Cooperation with development NGOs

MFEA-NGO working group

At the press conference on 18 January 2017 at the Directorate of Development Cooperation, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs Romain Schneider signed seven framework agreements with the following development NGOs : Bridderlech Deelen (BD), Aide Internationale de la Croix-Rouge luxembourgeoise (CR), CARE in Luxembourg (CIL), Christian Solidarity International Luxembourg (CSI), ECPAT, PADEM and SOS Villages d’Enfants Monde (SOSI).

Cooperation with development NGOs

Ninety-four associations currently have the approval of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) pursuant to the amended law of 6 January 1996 on development cooperation and humanitarian action. NGOs disbursed 58,62 million euros in 2017 on development cooperation activities via these main financial instruments:

  • Framework cooperation agreements: 21 framework agreements were co-financed in 2017 at a total cost of 25,28 million euros. Seven framework cooperation agreements were signed in 2017.
  • Co-financing of development projects: 88 individual projects by 40 NGOs were supported in 2017 at a total cost of 8,55 million euros: of these projects, 26 were new projects implemented by 22 NGOs;
  • Implementation mandates as part of bilateral cooperation: 7,89 million euros.

Added to this are contributions recorded as official development assistance allocated for humanitarian action (emergency aid, food aid, crisis prevention, reconstruction and rehabilitation), subsidies for development education and awareness-raising activities and support for administrative expenses incurred in the preparation and monitoring of the development activities. In total, the ODA allocated to national non-governmental organisations in 2017 was 58,62 million euros, i.e. 15,46% of Luxembourg’s official development assistance for this budget year.

Luxembourg’s development cooperation attaches great importance to civil society organisations as fully-fledged development actors. In effect, it is one of the development cooperation systems which has most recourse to civil society organisations to implement development projects and programmes. NGOs are a complementary route for bilateral aid, enabling activity in countries and sectors where the Ministry cannot intervene and, by working closer to the beneficiaries, reaching parts of the population of developing countries where bilateral cooperation is not present. We should not forget that NGOs are partners, not the government’s executive agents.

The large number of approved NGOs and the percentage of ODA allocated to NGOs bears witness to the importance that the Luxembourg population attaches to civil society organisations and to ways of expressing its international solidarity. The Ministry’s strong commitment to Luxembourgish NGOs is enabling ODA to remain at around 1% of GNI. Effectively, through the NGOs, the Luxembourg population can participate and be involved directly and substantially in the implementation of Luxembourg’s development cooperation policy.

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