Cooperation for the Global South - guide for the NGOs

In 2006 the aid provided by the EU constituted around 55% of the global development assistance. The figure included also the money from the New Member States allocated for the purpose. Unfortunately, in spite of the huge sums of support money reported, sustainable development of the Global South countries is still hanging in the balance. According to the reports drawn up by the international organisations monitoring the EU Member States’ adherence to the commitments made, the reported amounts of aid will not translate into the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals unless the EU radically changes its policy.

The EU development policy does not only boil down to support money. It is a series of different international actions which the EU participates in and whose conditions it determines. It is also a multiplicity of internal policies which are of importance for the development of other regions of the world.

Therefore, these non-governmental organisations from the EU which wish to support sustainable development of the Global South countries must be aware of the fact that shaping the development policy on the level of political decisions, plans and strategies is an important issue worth devoting attention to. Involvement of the non-governmental sector means the necessity to start a public debate and to work out a clear message addressed to the people or institutions which are crucial from the perspective of global development.

The information included in this guide gives a general picture of the process of shaping the EU development policy and allows one to realise what role the NGOs representing the societies of both the Global North and Global South play in it.

We do hope that a set of information collected in such a fashion will be an inspiration for the NGOs willing to take up the challenge of participation in the debate on the EU development aid.

Attention: the file weight is about 25mb.