XII. Report on the progress of the work of the Interministerial Committee for Development Cooperation

The representatives of the NGO umbrella organisation, Cercle des ONG at the Interministerial Committee meeting on 13 December

Activities

In its various configurations, the committee met six times during 2013, on 8 February, 25 April, 14 June, 13 September, 22 November and 13 December.

The committee invited various officials or experts to its meetings, and held the final meeting of the year in the presence of the representatives of the NGO platform (Cercle de cooperation). Of the topics discussed  during the meetings, the following should be noted in particular:

(a) Guiding principles of development cooperation policy

  • The committee examined and approved the draft annual report of its work, for the insertion into the 2012 annual report on Luxembourg development cooperation.
  • A presentation was made to the committee on the guidelines of the 2012 annual report on cooperation, including the innovations introduced with regard to bilateral cooperation.
  • The committee was informed of the broad outlines of the post-2015 plans and the preparations underway to lay down a new development framework with sustainable development objectives for the post-2015 period. Discussions were grounded in the fact that almost all ministries will eventually be confronted with and involved in post-2015 debates at international fora, such as at the follow-up to the Cairo International Conference on Population and Development or at the FAO. Various documents were distributed to the committee members to share, in particular, the positions adopted by the Ministry on this subject.
  • The committee was informed of the preparations for the next Luxembourg presidency of the EU Council and the 2015 European Year for Development.
  • The committee was also informed about the preparations for the Development Cooperation Conference originally scheduled for September 2013, as well as of the reasons for its postponement to early 2014.


(b) Policy coherence for development

  • Experts from ECDPM research institute presented to the committee discussions going on within the European Union on the subject of policy coherence for development and the models for examining this issue which have been adopted by various EU Member States.
  • To complement this information, the committee also invited Mr. Charles Goerens, the European Parliament’s special rapporteur on the issue, who shared his experience and suggestions on the topic. He explained the lessons learned from procedures at the European level, advising committee members on how best to deal with national matters.
  • Following a letter from the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, the committee decided to study the topic of biofuels in order to examine the positions taken by Luxembourg representatives within European bodies and to determine to what extent the development aspect and effect on countries in the South are being taken into account. This review was carried out with the participation of the experts from the Directorate-General for Energy and Luxembourg’s Permanent Representation to the European Union, who presented the obligations deriving from Directive 2009/28/EC, and its effects on Luxembourg, and the current state of biofuel production within the EU. They explained how the interests of countries in the South are discussed within the EU and how Luxembourg has taken them into account in its national position, as have various other States and the European Parliament.
  • On the basis of its experience with biofuels, the committee has begun a discussion regarding the best mechanism for policy coherence for development. The members drew attention to the committee’s remit and the difficulty in reaching a common committee position on any given subject. This debate continued during the first half of 2014.
  • At its meeting of 13 December, the committee, together with the representatives of the NGO platform, addressed the priority subjects for which the NGO platform considers it necessary to ensure better coherence of development policies.


(c) Questionnaire on fair trade
On the basis of the replies received to the questionnaire, the committee prepared a note to be submitted to the governmental Council (Cabinet). Thereafter, the committee was informed of the conclusions reached by the Conseil de Gouvernement.


(d) Official development assistance (ODA)
The committee discussed the annual contributions, made by the different ministries to the various international organisations, which are eligible as ODA. It also heard explanations regarding coordination efforts between ministries in order to achieve a budget where ODA represents 1% of GNI.


(e) Staff active within developmentIn accordance with article 4 of the Grand-Ducal Regulation of 7 August 2012, the committee gave formal written approval to

  • 1 request for the appointment of the status of cooperation agent,
  • 1 request for the extension of the status of 7 cooperation agents
  • the extension of 2 aid workers,
  • 19 requests for the appointment of the status for assimilated aid worker,
  • 56 requests for development cooperation leave.

These figures are in line with those of the previous year.

Top