The Agenda For Change, first unveiled in 2011 and approved in May 2012, will determine European Union (EU)’s development policy in the coming years. It is an attempt to improve EU poverty reduction efforts by making its development assistance “more strategic, targeted and results-oriented”.[i] “Impact” has become a buzzword among European development officials but issues that plague European development cooperation over the years call to question whether or not the new overseas aid policy can

24 August 2013 Bangkok, Thailand – Asia and the Pacific civil society groups representing 92 organisations from 21 countries representing various major groups and stakeholders gathered in Bangkok to formulate a just and transformative development agenda towards post-2015 and beyond. Our world is currently at a crossroads. Facing multiple and interconnected crises of environment, finance, food, energy, democracy and most of all a crisis of deep inequalities, we are confronted with a challenge and an

IBON Post-2015 Updates 27 August 2013 Bangkok, Thailand – Civil society has engaged Asia & Pacific governments in the Asia Pacific Ministerial Dialogue (APMD) to commit to real transformative change. Yet propositions that strongly articulate the need for equity have been stubbornly opposed by the United States and other advanced countries who are not even part of the region but members of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). The US,

Following the success and achievements of civil society advocacy and engagement during the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, the Reality of Aid – Asia Pacific has successfully established the CPDE platform in the region. The 1st Asia Pacific CPDE Coordination Committee (CC) Meeting was held last July 1-2, 2013 in Bangkok. Sub-regional consultations in Central Asia, North East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia, and the Pacific  were also completed early this year.

The Reality of Aid Asia Pacific (RoA-AP) held the CSO Aid Observatorio Regional Skills Training in Kathmandu, Nepal on 24-28 June 2013. The main objective of the training is to increase capacities of CSOs from pilot countries in setting up aid monitoring centers at the country level. CSO representatives from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mongolia, Nepal and Vietnam attended the training. The idea behind this project was the result of RoA-AP’s country outreach work on the road

The CPDE has developed a Framework for assessing progress in the enabling environment for civil society organizations (attached in an annex).  The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC) will be monitoring progress since Busan on a number of indicators relating to Busan commitments, including Indicator Two on the enabling environment for CSOs. In September 2013, the CPDE Working Group on Enabling Environment will be producing a Synthesis of Evidence to contribute to the OECD