Commissioner Piebalgs delivers a keynote address at the CONCORD conference "The Millennium Development Goals after the UN Summit: Moving Forward or Backwards?"
Today Commissioner Piebalgs delivers a keynote address at the CONCORD conference in Brussels, which aims to analyse the outcome of the MDG Summit in New York and discuss the way forward with experts, civil society representatives and EU officials. During the event the participants discuss the following topics: MDGs and financing for development, MDGs and food security, MDGs and decent work, MDGs challenged by climate change.
CONCORD is the European confederation of relief and development NGOs. Its 18 international networks and 25 national associations from the European Member States represent more than 1600 European NGOs vis-à-vis the European Institutions.
Non-State Actors (NSA) such as NGOs are seen as key partners in the Commission's development policy in the African Caribbean and Pacific region. As such, they have to be involved in the definition of development strategies (the ACP is the only region where this involvement is legally binding through the Cotonou Agreement).
The EU supports the broad participation of all stakeholders in countries' development and encourages all parts of society to take part. Civil society, including economic and social partners such as trade unions, employers' organisations and the private sector, NGOs and other non-state actors of partner countries in particular play a vital role as promoters of democracy, social justice and human rights.
Commissioner Piebalgs is dedicated to work together with NSA on development issues. Only recently, he met with the representatives of NGO to discuss the expectations of the European citizens towards the Millennium Development Goals. During this meeting Commissioner Piebalgs also received the video message from European citizens who are waiting for the world leaders to act on the MDGs.
