Brussels, 10/05/2016 (Agence Europe) - Be it about the future of the European consensus on development, trade and the private sector helping development, or the issue of migration, the global sustainable development goals (SDG) for 2030 will form the framework and outlook for discussions between European development ministers in Brussels on Thursday 12 May.
The preparations for the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on 23-24 May, and the donors' conference for Afghanistan to be held in Brussels on 3-4 October, will also be on the agenda of this six-monthly meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council, in its Development format.
Afghanistan's Finance Minister Ekllil Ahjmad Hakimi will be invited to the lunch session - which will be chaired by High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini.
European consensus on development. The ministers will have an initial orientation debate on the revision of the European consensus on development - which since 2005 has set the principles, values and direction of European development policy and which is now due to be updated to fit in with the SDG adopted in New York in September 2015, while taking account of the Paris Agreement on the climate adopted at the COP21 conference in December.
The orientation debate will focus on the future of this consensus, on how to implement the innovative approach that is promoted, on the joint programming of aid that is currently implemented in 55 countries and that should be extended, on the nexus between security and development, and on the differentiation between the ever growing number of middle-income countries and the least developed countries (LDCs).
Trade, the private sector and sustainable development. In line with their conclusions of December 2014 on strengthening the private sector, and on the basis of a Commission document on trade, growth and development, the ministers will discuss innovative ways of engaging the private sector more in sustainable development so that it serves to multiply aid. They will also discuss ways of encouraging innovative investment in infrastructure, biodiversity, ecosystems and sustainable towns, and of fostering more responsible behaviour from companies. The Council will adopt conclusions without debate on responsible value chains at global level.
Migration and development. This issue has been on the development ministers' agenda since 2014 so that development aid might address the deep-rooted causes of migration. The issue will be tackled from two angles.
The Council will adopt conclusions on the Commission's communication (“Lives in dignity: from aid-dependence to self-reliance”) that proposes a new approach to help the 60 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide move beyond humanitarian aid alone (as this will not be enough to offer them an outlook) and provide them instead with longer term aid, enabling them to live and integrate in their host country (see EUROPE 11540).
The ministers will discuss implementation of the special EU-Africa summit held in Valletta in November 2015, focusing in particular on the mobilisation of resources from the trust fund for Africa and on the high level dialogue that has been started with around 60 partner countries - including Mali, the Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. A more technical review of the follow up of commitments from Valletta will be carried out in June.
World humanitarian summit in Istanbul (23-24 May). The Council will adopt conclusions on the position the EU will take at this first-time international event (see other article).
Habitat III conference. The Council will adopt conclusions without debate on the 3rd UN conference on housing and sustainable urban development (Quito, 17-20 October).
Conference on Afghanistan. Together with Ekllil Ahjmad Hakimi, the Council will discuss reforms to which Afghanistan has committed, and will then adopt conclusions on the ministerial donors' conference that the EU and Afghan government will chair in Brussels on 4-5 October. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)