The Most Popular Voices & Views in 2013

January: CSOs in India use the Right to Information Act for Accountability and Transparency

Renee Zandvliet, working with EuropeAid’s 'Civil Society and Local Authorities' unit, recently visited the European Union (EU) Delegation to India, which currently provides financial support to approximately 80 civil society organisations (CSOs). However, many of these will tell you that while there is a good legal and policy framework in place across several sectors, implementation can be a problem. The Right to Information Act, which helps individuals -and CSOs- in India demand transparency, accountability and action, offers a potential solution. As part of capacity4dev.eu's CSOs in India Week, Renée shares her views on this.

February: Solar Energy has Great Potential in Africa, but Has Yet to Take Off

Coordination between policy makers and private partners is key to developing solar energy in Africa, said photovoltaic expert Michael Franz as he presented impressions and conclusions of his extensive work on the development of a solar energy market in Kenya at a recent conference in Brussels.

March: Anti-corruption reforms in Afghanistan. What does the research tell us?

A leading Afghanistan expert provided key advice related to aid delivery and institutional support in Afghanistan at a conference named “Corruption in Afghanistan: What do we know, how do we go forward?” held in Brussels at the end of last year.

April: Supporting African Think Tanks, a Smart Example of Capacity Development

African think tanks prove useful in researching, influencing, designing and implementing policies and can therefore be used by development practitioners in project cycles, said Dr Frannie Léautier, Executive Secretary of the  African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), a Zimbabwe-based organisation that supports 39 think tanks in 25 African countries.

May: The Work of the EU Delegation to Mali: How to Continue Development Projects in Times of Crisis

In Brussels on May 15th 2013, an international donor conference, organised by the European Union and France together with Mali and entitled “Together for a new Mali”, mobilised €3.25 billion of financial commitments and pledges for that country. Capacity4dev.eu looks at how it has been possible for the EU Delegation to Mali to continue to carry out development projects in the face of a security crisis.

June: Ecosystems Approach to Make Agriculture More Efficient, More Sustainable, and to Create More Intelligent Markets

“The future of food security on the current trajectory is a road to nowhere, and to repeat the statistics that we need to grow 50-70% more food without answering the questions, on what land, with which water and with what kind of seed diversity, is a discussion that merits much greater attention,” said Achim Steiner, the United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director recently in Brussels.

July: Environmental Champion Jane Goodall Calls for Individual Responsibility

Jane Goodall is a British primatologist who perhaps is best known for her work with chimpanzees. She has spent many years studying their behaviour in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. However, Ms Goodall is also a UN Messenger of Peace and according to her website she spends over 300 days a year on the road. She travels to and from events where she meets and encourages people of all ages, from school children to officials, to improve the environment. Most recently, Ms Goodall visited Brussels to attend the Belgian Roots & Shoots Ceremony which took place at the European Parliament on Wednesday 8 May.

August: Following Through South Sudan’s Declaration of 'War On Illiteracy'

Education, alongside Health, forms an essential sector of EU assistance to South Sudan. With one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, the country bears the shocking statistic that a girl is three times more likely to die in childbirth before the age of 18 than she is to complete secondary education. Minister for Education, Joseph Ukel Abango, EU Head of Delegation to South Sudan, Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff, and Save the Children’s Country Coordinator for Alternative Education, Mark Chapple share their views on the country’s education situation and the on-going efforts to improve it.

September: Developments in Mapping Civil Society Organisations

It has been a year since the European Commission adopted ‘The Roots of Democracy and Sustainable Development: Europe’s Engagement with Civil Society in External Relations‘ Communication, which promotes a more strategic engagement of the EU with civil society. EuropeAid’s Virginia Manzitti reviews the progress made in mapping civil society, and provides practical advice going forwards.

October: Raising EU Citizen's Awareness of Their Role in Development Issues: Livestock and Climate Change

Using slogans such as ‘Eat Food From Family Farms’, and ‘Healthy People, Animals and Environment’, Veterinaires Sans Frontieres Europa (VSFE) manage a number of projects that support small-scale livestock farmers as they adapt to climate change in vulnerable locations. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: these projects feed into the EuropeAid Development, Education and Awareness Raising (DEAR) programme, which informs EU citizens how their participation and choices can influence a more sustainable future.

November: Main Lessons from Evaluating Budget Support to Tanzania

A Joint Evaluation of Budget Support to Tanzania from 2005/06 to 2011/12 was completed earlier this year, with the results discussed this month in Brussels. While the general consensus is that its use has been positive, showing good results, some important lessons arose during its implementation, and can be applied to other Budget Support situations.

December: Agents of Change: The EU Aid Volunteers Initiative

Today is International Volunteer Day, and this year’s theme “Young Global Active” celebrates young people around the world who are effecting change through volunteering. In order to mark this day, Claus Sørensen, the Director General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection at the European Commission explains the importance of the new EU Aid Volunteers initiative, which will launch in 2014.