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Article

7 Jun 2017

Author:
Devex

EU: NGOs criticize new development cooperation framework as too oriented towards security, commercial & migration objectives

The European Union officially signed a controversial development framework on Wednesday, which NGOs say prioritizes political objectives over development goals. The European Consensus on Development is intended to guide EU development policy and shape its work on the Sustainable Development Goals until 2030, replacing a previous framework in place since 2005...However, it has been criticized by development organizations, who say it bolsters the bloc’s recent reorientation of aid toward the goal of tackling migration, and fails to include sufficient safeguards on the use of private finance...Oxfam International’s Deputy Director for Advocacy and Campaigns Natalia Alonso said that “positive elements” of the plan — such as the commitments on poverty and gender equality — were overrun “by short-term political interests.”The EU has come under fire in recent times for reorienting parts of its development assistance toward tackling migration...Critics say the policy risks blurring the line between security and development...Concord, the European confederation of development NGOs...welcomed “valuable elements” of the consensus — such as the focus on small-scale agriculture and women’s rights — but were “alarmed by the instrumentalisation of development cooperation towards security, commercial and migration objectives.”...