European Year for Development
Europe in the World - January
The European Union is present and active in most countries in the world. 139 EU Delegations, spread around the globe, are the EU's invaluable eyes and ears on the ground. Every day, they contribute to building solid and lasting partnerships, at times in extremely challenging and dangerous conditions. Having championed the UN Millennium Development Goals, the EU is now helping shape a global development agenda that will deliver lasting change and take us closer to the ultimate aim: a decent life for all.
Education - February
Education is the best possible investment against exclusion, inequality and poverty. It imparts key skills, teaches us how to be active members of society and is pivotal to nation-building. Yet over 50 million children worldwide are not enrolled in primary education and 250 million cannot read, write or do basic mathematics. That’s why development cooperation is so crucial in helping everyone get a good education, pursue their dreams and contribute to society.
Women and Girls - March
In many parts of the world, the simple fact of being born a girl will already put you at a disadvantage. Many women experience discrimination throughout their lives, for example by being kept out of school as girls, by not being able to find decently paid jobs when they grow up, not being able to access basic health services for themselves and their children, and by being denied their right to social protection and inheritance in old age. Yet give girls the same access to education as boys, and women the same resources and opportunities as men, and the whole community will benefit. This is especially important in poorer countries and communities, where women are often the backbone of economic life. Battling gender discrimination isn’t just morally right – it’s economically smart as well.
Health - April
Health is a basic human right. When the international community set the Millennium Development Goals in 2000, many of them referred directly and indirectly to health. However, progress in this field – with particular regard to women’s and children’s health – has been slow in many countries. So things haven’t exactly turned out as planned. How can we learn from this and break the vicious circle in which poverty undermines health, while poor health compounds poverty?
Peace and Security - May
Seventy years after the end of the Second World War, conflict and violence still keep countries and their people locked in cycles of insecurity and poverty, leaving any attempts at sustainable development hopelessly compromised. The best way of tackling them is to take a collective, comprehensive approach – from early warning and prevention to early recovery, stabilisation and peace-building. Development policies and programmes should address conflict, build resilience and help affected countries return to a sustainable development path, so that their people can live in peaceful, stable societies.
Sustainable Green Growth, Decent Jobs and Businesses - June