About the PFD
The Policy Forum on Development (PFD) was established by the European Commission in November 2013, following the Structured Dialogue for an effective partnership in development, a process involving more than 700 civil society organisations (CSOs) and local authorities (LAs) with the aim of improving the effectiveness of EU development cooperation. The PFD is the realisation of the EU’s commitment to maintaining open and regular dialogue with its development partners, notably civil society organisations and local authorities. This commitment was present in the Lisbon Treaty, and has since been reiterated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the New EU Consensus on Development. As a permanent space for dialogue of equal partners, the PFD recognises and benefits from the knowledge of all of its members in upholding the principles of aid and development effectiveness, ensuring accountability and strengthening EU development policy.
The PFD members meet at least twice a year – one global meeting takes place in Brussels and one regional meeting outside the European Union. The members debate development issues and how the EU is responding to them. Discussions have focused, for example, on the progress toward the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including the fight against inequalities, the impacts of climate change, how to ensure that no one is left behind, building resilience in fragile contexts and how to foster an enabling environment for our partners.