Luxembourg's development cooperation - Annual report 2016

The Committee met six times during 2016, on 19 February, 22 April, 6 June,
30 September, 25 November and 16 December. The final meeting of the year was also attended by the representatives of the development NGOs’ Cercle de Coopération.

The Committee examined and approved the draft annual report on its work for inclusion in the 2015 annual report of Luxembourg’s development cooperation. 

At the meetings, major issues were addressed, such as

a) the broad orientation of development cooperation policy.

• The Committee was informed of the current work of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) on the definition – or modernisation – of the definition of official development assistance (ODA). This work is technical but potentially has a political impact. A ministerial meeting took place in February in order to decide on the modernisation of the definition in terms of peace and security, to discuss the area regarding the private sector and to address the thorny question of responsibility for the costs of accepting migrants and refugees.
• In the light of the budget preparations for 2017, the Committee was consulted on the various budget forecasts by all the Ministries whose activities are included in the accounts as official development assistance (ODA).
• The Committee was informed of the peer review by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) which is planned for 2017, and the various issues in the memorandum that Luxembourg must submit to the DAC in January 2017. The Ministries most directly involved, such as the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for Sustainable Development and Infrastructure, were invited to participate in the production of the report. The presentation of the results and conclusions of the review is planned for the OECD meeting in Paris on 20 September 2017.
• The Committee received a debriefing on the World Humanitarian Summit held at the end of May in Istanbul, in which almost 9000 people took part, including 55 heads of state and government (more information on the Summit). The Committee took note of the various concrete commitments that Luxembourg made and intends to implement as soon as possible. The Committee indicated its interest in regularly following the issues related to humanitarian aid.
• The Committee discussed the preparations for and results of the High-Level Meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation held in Nairobi from 28 November to 1 December 2016. This global, inclusive forum, the second of its kind, adopted the Nairobi Outcome Document, which specifies the principles of development effectiveness in the light of Agenda 2030 and the follow-up of the commitments that constitute the bases for all effective cooperation, i.e. ownership by developing countries, the focus on results, partnerships for inclusive development and transparency and accountability.
• The Committee was informed of the important European Commission and SEAE communications presented at the Foreign Affairs Council in its development configuration in November 2016 that are vital for the future of the EU’s and its Member States’ development cooperation, i.e. the communication on the new European consensus and the communication on the future of relations with the ACP countries.

b) Policy coherence for development

• The Committee was informed of the 11^th meeting of the National Focal Points for Policy Coherence for Development organised by the OECD on 28 October 2016, at which an appeal was made to governments to improve policy coherence for sustainable development. 
• Following the meeting of the Prime Minister and the Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action with the representatives of the Cercle of NGOs, and taking into account some of the latter’s demands in terms of policy coherence, the Interministerial Committee’s mechanism of policy coherence for development was revised. The Cercle de Coopération will henceforth be invited to take part as an active observer in all debates on the application of the Committee’s mechanism of policy coherence for development. As part of its mechanism for policy coherence for development, the Committee had three debates in 2016:
  • the first debate was on COP21 and its repercussions on development;
  • the second was on investment funds with a social and environmental impact and the role of the financial centre;
  • the third was on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and developing countries.

During these three debates, various government experts gave a presentation on the background to the subject, from the perspective of policy coherence for development, to the Committee’s delegates, together with the national positions taken. Then the Committee listened to the positions of the representatives of the Cercle of NGOs regarding all three subjects before discussing the position to adopt.

• In line with its modus operandi, the Committee was able to issue an opinion on the implications of the Paris Agreement for developing countries and its consistency with the development agenda. This opinion was published on the Ministry’s website. Given the complexity of the subject in relation to the investment funds and in particular those funds with a social and environmental impact and the lack of key aspects, the Committee decided that it was difficult to come to a conclusion on the prospects for development cooperation.
• At its meeting of 16 December, the Committee discussed with the representatives of the Cercle of NGOs the practical application of policy coherence for development. At this annual exchange of views, the Cercle presented a mid-term evaluation of the 2013-2018 government programme and, more precisely, an analysis of the fifteen different propositions connected to development cooperation. In this analysis, the Cercle stated that most of the propositions had been taken into consideration and was mainly satisfied by the work done by the government although there is still unfinished business. 

c) Agenda 2030

• On the subject of Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, the Committee was informed of the UN body responsible for the national monitoring and implementation of the Agenda, i.e. the High Level Policy Forum (HLPF) for sustainable development. The Committee was informed of the progress of the HLPF in July 2016 and Luxembourg’s intention to present its first conclusions of implementation of Agenda 2030 in Luxembourg.
• The Committee attended a presentation by the delegate of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructures on Agenda 2030 and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), on the progress of the national implementation of the Agenda and the concrete role of the various national bodies such as the Interdepartmental Committee for Sustainable Development (CIDD). Its close link with the Interministerial Committee for Development (CID) was noted.
• The Luxembourg development cooperation conference took place on 26 and 27 September 2016 at the European Convention Center in Luxembourg/Kirchberg on the headline topic of implementing the Agenda 2030 and, more precisely, Sustainable Development Goals 16, 13 and 5: peace, justice and effective institutions, climate change and gender. These three substantial Sustainable Development Goals were addressed at the three round tables with the participation of three Luxembourg Ministers, Nigeria’s Minister for Population and the UN Women Deputy Executive Director.

d) Staff active within development

Pursuant to Article 4 of the Grand-Ducal Regulation of 7 August 2012, the Committee approved in writing:

• 8 applications for cooperation official status,
• the extension of 2 cooperation officials’ status,
• the extension of 10 aid workers’ status,
• 9 new applications for assimilated aid worker status,
• 81 applications for development cooperation leave (2015: 55 applications; 2014: 71).

At its November meeting the Committee took note of the presentation of the new application forms for development cooperation leave, aid worker and assimilated aid worker status, as well as for reimbursement requests.