Summary : The “United Nations Millennium Declaration”, endorsed in 2000, and the accompanying Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted in 2002, have been important instruments in streamlining and coordinating international development action. Since the targets were defined, significant progress has been achieved in almost all the MDGs but there are also numerous challenges that have not been addressed with the necessary commitment by the various stakeholders. New global realities and challenges have enormous implications on new development strategies. In order to agree on a common UN post-2015 development agenda several options are on the table. As one of the key actors, the EU has an important role to play in defining a new post-2015 framework. The EU is likely to build on the current MDG approach and to maintain poverty eradication as the central objective. However, it will probably aim at a more balanced and holistic rights-based approach to the three dimensions (economic, social and environmental) of sustainable development than in the current MDG framework. As a main recommendation of the study, the EP is prompted to use its own-initiative report on the post-2015 development framework to encourage the EU as a whole to ensure a bottomup approach at the national level in both developed and developing countries – with a broad participation of the marginalised in particular, so as to guarantee their voices are listened to and their needs seriously addressed.

Authors : Pedro MORAZÁN (SÜDWIND e.V. - Institut für Ökonomie und Ökumene), Arno BEHRENS (CEPS), Monica ALESSI (CEPS) and Heiner JANUS (DIE)

Committees : Development

Summary : After a coalition of rebels entered the capital of the Central African Republic on 24 March, President François Bozizé fled to Cameroon. Bangui, the capital, was plunged into chaos, and the situation there remains volatile. Capping years of violent conflict, an offensive by rebel forces destabilised the country in 2012. Under international pressure, a ceasefire was brokered in January 2013, bringing a short-lived unity government to power. Following the coup, the African Union suspended the Central African Republic's membership and imposed sanctions on rebel leaders. The EU, UN, and US have all condemned the violent coup, while remaining silent on the status of the unpopular ousted president. Even before the latest rebellion, the country faced a deepening humanitarian crisis. It is essential that public order and stability are restored and that the risk of regional spillover contained. The country's new self-proclaimed President, Michel Djotodia, has pledged to maintain a power-sharing government. He will need to create a wider, inclusive political and economic model to achieve lasting stability.

Authors : Judit BARNA (Policy Department, DG EXPO, European Parliament)

Committees : Development

Summary : Although it may seem that there is ample time to discuss the future of ACP–EU relations after the Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020, fundamental questions need to be answered by both partners before any decision is reached. Reflections should start with an assessment of the three pillars of the current partnership — development cooperation, trade relations and political dialogue — as well as the work of joint institutions. Looking ahead, three broad scenarios for post-2020 are envisaged in this paper: a dissolution of the joint partnership and its replacement with regional arrangements; the development of an overarching ACP–EU partnership that coexists with strengthened Regional Economic Communities (RECs); or the emergence of a more dynamic and cohesive ACP group, which may establish global partnerships beyond the EU. Each of these options will have very different implications and require a different response from the ACP and EU partners. Determining which outcome is most likely will be easier once the formal positions of the ACP and EU are defined and negotiations for the third revision of Cotonou (2015) get underway.

Authors : Manuel MANRIQUE GIL (European Parliament, Directorate-General for External Policies of the Union, Policy Department)

Committees : Development

Summary : Modified (GM) crops are increasingly grown in developing countries and can lead to socioeconomic benefits and costs depending on where and how they are adopted. After examining conventional assessments of farm-level indicators such as: yield increase, pesticide costs, farmers' incomes from GM crops, the paper goes on to argue that a variety of structural issues at the national and international level have to be considered in order to obtain a comprehensive picture on the potential which GM crops have to enhance food security in developing countries. Hence, the paper further explores the relationship between GM crops and biodiversity against the backdrop of agro-ecology as a potentially beneficial concept for smallholders in developing countries.

Authors : Timo KAPHENGST (Ecologic Institute, Germany) and Lucy SMITH (Ecologic Institute, Germany)

Committees : Development

Summary : Caste-based discrimination is a serious human rights violation, negatively affecting political, economic, social, cultural and civil rights of approximately 260 million people worldwide. The European Union is committed to the promotion of human rights within the EU and in its external relations. This brief aims to assess to what extent the EU has integrated the fight against caste-based discrimination in its external relations. Light is shed on the specific situations in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Yemen and the European Union’s actions to address caste-based discrimination in these countries. Based on the analysis, the briefing elaborates recommendations on how the EU can mainstream the fight against caste-based discrimination into policies, strategies and programmes as well as dialogues with caste-affected countries. Legal realities and options for addressing discrimination vary between the partner countries. In order to mainstream the fight against caste-based discrimination, the EU, and the EEAS in particular, should utilize all options with regard to that country, including association agreements as well as partnership and cooperation agreements. Regarding countries that will not receive bilateral aid, the focus should be put on dialogues to address caste-based discrimination. Lessons on mainstreaming can be gained from the European Union’s experience in mainstreaming human rights.

Authors : A HUMAN RIGHTS AND POVERTY REVIEW: EU ACTION IN ADDRESSING CASTE-BASED DISCRIMINATION

Committees : Development

Summary : Social protection can play a key role in reducing poverty and inequality. Growing recognition of this potential impact has led social protection to rise up the agenda of policymakers in the international development community. In recent years, increased social protection coverage in developing countries has been achieved by the expansion of a combination of programmes. The further expansion of social insurance remains a challenge as a result of low participation in the formal economy and the types of risks encountered by the poor. Initiatives to address these obstacles include the promotion of formal employment, reduction of inequalities in education and extension of coverage through community-based schemes with the support of government. While some degree of private for-profit and nonfor profit involvement in social protection provision may contribute to extending coverage, government efforts are central to ensuring that the barriers faced in reaching the poorest are overcome and that access to and quality of services are guaranteed. Social protection lies at the heart of the European social model. The European experience awards a unique role to EU development cooperation in supporting social protection in developing countries. In coordination with other donors, the EU should support the efforts of governments in promoting inclusive social protection.

Authors : Francesca BASTAGLI (OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE, the UK)

Committees : Development

Summary : The de facto partition of the country is both a result and a cause of the political crisis in Bamako. The humanitarian situation in the north of the country has worsened, with numerous human rights violations reported. The interim institutions face difficulties in steering the transition process. The last four months of 2012 have seen the intensification of diplomatic efforts to authorise deploying an African-led force in the north of the country. The EU has called for a coherent and comprehensive approach. The EU Council has endorsed the concept of a new CSDP training mission in Mali. Within the UN, the US and France disagree on the best way forward. Recent events are likely to delay the adoption of a UN resolution.

Authors : Valerie RAMET (Policy department, DG EXPO, EP)

Committees : Development

Summary : This note seeks to provide an initial analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the European Commission's Impact Assessment accompanying the proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps. Both the Council and the European Parliament have expressed strong support for such an initiative, reaffirming the key role of the Union in promoting volunteering.

Authors : Alina Alexandra Georgescu

Committees : Impact Assessment, Development

Summary : The regime of Sudan's President Omar Al Bashir's regime is facing its most important challenges in recent years. Sudan lost 75 % of its oil revenues following the independence of South Sudan. Its economy will contract by 11.2 percent this year. This has encouraged popular protests and reduced the regime's resources. Army generals and intelligence officers were among the 13 people arrested for plotting a coup d'état in November. The arrests signal a widening rift between hard- and soft-liners in Khartoum. Political opposition is growing, and protests are becoming more frequent. An alliance of armed groups — the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF) — was launched in 2011. Sudan is at the crossroads of Africa and the Middle East, and its future trajectory will influence regional dynamics.

Authors : Manuel MANRIQUE GIL (Policy Department, DG EXPO, European Parliament)

Committees : Development