Eu cord 2012 annual report
description
Transcript of Eu cord 2012 annual report
Annual Review 2012 Streams in the Wasteland
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Core Values
The network is defined by the quality of its relationships and the
degree to which Members cooperate, helping each other to
establish good practice and quality in all areas of work. This goal
will be achieved in a spirit of servant-hood, strengthening and
supporting each other while respecting each agency’s specific
identity. The network is committed to working according to
Christian ethics as well as promoting integrity, accountability and
a professional standard of work. The network is inclusive in its
approach to potential members, with clearly defined criteria and
application process.
Who We Are
EU-CORD is a network of 22 European Christian non-governmental
organisations engaged in relief and development activities.
Founded in 1997, the network has an established Secretariat
based in Brussels.
Our Vision
A world without poverty, where people are no longer excluded
and all have a voice in shaping the future.
Our Goal
Through mutual cooperation to make a significant and
recognisable contribution towards the eradication of poverty and
social exclusion, and to enable the voice of people living in
poverty to be heard.
Cover photo: A slum lacking sanitation in Kenya. Copyright Alexandra Höner/Kindernothilfe e.V.
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Opening Remarks
Letter from the Chair of EU-CORD
EU-CORD is pleased to release its Annual Review for 2012. With its 22 member agencies
from 12 European countries, EU-CORD believes in working together in order to strategically
and effectively reach the poorest and most vulnerable people. In spite of many efforts to
make our world a better place to live, we still are faced with many challenges.
Water, something we find so important and common, is still a luxury to many people.
Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 7 aims to reduce by half the proportion of people
without access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. While the target for
access to safe drinking water has been met, 11% of the world’s population—783 million—still
don’t have access to an improved water source.
Diarrhoea is the world’s leading cause of illness and death. Lack of access to sanitation
facilities, together with unsafe drinking water and inadequate availability of water for
hygiene, lead to 88% of all diarrhoeal deaths globally.
It is a sad fact that today 2.5 billion people live without even basic sanitation. This vast
figure includes almost one billion children. Poor sanitation causes a child’s death every 20
seconds. That's 1.5 million preventable deaths every year.
Lack of proper water facilities goes hand in hand with shortage of food. One in eight
people go to bed hungry every night. Under-nutrition is a factor in 2.6 million deaths of chil-
dren under five each year.
Such statistics can either discourage us or encourage us to do more. We opt for the latter
and despite difficult economic times we believe we can do much more to alleviate
suffering. As it is written in 1 Corinthians, “if one part suffers, every part suffers with it.” Global
suffering, global inequality, requires global solutions.
And so, without prejudice, EU-CORD Members are to be found working worldwide,
amongst different communities, faiths and circumstances, to meet these two basic needs.
We believe in the word that was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
“They will feed beside the road and find pasture on every barren hill. They will
neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat of the sun beat down on them. He
who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of
water.”
Leif Zetterlund
Chief Executive Officer
International Aid Services
Figures and statistics from www.unwater.org/statistics_san.html and www.wfp.org/hunger/stats. Correct at time of printing.
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Contents
Improving Practice and Capacity Through facilitating knowledge sharing, mutual learning and joint
innovation, in response to Members’ requests.
Page 5 Introduction
Page 6 Training
Page 7 Working Groups
Page 8 Communication
Page 9 Collaboration
Engaging with The European Union Inform Members and their local partners on developments in EU
external aid funding and increase Members’ access to that funding.
Page 10 Introduction
Page 11 Development Aid
Page 12 Development Aid
Page 13 Humanitarian Aid
Influencing Change Achieve change in EU position on international development and
humanitarian aid policies and practices, so that they respond better
to the needs of people living in poverty and affected by disasters.
Page 14 Introduction
Page 15 Changing the Way We Influence
Page 16 Other Advocacy Areas
Maintaining Relevance Page 17 Logo, History, Structure and
Affiliations
Page 18 Introducing New Members
Page 19 Members in 2012
Copyright 2013 http://www.naela.org/Public
Photo credit: Ruth Faber/EU-CORD
Copyright 2012 European Union
Copyright 2013 EU-CORD
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Improving
Practice and Capacity Introduction
In 2012 EU-CORD began a process to move towards more intentional
collaboration. At the level of the General Assembly, strategic thought has
gone into how the network and individual Members can better understand
changing dynamics in the relief and development sector, and crucially,
how to ensure that we adapt to respond. As part of this dialogue, a
mapping exercise was undertaken to explore the different ways in which
Members connect, be it with funding, training, logistics or project actions.
The results were surprising, with many more connections than anticipated.
The network is providing a space, sometimes physical sometimes virtual,
where collaboration and learning is fostered. Read on for some examples of
what this collaboration looks like and how the network has been adapting
to meet Members’ needs.
Diagram from the General
Assembly showing different
types of collaborative links
between EU-CORD
Members
Photo credit: Stephanie Beecroft/EU-CORD
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Improving
Practice and Capacity
Training In 2012 EU-CORD offered specific training events
aimed at improving Members’ capacity to access
funding. Training targeted local civil society
organisations through the Regional Workshop and
staff of Members’ European offices through the
Head Office Training.
Regional Workshops Adrian Hawthorn, from Tearfund UK, co-facilitated
our most recent regional workshop in Niger
In September 2013 delegates from EU-CORD
partners gathered in Niamey, Niger for a workshop
entitled ‘Donor Awareness and Writing Responsive
and Compelling Proposals’. A total of 27 delegates
drawn from partner organisations in six West African
countries participated in the training. Two
facilitators, Adrian Hawthorn (Tearfund) and
Stephanie Beecroft (EU-CORD Secretariat)
organised the sessions over four days.
Highly interactive exercises enabled delegates to
take a ‘guided tour’ through the institutional donor
funding landscape of West Africa. A mix of
information and team participation ensured that
motivation remained high throughout the workshop.
Information concerning donor opportunities within
the countries represented was provided. Team
participation was enabled through delegates the
grouping of delegates into teams. Each team then
responded to a typical but imaginary donor call for
proposals by scoping a potential project. The teams
developed their own logical framework and
concept note. Role plays were used to show how to
hold an effective donor meeting. The workshop was
designed to address three of the key needs of
delegates:
· Who are the donors?
· How do I approach them?
· How can I write a winning concept note?
Working in French and English, the facilitators gave
guidance and advice drawn from extensive donor
application experience. A representative from the
Niger EU delegation attended to explain EuropeAid
funding opportunities and to answer questions. An
Feedback from the Niger Workshop…
“The grouping together of people from
different countries and with different levels of
experience was very beneficial. It’s good to
learn from others.”
“This workshop has taught me that applying for
EU funds is not impossible. My organisation can
receive EU funding, but we won’t if we don’t
try. Thanks to this workshop, we now have the
tools to try.”
“One of the positive points of this workshop
was the good, participatory facilitation and
lively presentations.”
extensive workshop manual in French and English
was provided for every delegate to help equip all to
be active in donor research and interaction after
returning home.
Head Office Training
In 2012 the network was able to offer training in fine-
tuning development applications for Member staff
working in Europe. The two-day course was aimed
at those who are responsible for coordinating or
reviewing concept notes and applications. Run as
an advanced course, the workshop covered rights-
based programming design, mainstreaming gender
and disability, and what EuropeAid really means by
sustainability. In a funding environment where
success or failure with EuropeAid can rest on a single
point this was all about receiving that extra point.
Training was provided by Sander Schot (Light for the
World Netherlands) and Ruth Faber (EU-CORD
Secretariat).
Delegates and facilitators at the Niger Workshop
Photo credit: Stephanie Beecroft/EU-CORD
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Improving
Practice and Capacity
Working Groups
Working Groups
The core face-to-face platforms for information
sharing and knowledge exchange are the various
network working groups. In 2012 working groups were
convened around institutional fundraising,
communications and private fundraising, and
finance.
Specific activities of working groups included:
From a financial perspective, reviewing
approaches and challenges to working in
consortia with international and local civil society
partners;
Sharing experiences on different approaches to
‘accountability from below’ and their
effectiveness in promoting transparency;
Exchanges on donor development and funding
trends;
Identifying synergies in emergency response
actions in the Horn of Africa and South Sudan;
Use of external speakers to enhance Members’
knowledge, including on subjects such as social
media, generational habits and fundraising
through a presentation given by KomMed, a
Swedish company specialising in fundraising and
member management.
New Working Group - Child Rights
Children make up over half of the population of
the developing world. As relief and development
actors, it is important that we consider the needs
and rights of children in our work. Several EU-
CORD Members do just that, and in 2012 these
Members came together to drive forward a new
working group within the EU-CORD network. The
Child Rights Working Group brings together EU-
CORD Members who would like to improve
practice on the rights-based approach, child
rights and child rights programming in the
network.
The inaugural meeting of the working group, a
workshop on the basics of child rights as they
relate to development projects and
programming, took place in June 2012. The
workshop was organised over three days and
brought together ten participants from six EU-
CORD Members to share and learn about the
pillars and principles of the child rights approach,
how Christian values match the rights-based
approach to development, some thoughts on
child protection and the EU perspective on child
rights. Discussions at this first workshop led to the
creation of a workplan for 2012-13, with further
workshops focusing on child sponsorship, child
participation and child rights programming.
October 2012 saw the organisation of a second
workshop, this time centered on the first focus
area identified by the group: child sponsorship
and child rights. This second workshop brought
together 13 participants from seven EU-CORD
organisations. The working group plans to move
forward in 2013 with workshops on child
participation and child rights programming, and
reflection on how to engage with partners in the
field on the subject of child rights.
Copyright Jens Großmann/Kindernothilfe e.V.
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Improving
Practice and Capacity
Communication
Successful Collaboration - Light for the World
and The Leprosy Mission Netherlands
In 2012 Light for the World Netherlands, The
Leprosy Mission Netherlands and their local
partners CDD and TLM Bangladesh were
implementing a disability component in an EU-
funded food security programme for ultra poor
women in Bangladesh. The lead organisation of
this large programme is ICCO. Seven local
organisations are involved in the implementation.
The food security programme has enrolled 40,000
ultra poor women in women’s groups where they
receive support to start their own income
generating activities. A quarter of the households
(10,985 households) have a member with a
disability, leprosy or a chronic illness. In total 6,377
women with disabilities are enrolled in the
women’s groups. These women and their family
members have received rehabilitation support
where needed. 2013 is the last year of
implementation of this five-year programme. In
the coming months the disability mainstreaming
process in this programme will be evaluated. By
the end of the year a publication with lessons
learned on disability mainstreaming in food
security programmes will be launched.
Paulien Bruijn, Light for the World
EU-CORD Collaboration and Communication
Increasingly, information sharing and opportunities
for collaboration take place in a virtual space.
Responding to this shift, the Secretariat launched a
number of tools in 2012 to help the network to be
more efficient in its communication.
The core tool was the development of an extranet,
linked to the public website of the network, which is
accessible only to Members. Through these pages,
Members are able to:
Find information on all network events,
including past meeting minutes and workshop
documents;
Participate in real-time collaboration and
information sharing on activities related to
disaster response, funding initiations, in-country
coordination, and consultations which require
a combined network response;
Access a calendar for an overview of the work
of the Secretariat and key network dates.
In addition to the monthly ‘Member Update’ email a
new publication called ‘The Digest’ was launched.
’The Digest’ shares information on new publications,
conferences and articles on subjects relevant to the
network.
Copyright The Leprosy Mission International
Access to a good water source is important for market
gardening and food security in Niger
Photo credit: Stephanie Beecroft/EU-CORD
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Improving
Practice and Capacity
Collaboration Successful Collaboration - Woord en Daad
and Red een Kind
Recently, agriculture, food security and rural
development have started to receive more
attention from development organisations, donor
governments and international institutions. The
need for investing in skills development in Africa
has also come back on the agenda. So far,
however, sufficient attention has not been paid
to the link between the two. EU-CORD Members
Woord en Daad and Red een Kind, both with
longstanding experience in Technical and
Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and
skills development, organised an expert meeting
to specifically address this gap.
The expert meeting took place in October 2012 in
Kampala, Uganda. Participants came from more
than ten African countries, most from partner
organisations of Woord en Daad and Red een
Kind. However, by collaborating with the
international Agri-ProFocus network, a network for
stimulation of farmer entrepreneurship, the two
organisations gained access to a wide range of
real experts in the area of Agricultural Vocational
Education and Training (AVET).
Woord en Daad and Red een Kind take as their
starting point the need to invest in skills
development in order to make agricultural
development sustainable. Farmers need to
organise their farm as a business, link themselves
to markets in order to commercialise their
produce and strengthen their position in the
market. Skills development, ranging from
technical agronomic skills to business, financial
and marketing skills, is needed for farmers. In 2013
Woord en Daad and Red een Kind will develop
concrete programmes with their alliance partners
to make AVET a reality.
Evert-Jan Brouwer, Woord en Daad
Benefits of Collaboration - Medair and
Mission East
Mission East and Medair are collaborating with
each other in Afghanistan. Each organisation
brings its relevant expertise in food security and
nutrition to implement the different activities of
the project, effectively carrying out parallel
approaches in the two target areas, namely the
Central Highlands and Takhar. The project has
enabled a valuable sharing of ideas and
information amongst staff, and helped to ensure
a wider dissemination of each organisation’s best
practices and lessons learnt.
Joohi Haleem, Mission East
Successful Collaboration - Tearfund UK and
CORD
Two UK-based EU-CORD Members, CORD and
Tearfund UK, have been working together on a
Toilet Twinning Project. Toilet Twinning is an
innovative scheme, working towards tackling the
awful statistic that one in three people in the
world lack somewhere safe to go to the toilet,
opening them up to disease, attacks and many
far-reaching negative effects. Sixty pounds allows
supporters to twin their toilet with a latrine in
several of the countries where Cord and
Tearfund are working. The money raised is being
used by the two organisations to build thousands
of toilets around the world, and to educate
people about domestic hygiene and the
importance of clean water. In 2012 the scheme
reached 10,000 toilets twinned.
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Engaging with
The European Union
Introduction 2012 was a year in which linking and collaboration took centre-stage in EU external
policy thinking, whether this meant better linkages within the European Commission’s
own policies and services, engagement with civil society, or increased cooperation
between the Commission and Member States. The ideas of linking and collaboration are
evident in the Commission’s Communication on resilience published in October 2012, in
the Communication on civil society published in September 2012, and in the joint
programming between the Commission and Member States which is starting in several
priority countries. Linking and collaboration is also evident in the EU’s efforts to find a joint
position on the post-Millennium Development Goals framework, a task which began in
2012 and helped the EU and those who engage with it to think about the future of
development cooperation outside the EU’s own policies.
Collaboration is central to the EU-CORD network. But it is not only within the network that
we engage with others. Engagement with the EU, collectively the world’s largest donor
of development and humanitarian aid and a big player in global policy, is a key element
of the work of EU-CORD. As a network we engage with the EU in many ways, including
through funding partnerships for humanitarian aid and development projects, which you
can read about in more detail on the following pages. We have first-hand experience of
the impact that the funding that our Members receive for EU projects can have on the
lives of the poorest and most vulnerable. A desire to ensure that the impact of EU funding
and policies is just as positive on a larger scale pushes us to engage in wider issues and
the big debates around the EU’s external action budget and instruments. These were a
focus of EU-CORD’s EU engagement in 2012.
Copyright 2012 European Union
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Engaging with
The European Union Development Aid
Fact Box
Members are active in 99 countries from
Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and much of the work is
implemented in partnership with over 1,000 local
partners.
A map showing EU-CORD
Members’ development and
humanitarian projects around
the world
Development Aid 2012 saw an increasing number of EU-CORD
Members working together to access EU
development funds, bringing niche expertise to
partnerships and widening the scope of
applications.
Seventeen projects in the development sphere are
being implemented with EU-CORD Members making
use of a coordinated approach.
In 2012 nine EU-CORD Members were responsible for
41 EuropeAid development projects at just over
€37.6 million. A further 11 projects financed by other
development donors for a value of just over €9
million were undertaken by EU-CORD Members in
collaboration.
The Secretariat keeps Members informed on funding
availability by circulating news of EU funding
opportunities relevant for Members’ areas of work.
Fact Box
The scope of projects reflects the network’s
diversity but there are some common themes in a
variety of countries:
Child Rights Programming: Guatemala,
Haiti, Kenya
Disability Programming: Afghanistan,
Armenia, Tajikistan, Thailand
Education, including vocational training:
Bangladesh, Kenya, Sudan, Zambia
Food Security: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, South
Sudan, Sudan
Water and Sanitation: Democratic Republic
of Congo, Nepal
Fact Box
EU-CORD Members access EuropeAid funds from
a wide range of instruments: Food Security, Non
State Actors and Local Authorities, Human Rights,
Investing in People and the Energy Facility.
Copyright 2013 EU-CORD
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Engaging with
The European Union Development Aid
The EU at a Local Level
In September 2012 EU-CORD held its second
regional workshop of the year in Niamey, Niger
(see page 6 for more details about regional
workshops). This workshop included a session with a
representative from the EU delegation in Niger.
Inviting a delegation representative to the meeting
allowed the partner organisations present to have
a greater understanding of how the EU works in-
country. The representative’s presentation
provided all participants with a greater
understanding of how EU development policy
dialogue and funding works, giving valuable
advice on how to engage with the EU in the future.
This included emphasising the need to engage
with the national government and local authorities
before approaching the EU. The visit from the
delegation was considered a highlight by several
participants at the EU-CORD regional workshop
feeling that it had taught them the importance of
developing a good relationship with the EU
delegation.
While in Niger the EU-CORD Secretariat was also
able to help set up and facilitate a meeting with
the EU delegation’s civil society representative for
EU-CORD Member Tearfund UK and one of their
local partners. Bringing knowledge and
understanding of processes going on in Brussels,
the Secretariat was able to facilitate and
contribute to a discussion focusing on the EU’s
priorities in Niger, making the link with the work of
the Member and its partners, particularly in the
context of food security. Discussions around policy
and practice in Brussels can often seem far away
from what happens in the field, but in reality
knowledge of these processes and discussions can
be useful in building relationships and engaging
with EU delegations.
Tearfund’s local partner, UEEPN, is engaged in water and food
security programmes in the Dosso region of Niger
Photo credit: Janet Whalley/Tearfund
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Engaging with
The European Union
Humanitarian Aid
Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection
In 2012 ECHO (The European Commission
Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Directorate)
celebrated 20 years of partnership in the delivery of
its humanitarian action. ECHO’s partners, including
nine EU-CORD members, work with ECHO to
implement humanitarian projects targeting
forgotten crises and more visible disasters.
While Members focus on working with ECHO on
project delivery, the Secretariat leads in pulling
together feedback and concerns at policy level.
The Secretariat engages in this through participation
in the VOICE network, the official NGO interlocutor
with ECHO, which is also based in Brussels. Over the
past year this work has included participation in the
ECHO Partner Conference, representing the network
in the FPA (Framework Partnership Agreement)
Watchgroup and participation in the Disaster Risk
Reduction working group.
The Secretariat also coordinates EU-CORD feedback
linked to formal consultations launched by the
European Commission on the subject of
humanitarian aid.
EU-CORD’s 9 Framework Partnership Agreement
Holders
Cord, Fida, International Aid Services, Medair,
Mission Aviation Fellowship, Mission East, Tearfund,
PMU and ZOA.
Fact Box
In 2012 MAF, Medair, Tearfund UK and ZOA were
running ECHO grants between them totalling
€14.6 million in countries such as Afghanistan,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Myanmar,
Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Sudan and Sudan.
Sectors of expertise within the network include
health, nutrition, water and sanitation, disaster risk
reduction, livelihoods, food security and shelter.
Fact Box Looking ahead, 2013 has been designated as the
International Year of Water Cooperation. Water is
a vital part of human existence, necessary for life,
sanitation and sustainability. But the Food and
Agriculture Organisation estimates that by 2025,
1.8 billion people will be living in countries or
regions with absolute water scarcity. The need for
this focus on water is clear; currently, around one
in nine people worldwide lack access to improved
water sources. That is over 783 million people. EU-
CORD Members have been working to combat
this and will continue fighting during the
International Year of Water Cooperation.
EU-CORD Disaster Response Actions in 2012
EU-CORD’s collaborative response in disaster
situations was revised in order to make use of the
new online collaborative tools. Members can now
share information in a crisis on a ‘live’ basis. The
intention is to keep the collaboration modality
light and flexible, sharing the minimum amount of
information for maximum effect. In 2012 this new
tool was used to facilitate Members working on
the Sahel drought, Mali, Burma and Syria crises.
Copyright International Aid Services
A water drilling programme
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Influencing
Change Introduction The EU is an important actor in international development and humanitarian aid
worldwide. It is unsurprising that its policies and practices have a huge impact on those
living in poverty and affected by disasters around. Through EU-CORD Members’
experience of working with partners and communities affected by poverty and disasters,
we can monitor policies and practice and push for improvements to ensure that the
impact of the EU’s action in developing countries is as positive as possible. Working
together as a network allows EU-CORD to draw on more experiences, gives us all a
bigger voice and provides a larger channel to enable the voice of people living in
poverty to be heard.
During 2012 EU-CORD continued its involvement in advocacy at EU level, focusing in
particular on on-going EU policy processes for development and humanitarian aid,
including the EU budget discussions. 2012 was also a year of reflection and discussion
around EU-CORD advocacy, working to ensure that our work as a network continues to
be relevant, inclusive of members and effective.
Making sure EU policies and programmes are the best they can be for the people that
EU-CORD members and their partners work with is not something we can do alone. In our
attempt to influence policies and effect change we work in close collaboration with
allies in Brussels and further afield.
The Multiannual Financial Framework continued to be a big part of EU-CORD’s advocacy work.
Copyright 2012 European Union
15
Influencing
Change Changing the Way We Influence
2012 was a year of change in EU-CORD advocacy.
Advocacy, or influencing change, is a central part
of EU-CORD’s five-year strategy which was voted in
2011. As part of this, we aim to be taking a
strategic approach to our advocacy work with
clear strategies in place for every advocacy area.
The strategy does not identify models of advocacy
that EU-CORD should follow, or list issues that should
be the focus of our work. 2012 was therefore taken
as a year to reflect on advocacy priorities to
ensure that our work as a network continues to be
relevant, inclusive of members and effective, and
has a greater positive impact on poverty,
vulnerability and injustice.
Through conversations with Members, discussions
within the network leadership, identification of a
contact person for advocacy for each Member
and a two-day workshop dedicated to the subject,
we succeeded in gaining growing and continued
commitment to advocacy within the network.
One of the first questions which needed to be
addressed in this period of reflection and discussion
was why EU-CORD should be involved in
advocacy. The overwhelming response to this
question reinforced the network’s commitment to
influencing and achieving change for the world’s
poorest and most vulnerable people at all levels,
and in particular in relation to EU policies and
practice.
As a network, we identified that we have a story to
tell, a story which needs to be told from a Christian
perspective and with a focus on Christian values.
The experiences, knowledge and understanding of
EU-CORD Members, their partners and the
populations we aim to serve deserve to be told. By
coordinating efforts to bring these experiences,
ideas and calls for change to EU decision-makers
we can have greater visibility and help achieve
change in the right direction.
The advocacy workshop held in 2012 looked at
why advocacy is an important part of EU-CORD
membership, the approaches to advocacy taken
by different Members, and the opportunities for EU-
CORD advocacy, aiming to reach some
conclusions on common issues for EU-CORD work
and ways of working. The workshop led to the
drafting of a framework for EU-CORD advocacy
and a suggestion of potential issues to take
forward in our advocacy in 2013 and beyond.
Looking ahead to 2013 we expect new and
invigorated working groups to form around
selected issues to be taken forward for advocacy.
These issues must reflect Members’ priorities and be
driven by the network membership.
Discovering similar focus areas at the Advocacy Workshop
Photo credit: Stephanie Beecroft/EU-CORD
Developing a framework at the Advocacy Workshop
Photo credit: Stephanie Beecroft/EU-CORD
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Other Advocacy Areas
Influencing
Change
Continuing the Fight for a Pro-Poor EU Budget
In 2012 EU-CORD continued working on the EU’s next
seven-year budget, the Multiannual Financial
Framework (MFF). Ensuring that the EU’s policy
priorities and funding are favourable to
development cooperation and humanitarian aid in
the next MFF from 2014 is critical in the fight to
reduce poverty and social exclusion. The
negotiations on the next MFF are marked by the
political and economic situation in the EU, including
austerity and crisis, and will stretch out far into 2013
before the framework, amounts and funding
instruments are agreed.
Nonetheless, 2012 saw progression in the MFF
negotiation process and EU-CORD’s work adapted
to pre-empt or fit the focus at different times of the
year. We focused on the overall budget figures and
the amount that will be available for the EU’s
external action, particularly in advance of European
Council Summits, the forum where these decisions
would be made. At other times during the year the
network focused on the negotiations for the new
Development Cooperation Instrument, including
work on the European Parliament’s Report on the
instrument. We participated in formal and informal
meetings with key MEPs, key actors in the European
Commission and civil servants in national capitals in
order to influence the MFF negotiations in support of
the poorest and most vulnerable people around the
world.
EU-CORD worked together with CONCORD, VOICE
and IDDC on different aspects and themes of the
EU’s MFF, and will continue to do so in 2013. From the
Secretariat we are active in leading CONCORD’s
work around the MFF and have contributed to
several reports, position papers and briefings for
decision-makers, while still aiming to support EU-
CORD Members to engage with the debate in EU
Member States, or in the countries in which they
work, where programming for the next budgetary
period has begun.
EU-CORD will continue working on the MFF process in
2013.
Post-2015, Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and
Development and Inclusive Development
Discussions and thinking around what will replace the
Millennium Development Goals after their 2015
deadline took off in 2012. These discussions around
post-2015 are taking place in various fora and EU-
CORD engaged in some of these throughout the
year. The network’s natural focus on EU
development policy means that we were involved in
influencing the EU’s position on post-2015,
responding to the European Commission’s
consultation on the subject during the summer of
2012, based on the experiences and input of EU-
CORD members.
For a network which brings together organisations
working in relief and development, a policy focus in
2012 on Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and
Development (LRRD) and resilience provided an
opportunity to put forward our views. EU-CORD
actively participated in a collaborative piece of
work with VOICE and CONCORD on LRRD, feeding
into the EU policy agenda.
EU-CORD is committed to promoting inclusive
development and attention to the rights of persons
with disabilities in the EU’s development agenda. In
2012 we were active in this field through working with
the IDDC EU Task Group.
Involvement in other policy discussions in 2012
included preparation for human rights dialogues,
discussions around the role of the private sector in
development, the EU’s Humanitarian Consensus
Action Plan and other humanitarian aid issues.
Copyright 2012 CONCORD
What should a post-2015 development framework look like?
17
Maintaining
Relevance
History and Structure Founded in 1997, EU-CORD is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) independent of any political,
economic, social or religious authority. It is an inter-denominational network of Christian relief and
development agencies, inspired by its Christian values to accomplish its work.
The Secretariat is based in Brussels. EU-CORD was legally established as an ASBL (Association Sans But
Lucratif) in Belgium in 2003 with statutes signed by all members. It is funded entirely by Members’ annual
subscriptions.
EU-CORD is governed by an elected Administrative Council, which in 2012 consisted of:
Leif Zetterlund, (Chair), International Aid Services
Johan Mooij, (Vice-Chair), ZOA
Max Gove, Mission Aviation Fellowship
Dicky Nieuwenhuis, Woord en Daad
Lars Saaghus, Strømme Foundation
Affiliations In 2012 EU-CORD continued to be a member of the following three networks.
CONCORD is the European NGO Confederation for Relief and
Development. Its 27 national associations, 18 international networks
and 2 associate members represent over 1,800 NGOs which are
supported by millions of citizens across Europe.
VOICE is a network of 82 European NGOs who are predominantly
holders of an ECHO Framework Partnership Agreement. Its purpose is
to influence EU humanitarian aid by involving members in advocacy,
lobbying and common positioning. It is the main NGO interlocutor with
the EU on emergency aid, rehabilitation and disaster risk reduction.
IDDC is a network of 26 member organisations, including disability and
development, mainstream development and disabled people’s
organisations. It aims to promote inclusive development
internationally, with a particular focus on promoting human rights for
all people with disabilities living in economically poor communities in
lower and middle-income countries.
EU-CORD Logo The logo demonstrates the network’s acronym, Christian Organisations in Relief
and Development, and this verse from Ecclesiastes 4:12 “Though one may be
overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly
broken.” It stands for the strength that we have in unity: unity as a network, and
unity with those we are called to serve.
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Introducing New Members Tearfund Ireland
EU-CORD Membership
Tearfund Ireland is a sister organisation of Tearfund UK, a founding Member of EU-CORD. Tearfund has
been working in the island of Ireland for more than 40 years and in 2008 Tearfund Ireland became an
independent charity. Tearfund Ireland prioritises the most vulnerable people; those who are hungry,
unable to access education, the vulnerable, the sick and those affected by disaster. Recognising the
complexities of poverty, the organisation works closely with local partner churches to empower people
from within communities, creating opportunities for sustainable development.
Tearfund Ireland has contributed to water and sanitation
projects, providing hygiene and sanitation training, and
access to clean water. In Malawi, Tearfund Ireland equipped
3,750 people with access to clean water.
During 2010 Tearfund Ireland responded to the natural disaster
that affected Pakistan, and continued its aid assistance to
support the recovery work in Haiti. Because of this intervention,
Tearfund Ireland estimates that 48,154 people received food
packages and medical assistance.
EU-CORD places a high value on relationships and the degree to which Members cooperate. This
includes knowledge sharing to establish best practices in all areas of work. In 2012 EU-CORD had
Members from 13 European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland,
the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Members are very diverse
in size, with annual turnover ranging from €300,000 to €85,000,000. Members’ work covers both
humanitarian and developmental responses. The network encourages this diversity in origin, size and
focus of work as we find strength and synergies in the different experiences and expertise of the
Members. EU-CORD is committed to ensuring the outworking of our Christian ethos in good practice, as
evidenced by our Members’ commitment to our Statement of Quality Assurance.
If you are interested in becoming a Member of the EU-CORD Network, please visit our website to find out
more.
Back cover photo: A child receiving food at a nutrition centre in DR Congo. Copyright Lars Klingsbo/PMU
Copyright © Tearfund Ireland 2009
Copyright 2013 EU-CORD
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EU-CORD Members in 2012
Medair (Switzerland)
www.medair.org
Mission East (Denmark)
www.miseast.org
Red een Kind (Netherlands)
www.redeenkind.nl
Mission Aviation Fellowship (UK)
www.maf-uk.org
Alianza Solidaria (Spain)
www.alianzasolidaria.org
CORD (UK)
www.cord.org.uk
Erikshjälpen (Sweden)
www.erikshjalpen.se
Fida (Finland)
www.fidadevelopment.fi
Hungarian Baptist Aid (Hungary)
www.baptistasegely.hu
International Aid Services (Sweden)
www.ias-intl.org
Kindernothilfe (Germany)
www.kindernothilfe.de
Läkarmissionen (Sweden)
www.lakarmissionen.se
Light For The World (Netherlands)
www.lightfortheworld.nl
SEL (France)
www.selfrance.org
Strømme Foundation (Norway)
www.stromme.org
Tear (Netherlands)
www.tear.nl
Tearfund (Belgium)
www.tearfund.be
Tearfund (Ireland)
www.tearfund.ie
Tearfund (UK)
www.tearfund.org
The Leprosy Mission Int. (UK)
www.leprosymission.org
Woord en Daad (Netherlands)
www.woordendaad.nl
ZOA (Netherlands)
www.zoa.nl
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Ruth Faber
Director
+32 (0)2 234 38 77
Stephanie Beecroft
Advocacy Officer
+32 (0)2 234 38 74
Georgina Morgan
Communications and Admin Assistant
+32 (0)2 234 38 76
www.eu-cord.org
Rue Joseph II, 166
Brussels 1000
Belgium