Report from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementation, results and overall assessment of the European Year for Development 2015

The European Year for Development ('EYD2015') was the first European Year to be devoted to external relations. It came at an important moment for major international policy decisions: the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2015. A major breakthrough took place in July 2015 when the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on a global framework for financing sustainable development was agreed upon. Finally, in December, at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP21), 195 countries adopted the first-ever universal, legally-binding global climate deal.

It is against this backdrop that the European Union coordinated an innovative communication campaign on development that aimed to bring these global decisions closer to European citizens and their everyday life. Preparatory conferences were organised to make the campaign as inclusive as possible. All partners – including Member States, EU institutions, international organisations, civil society, and the private sector – agreed that the campaign should be a multi-stakeholder celebration of development cooperation.

Decision No 472/2014/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council designating the European Year for Development 2015 ('EYD2015 Decision') identified three objectives:
(a) to inform EU citizens about the development cooperation policies and actions of the Union and its Member States, highlighting the results achieved in this field by the Union as a global actor, and the commitment to continuing to play a leading role in development in line with the emerging post-2015 framework;
(b) to foster direct involvement, critical thinking and active interest among EU citizens and stakeholders in development cooperation, policy formulation and implementation; and
(c) to raise awareness of the benefits of the Union's development cooperation not only among beneficiaries but also among Union citizens, to achieve a broader understanding of policy coherence for development, and to foster among citizens in Europe and developing countries a sense of joint responsibility, solidarity and opportunity in a changing and interdependent world.

ESO: Background information: How European development aid makes a difference http://www.europeansources.info/record/how-european-development-aid-makes-a-difference/

ESO: Background information: European Year for Development 2015 http://www.europeansources.info/record/website-european-year-for-development-2015/

EUR-Lex: SWD(2016)286: Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the report http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=SWD:2016:286:FIN

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