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European Report on Development Launch Event
21 October 2009
The European Commission, together with Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom, has the pleasure to invite you to attend the launch of the first-ever European Report on Development (ERD) in the framework of the European Development Days:
"Overcoming fragility in Africa – Forging a new European approach"
In the presence of:
- Stefano Manservisi, Director General for Development of the European Commission
- Joakim Stymne, State Secretary to the Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden
- Martin Dinham, Director General of DFID, UK
- Giorgia Giovannetti, ERD Research Team Leader, European University Institute (EUI)
- François Bourguignon, Director of the Paris School of Economics and Scientific Advisor for the ERD initiative
When? Thursday 22 October, 13h30 – 14h30
Where? Room A 4b, at the European Development Days in Stockholm.
This first-ever European Report on Development (ERD), a framework for rethinking the EU perspective on key development issues and enhance its voice on the international scene, deals with the complex and multidimensional issue of "fragility", with a specific focus on SubSaharan Africa.
Europeans could easily take public services like healthcare, education and social security for granted. But life for the poorer citizens of the planet is often more precarious.
A number of countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, are regarded as ‘fragile states’, where the authorities cannot or do not perform their most basic public tasks. Their citizens face hardship and insecurity, and are more vulnerable to external and internal shocks, such as natural disasters, economic turbulence or social unrest.
Described as the "toughest development challenge of our era", how to deal with situations of fragility is an increasingly important priority in European development policies. It is also a key challenge for the European security strategy.
The ERD is a new European initiative which seeks, in partnership with top-level researchers and experts from developed and developing countries, to help shape and influence the European Union’s perspective on the most pressing development issues in a changing global context. It is a concrete manifestation of the EU's commitment, as the world largest aid donor, to the Millennium Development Goals.
Meet the Team at the ERD "lounge space"!
The authors of the report will also be present at the ERD "lounge space" at the European Commission’s stand (Hall A, Village of Development, Stockholmsmässan, 22-24 October) to discuss the main findings and recommendations of the report.
Interviews with members of the ERD team can be arranged in advance by contacting: Bettina Braun, European Service Network (ESN), tel: +32 2 287 15 31, ERD_EDD@esn.eu . Journalists are welcome.
For more information on the ERD initiative, please visit the ERD website: http://erd.eui.eu . A Press Pack will be soon available on this page: http://erd.eui.eu/?cat=13
Kind regards
The ERD Secretariat