We are living through events few could have predicted a couple of years ago. The consequences of another war in Europe are being felt across the world in the form of increasing energy and food prices; climate change is devastating ecosystems around the world; inequalities are soaring. The world is at a crossroads where international cooperation efforts can help countries withstand the impact of these shocks while building a more sustainable and equitable world, but only if it is done the right way. Decision-makers face a difficult, yet vital series of choices to make in this critical juncture.

AidWatch reports offer insights and recommendations for policymakers dealing with these challenges. They assess European ODA, a precious tool to support those left furthest behind, in terms of quantity and quality. AidWatch represents civil society views on ODA trends and urges European policymakers to honor their commitments for partner countries’ own development objectives.

The 2023 AidWatch report employs a revised methodology, dissecting the official ODA definition to gauge the EU’s contribution to overall objectives. This reassessment is vital to redefine the concept of ‘inflated aid’ and its relevance in the debate on aid quality.

Using the revised methodology, the report critically analyses the EU’s financial support to partner countries. It questions how much of this support can genuinely qualify as ODA. The report then evaluates how ODA supports countries’ economic development and welfare, thereby acting as a powerful tool to reduce inequalities between and within countries. Additionally, it provides a detailed country-by-country analysis for EU Member States and the United Kingdom.

In light of the ongoing mid-term evaluation of the NDICI-Global Europe and the mid-term review of its programming, which should be finalised in 2024, CONCORD undertook a study on EU development cooperation funding for CSOs at country and regional level to inform, stimulate and support its discussions with relevant EU institutions and EU Member States. It will also contribute to discussions about CSO funding mechanisms and potential adaptations, especially with regards to the geographic programming.

Its objectives:
· Assess EU funding going to and through CSOs;
· Critically examine how the EU’s political discourse matches NDICI-Global Europe funding decisions, and
· Explore potential adaptations of the support and funding modalities to reach all types of CSOs.

2023 marks the mid-term point of the implementation of the EU’s Action Plan on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in External Action 2021–2025 (GAP III).

GAP III is an ambitious policy, and it is important to monitor the actual impact it is having on the lives of women and girls in all their diversity in the EU’s partner countries, and to readjust the course of its implementation to better respond to their intersectional needs and rights.

Our report reviews GAP III implementation in three carefully chosen local contexts: Morocco, the Philippines, and Kenya, and focuses on how the new and potentially transformative elements of GAP III – a gender-transformative and intersectional approach – have been applied in practice.

Inequalities persist at high levels throughout the world and they affect individuals in a wide range of ways. Europe has a particular responsibility with respect to inequalities, but the increasing recognition of inequalities as a key global challenge by the European Union (EU) and many EU Member States shows that different partnerships, focused on equality, are possible and feasible.

This report looks at case studies in South Africa, Paraguay and Bangladesh which show how Europe can engage constructively with communities and marginalised groups and support their struggle for equality.

The present report identifies a number of key ingredients for equality, with the hope to stimulate political debate among European policy-makers to
fully mainstream inequality reduction in policies, programmes and projects.

We have also collected the testimonies of the participants and leaders of projects funded by the EU and EU Member States in a video that  highlights the four key principles that programmes need to follow.

 

EU Member States committed themselves to tackling inequalities when they adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the European Consensus on Development (2017) and the Council Conclusions on addressing inequalities in partner countries (2019), and in the common EU response to COVID-19. Some Member States (MS) have also given individual commitments.

Research has shown that inequalities are economically inefficient and hinder social development; tackling inequalities is necessary if we are to achieve all the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). CONCORD is committed to supporting the reduction of inequalities both through its members’ work and by following up on the commitments by the EU and its Member States to reduce inequalities through their international cooperation.

This report provides an EU-wide analysis based on an assessment of how Member States’ organisations and their international cooperation strategies respond to the challenge of inequalities. The research focuses on five key aspects: (1) Member States’ political commitment to reducing inequalities, (2) mainstreaming tools and practices, (3) redistributing wealth to partner countries, (4) targeted action within partner countries and (5) Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development.