Overview

Key events in the area of Development Cooperation (first semester of 2011) 

  • Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom I) for the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (10-14 January 2011, New York)
  • Informal meeting of EU Development Ministers (22 February 2011)
  • Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom II) for the Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (4-8 April 2011)
  • 2011 World Rubber Summit (4-8 April 2011)
  • UN Habitat - 23rd Governing Council (Nairobi, 11-15 April 2011)
  • EU-US High Level Consultative Group on Development (April/May 2011)
  • ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors (April/May 2011, Brussels)
  • OCT-EU Forum (1-4 March 2011, Noumea, New Caledonia)
  • Fourth UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC IV) (Istanbul, 9-13 May 2011)
  • ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (16-19 May 2011, Budapest, Hungary)
  • Foreign Affairs/Development Council (24 May 2011, Brussels)
  • ACP-EU Joint Ministerial Council (May, Brussels, Belgium)
  • ACP-EU Joint Ministerial Trade Committee (tbc, Brussels)
  • High Level Forum IV (29 November - 1 December 2011, Busan, Republic of Korea)

Key policy issues 
The specific programme of each presidency is set out on its website. The Hungarian Programme is part of an 18-month programme with Spain and Belgium.
Based on these programmes, the main challenges for the Council in the area of development can be summarised as follows:

  • Aid effectiveness, with a view to the High level Forum on Aid Effectiveness (Seoul 2011).
  • Implementation the EU commitments on environment made at relevant conferences.
  • Work on the conclusion and follow-up of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs).
  • Strengthening the transatlantic partnership on development cooperation and promoting cooperation with emerging donors.

Priorities during the first semester of 2011:

  • Annual EU Development Accountability and Monitoring Report 2011
  • The future of EU development policy
  • Water and Development
  • EU-US Dialogue on Development
  • Financial instruments (DCI, BAM, EIDHR)
  • Implementation Plan of EU Strategy for Supporting Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Developing Countries
  • European Transition Compendium (ETC)
  • EDF Performance Review