Members access

 

Register

Forgotten password

Home >  EU Funding news >  News

Friday, June 10, 2011

Development cooperation: EU and US joining forces on global health and aid effectiveness

On Monday, 13 June, European Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and USAID Administrator Dr Rajiv Shah will meet in London as part of the EU-US Development Dialogue which has been resumed last year. The EU and the US, the world's two largest aid donors will intensify their cooperation on global health, climate change, food security and aid effectiveness. European Commission - Press release

Development cooperation: EU and US joining forces on global health and aid effectiveness

Brussels, 10 June 2011 - On Monday, 13 June, European Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and USAID Administrator Dr Rajiv Shah will meet in London as part of the EU-US Development Dialogue which has been resumed last year. The EU and the US, the world's two largest aid donors will intensify their cooperation on global health, climate change, food security and aid effectiveness. Responsible for a total of 90 percent of official development assistance in the area of health, they are expected to agree on setting up a task force of health experts to explore options of future joint work within the framework of the EU's policy on Global Health and the US Global Health Initiative.

Ahead of the meeting, Commissioner Piebalgs said: "The EU and the US represent 80% of global aid. Our cooperation on strategic areas can make a real difference. The EU-US Development Dialogue is an excellent forum for debate and cooperation in development aid and we need to use it to its full potential. Our work on health is particularly pertinent. Maternal and infant health are still among the most off-track Millennium Development Goals, which reflects the weakness of many health systems and their need for support ".

At their meeting, Commissioner Piebalgs and USAID Administrator Shah will also discuss the EU-US work plan on aid effectiveness and how it can contribute at the outcome of the 4th High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Busan which will take in November 2011. EU-US will focus on transparency, accountability and the division of labour which are preconditions for a stronger impact and legitimacy of development aid.

They two parties will further review the progress made in the enhanced cooperation on food security and climate change, which envisages joint work in a number of pilot partner countries. Finally, EU and US partners will have an exchange of views on how to advance their dialogue and cooperation on security and development issues.

More follows…

Background

Pilot countries for enhanced cooperation on food security and climate change were selected in July 2010. For food security they include Bangladesh, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Mali, Zambia and the ECOWAS region (Economic Union of West African States). Initial progress in jointly working with these countries includes, among other things:

*

Joint support of the National Food Policy Capacity Strengthening Programme in Bangladesh (EU €3.85 million, US $5.1 million)
*

Joint funding of the Agriculture Consultative Forum and the Food Security Research Programme in Zambia. EU and US are also coordinating their approaches to private sector involvement.
*

In Ethiopia, the EU and the US have worked together with the Ethiopian government to build a national agriculture and food security plan, to which we have jointly announced our financial contributions.

The pilot countries for future climate change cooperation are Vietnam, Indonesia and Mali. Initial progress includes preparation of a study on the economics of low carbon, climate resilient development for Vietnam.

The EU-US Development Dialogue

EU and US leaders decided at their Summit in November 2009 to re-launch the EU-US Development Dialogue with a focus on three priority topics: the MDGs, food security and climate change. Roadmaps for policy dialogue as well as practical cooperation in selected partner countries were agreed at the inaugural EU-US Development Ministerial in Washington in April 2010.

Source  Press room - European Commission

More information  Press room - European Commission

linked programmes:

Also read:

Look for a grant Go Recherche avancée