Category: ECDPM

ETTG OECD Webinar - Weathering the storm: what role for multilateral development finance in response to the COVID-19 crisis
Videos / ECDPM / ETTG

ETTG webinar event in cooperation with OECD – Weathering the storm: what role for multilateral development finance in response to the COVID-19 crisis

On Thursday 29 of October at 16:00 pm (CET) we hosted a webinar event in cooperation with OECD on multilateral development finance in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The webinar investigated the dynamics of the Multilateral Development Finance framework in the wake of COVID-19, and made concrete recommendations on the most effective and impactful ways forward.

Pandemic brings urgency to transform the world’s food system now
Covid-19 / ECDPM

Pandemic brings urgency to transform the world’s food system now

Africa has not been spared by the COVID-19 emergency. Beyond the immediate health effects, the pandemic threatens the world’s already fragile food system, with particularly severe consequences in Africa. The Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity believes that the solution lies in small-scale food producers and farmer-managed seed systems.

Strengthening the digital partnership between Africa and Europe
ECDPM / DIE / Publication

Strengthening the digital partnership between Africa and Europe

Digitalisation is the use of digital technologies and digitised data in enterprises and organisations, with far-reaching implications for how work gets done and how customers engage and interact with operations. There can be no doubt that digitalisation is transforming business models, revolutionising societies and creating new revenue streams around the globe. Now, more than ever, we need to understand and harness the power of digitalisation, to further the global common good.

Visit of Josep Borrell Fontelles, Vice-President of the European Commission and Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner to Ethiopia
Covid-19 / ECDPM

Fit for purpose: The EU’s role in global health in the era of COVID-19

Although COVID-19 is having a significant impact on the economy, politics and health, it did not cause a fundamental change in the rules of the game when it comes to the EU’s limited role as a global health player. The block needs to address persistent coordination issues between the EU and its member states – as well as across EU institutions – if it wishes to enhance its effectiveness and credibility in this arena.

International funding for peacebuilding: Will COVID-19 change or reinforce existing trends?
Covid-19 / ECDPM

International funding for peacebuilding: Will COVID-19 change or reinforce existing trends?

COVID-19 has exacerbated factors influencing international support for peacebuilding, including a more volatile geopolitical order and changes in domestic priorities in donor countries. Peacebuilding and a conflict-sensitive approach have not yet been at the forefront of the international responses to COVID-19, undermining attempts to ‘build back better’ in a world where negative conflict dynamics are increasingly apparent.

Advancing EU-Africa cooperation in light of the African Continental Free Trade Area
ECDPM / DIE / Publication

Advancing EU-Africa cooperation in light of the African Continental Free Trade Area

The current policy brief lays out the obstacles to both AfCFTA implementation and realisation of its full economic potential. It also explores how the EU can engage in providing targeted support and how to strengthen AfCFTA-related cooperation between Africa and the EU. The analysis and recommendations draw on a review of the literature and policy documents by the German Development Institute (DIE), the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) and the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), as well as two online expert seminars on 17 and 24 June 2020.

The AU-EU Summit didn’t prove immune to COVID-19 – but that may be a blessing in disguise
Covid-19 / ECDPM / Blogs

The AU-EU Summit didn’t prove immune to COVID-19 – but that may be a blessing in disguise

This year was supposed to be crucial for Africa-Europe relations, culminating in the sixth AU-EU Summit, scheduled for 28 and 29 October in Brussels. But then COVID-19 happened. After a long palaver, a decision was finally taken: the summit will be postponed to 2021, although a date still needs to be fixed. Geert Laporte explains why postponing may not be such a bad thing.

European fear of ‘missing out’ and narratives on China in Africa
ECDPM / Publication

European fear of ‘missing out’ and narratives on China in Africa

The ETTG note debunks some of the dominant myths surrounding Chinese engagement in Africa and unpacks the evolving relationship between China and the African continent. It starts by looking closer at common European perceptions about China-Africa relations. It then provides a brief sketch of the historical underpinnings of China’s engagement in Africa. Afterwards, it looks at how the notion of competition with rising global powers like China has influenced the EU’s relations with African partners.

Policy coherence issues emerging from COVID-19 with a focus on healthcare supply chains
Covid-19 / ECDPM

Policy coherence issues emerging from COVID-19 with a focus on healthcare supply chains

The management of the coronavirus pandemic has been considerably impaired by a dearth of essential medical and pharmaceutical products. Disruptions in supply chains for healthcare goods have caused shortages and tight inventories. The reliance of many countries, particularly in Europe and Africa, on products imported from a few international suppliers is largely the result of the process of globalisation in the past decades. In conjunction with the lack of preparedness of health and civil protection systems, interdependencies in healthcare sectors, notably between Europe and Asia, made them vulnerable to a crisis affecting both exporters and importers.