Development policy

CONCORD is the European confederation of Relief and Development NGOs. We are made up of member organisations: 28 national associations, 20 international networks and 3 associate members that represent over 2,600 NGOs, supported by millions of citizens across Europe. We are a member-led organisation which means that the members give the strategic direction of the confederation.

We are a not for profit organisation, registered under Belgian law as an a.i.s.b.l – Association Internationale Sans But Lucratif – (An international not for profit association). Founded in 2003 by development NGOs from across Europe, our organisational name CONCORD is an acronym based on ‘CONfederation for COoperation of Relief and Development NGOs’.

We are the main interlocutor with the EU institutions on development policy. We aim to strengthen the impact of European development NGOs vis-à-vis the European Institutions and to positively influence the European Development policies for a fair, just and sustainable world.

The BMZ is the highest federal authority for development questions. It plans and controls the development policy of the Federal Government and is responsible for its implementation. From our point of view, development policy is more than the simple commitment to creating humane living conditions on a global level. As a form of international structural policy, it can also help to address the common interests and challenges of all peoples in an effective and sustainable manner. The ministry is located in Bonn and Berlin.

Policy on three levels
The BMZ functions on three different levels: on a national level, in affiliated countries, and in international organizations. An effective development policy can help to shape new structures in global trade and to reach effective agreements on environmental policy. Thus, we can ease the debt burden of the poorest countries, stop global warming, secure peace and develop international strategies to counteract poverty. Development programs are carried out in regions where the efforts of the local authorities are insufficient. Through educational work, we also mobilize support among the population in our country.

Rules of cooperation
Development policy can only work well if it is set in the right framework. Our partners have to meet the following crucial criteria: implementation of human rights, the rule of law and the predictability of legal decisions, involvement of the population in the democratic process, creation of a market-oriented and socially just economy, and a general focus on the development process. Other principles include participation and responsibility.

Our tasks
The BMZ creates the guidelines and focal points for development policy. It represents development policy at several international organizations such as the United Nations (UN), the World Bank group and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and helps to shape international agreements. In cooperation with governmental bodies and non-governmental relief organizations, the BMZ carries out projects and programs in our affiliated countries.

Combating poverty, ensuring peace and preserving the environment: These are the three major concerns of Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian Development Cooperation. Every year, about 600 projects and programmes are implemented and funds of well over EUR 100 million are deployed to improve living conditions in developing countries.

Together with the Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs (MFA), partner countries, public institutions, civil-society organisations and businesses, ADA seeks to ensure that sustainable development works to the benefit of all people in Africa, Asia, South-Eastern and Eastern Europe as well as in the Caribbean. Personnel in 13 coordination offices make sure that ADA operations are in line with national development goals and the needs of the local population and that funds are put to the best possible use.

MFA allocates the ADA budget, but other federal ministries and donors or the EU, for example, draw on ADA expertise. Since 2008, the Austrian Development Agency has been conducting programmes for the European Commission. Via a further financing instrument, business partnerships, it allocates private funds for development cooperation: ADA promotes projects of enterprises in developing countries and emerging nations if they contribute to improving the conditions of life of the population in a region. Most funds are invested in its key regions and priority countries.

Management Consulting in the public sector

The Afro-Asian Institute Salzburg (AAI) is a non-profit organisation with close ties to the university of Salzburg. It is financed by the public funds and the Catholic Church. The aims of the AAI are to provide educational services on development policy, to enable intercultural encounters and to promote interfaith dialogue.
The AAI is a meeting place for different cultures and religions. We show different global contexts through a varied educational and cultural program in order to raise awareness of injustices and set out development policy issues and its risks in the context of globalization. Affected individuals, as well as experts from the global South have an opportunity in our organization to take the floor. Within the framework of the AAI scholarship program, students from African, Asian and Latin American countries receive financial support, as well as a personal accompaniment and take part in our educational program.