Doens, EU Commission Director for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) emphasized that, given the increasing pressure on multilateralism, Europe must act concurrently in different policy areas. The EU must overcome traditional donor-recipient structures and find mutual forms of cooperation. Christoph Rauh, Deputy-Director General for Africa at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, announced that Africa policy would be a central topic of the German EU Presidency and suggested that the model of reform partnerships be adopted at the European level. Eefje Schmid from the European Investment Bank emphasized that the EIB will also act as a climate bank outside the EU and especially in Africa to finance a just transformation towards sustainability. The Africa department head of Bread for the World, Reinhard Palm, focused on the importance of a value-based migration policy for the success of European development policy. Niels Keijzer (DIE) emphasized that the EU and its member states need to work much more closely together in development policy in order to make a significant difference in view of the global challenges. In conclusion, moderator Christine Hackenesch (DIE) argued that important steps will be taken in 2020 that will determine whether the EU can make its contribution to achieving the SDGs and the Paris Agreement by 2030.
The compilation, edited by Markus Kaltenborn, Markus Krajewski and Heike Kuhn, focusses on the multifaceted interlinkages between human rights and the concept of sustainable development in general as well as with regard to specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the chapter “Reflecting on the Right to Development from the Perspective of Global Environmental Change and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, Imme Scholz analyses whether the “Right to Development” needs to be reviewed from the perspective of global environmental change as well as other global challenges of the 21st century. The Declaration on the Right to Development was adopted by the United Nations in 1986 and was back then understood as a claim of all individuals and peoples to the full realisation of all human rights. From today’s perspective, one misses a clear reference to the protection of the natural foundations of life in general and of humanity in particular, as formulated in the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. The compilation is published by Springer and available open Access.
The 2019 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 25) from 2-13 December was all about raising ambitions of countries’ climate plans, rules for global emissions trading and addressing loss and damage from climate change. Together with partners from around the world, DIE co-hosted a series of events on managing climate risk and loss and damage, the prospects of EU climate cooperation, the role of non-state actors, and on climate-induced migration.
Climate risks, and loss and damage
DIE co-hosted an official UNFCCC side event on “Breaking new ground: advancing loss and damage governance and finance mechanisms” together with the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI), Bread for the World, and ACT Alliance. Heike Henn, Commissioner for Climate Policy and Climate Financing of Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) discussed critical areas for enhanced action on loss and damage and the potential role of Germany in supporting these processes. Richard Klein (Stockholm Environment Institute) delivered a thought-provoking keynote on practical approaches to deal with loss and damage, and DIE Associate Researcher Idil Boran (York University) presented elements of an effective climate risk governance.
Moreover, Mariya Aleksandrova presented her research on climate risks and opportunities for the social protection sector during the Development and Climate Days organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC), International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and the InsuResilience Global Partnership.
Harnessing development cooperation to enhance climate ambition
Further, DIE co-organized a science-policy event, together with IDDRI and the EU Commission’s DG DEVCO, on harnessing external cooperation to raise climate ambition. More than ever, the EU is expected to exert strong leadership on climate action. This event highlighted key opportunities to enhance climate ambition through development cooperation with EU partner countries.
The first session of the event highlighted key features of EU and German external cooperation – past, present and future – in relation to climate change through presentations from DG DEVCO and BMZ, and engaged the perspective of partner countries through an input from Dr Godfrey Bahiigwa, Director of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union. Further highlighting the links between climate and development policies and the need for policy coherence, the second session brought in scientific perspectives to identify key opportunities and areas that warrant greater attention, with a particular focus on land-use and agriculture in Africa.
DIE researcher Gabriela Iacobuta presented research on NDC-SDG linkages and recommendations of the European Think Tanks Group (ETTG). Zinta Zommers, lead author of the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land and Jonathan Mockshell, agricultural economist from International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), provided expertise on climate change implications for future land-use in Africa.
Gabriela Iacobuta shared her expertise on the importance of raising climate ambition through development cooperation in an interview at the UNFCCC’s Climate Action Studio.
Global climate action
In another official UNFCCC side event DIE, together with York University (Canada), and partners from Brazil and Italy, discussed the role of nature-based solutions (NBS) in Global Climate Action beyond 2020. The event featured inputs from both the secretariats of the UNFCCC and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), as well as examples of NBS from urban areas and forests. The discussion was moderated by DIE Associate Researcher Idil Boran (York University). DIE researcher Sander Chan presented empirical findings on the Global Climate Action agenda in the context of the UNFCCC.
Moreover, Sander Chan presented recommendations and a research plan that emerged from a climate action workshop during a high level panel session, with inter alia, High-level Climate Champion Gonzalo Munoz, and Special Envoy of the Secretary General for the 2019 Climate Action Summit, Luis Alfonso de Alba. In an additional side event on “Lessons learned for future NDCs: making climate action more transparent and ambitious”, Sander Chan shared data-based findings from a study on links between national climate strategies and non-state and subnational climate action in NDCs.
Our video shows the tremendous potential of non-state and subnational actors to contribute to a low-carbon future, and a future that is sustainable and beneficial for all.
Diogo Andreola Serraglio, DIE guest researcher and Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, discussed legal approaches to address climate-induced migration in Latin America and the Caribbean at the side event “Strategies for climate action in Latin America: human mobility in the spotlight” organised by the South American Network for Environmental Migrations (RESAMA) and the Observatory on Climate Change, Disasters and Human Mobility in Latin America and the Caribbean (MOVE-LAM), with the support of EUROCLIMA+.
Migration and climate change are both highly complex phenomena. Our video explains terms, concepts and cases worldwide.
Am 9. Dezember 2019 präsentierte Geovana Zoccal am Deutschen Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) ihr Forschungsprojekt „Jenseits von Nord und Süd: Stärkung der Dreieckskooperation für globale Entwicklung“. Geovana Zoccal ist Forscherin am BRICS Policy Center in Rio de Janeiro, einem wichtigen Partner des DIE in Brasilien, und war über ein Alexander-von-Humboldt Stipendium für die letzten zwei Jahre im Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) tätig. Das Podium, moderiert von Heiner Janus (DIE), bestand aus Geovana Zoccal, Rita Walraf (BMZ), JI Lanlan (China Institute for South-South-Cooperation in Agriculture und Teilnehmerin der MGG Academy 2019) sowie Sven Grimm (DIE). In der Diskussion wurde die strategische Bedeutung der Dreieckskooperation als eine besondere Form von Multi-Stakeholder Zusammenarbeit hervorgehoben. Jenseits des geringen Finanzvolumens kann Dreieckskooperation von großem Nutzen sein etwa für ein Lernen von und übereinander sowie für die Zusammenarbeit mit Staaten nach ihrer „Graduierung“ aus der Entwicklungshilfe (Official Development Assistance).
Insbesondere seit der Wende zum 21. Jahrhundert haben sich neue Modalitäten, neue Akteure und neue Beziehungsdynamiken in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit etabliert. Die traditionelle Entwicklungshilfe (Official Development Assistance, ODA) zwischen einem Geber- und einem Empfängerland ist nicht mehr die einzige Leitpraxis der internationalen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit. Im März 2019 hatte bereits die zweite hochrangige Konferenz der Vereinten Nationen über die Süd-Süd-Zusammenarbeit (BAPA+40) stattgefunden. Dort war die Süd-Süd-Zusammenarbeit als zentraler Bestandteil der Umsetzung der Agenda 2030 festgehalten und die Rolle der Dreieckszusammenarbeit hervorgehoben worden.
More than 20 researchers from three continents gathered at the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) for a roundtable discussion and a research workshop to discuss whether and how social protection programmes have an impact on social cohesion. Gabriele Köhler (UNRISD) affirmed the question with reference to research on several South Asian countries. Stefan Beierl and Marina Dodlova (University of Passau) reported limited evidence of this finding for public works schemes in Malawi. Markus Loewe and Tina Zintl (DIE), in contrast, presented clear evidence that cash-for-work programmes in Jordan have a positive impact on the relations between Syrian refugees and Jordanian nationals. Francesco Burchi and Christoph Strupat (DIE), for their part, had not found evidence in Malawi that money transfers improve social cohesion, while participation in savings groups contributed to strengthen in-group trust and cooperation. Elsa Valli (UNICEF Office of Research) stressed, with reference to research on Ecuador, that the design of social protection schemes is decisive for their impact on social cohesion. Rachel Slater (University of Wolverhampton) warned that the withdrawal of a social transfer programme can damage social cohesion far more than its introduction would ever promote it. In addition, she emphasised that the removal of a social transfer scheme can destroy social cohesion much more easily than its launch can ever raise social cohesion. Morteza Ghelich and Ali Akbar Tajmazinani (University of Tehran) provided evidence for the negative effect of social protection spending cuts on social cohesion from Iran. Keetie Roelen noted that, conversely, social cohesion can also have a positive impact on the effectiveness of social protection systems. A matter of discussion has been the definition of the term „social cohesion“, with all participants ultimately agreeing that it has both a horizontal component (intra-society relations) and a vertical component (relations between citizens and the local or state institutions). Daniele Malerba (DIE) emphasized that the effects of social transfers on social cohesion are also important because they may increase the acceptability of climate change mitigation measures.
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