Dear colleagues and friends,

Please find below the latest edition of our “nEUws”. It heralds several new developments within the EU institutions, upcoming events and calls for proposals.

Contributions, feedback and suggestions are always appreciated!

Best regards,
Katrin

on behalf of Karen Hoehn,
Vice Executive Director
& Director European Affairs

--
Katrin Stichtenoth
German Foundation for World Population (DSW)
www.dsw-brussels.org

Place du Luxembourg, 2-3
Brussels, Belgium 1050
Tel: +32 (0) 2.504.90.60
Fax: +32 (0) 2.502.67.52
katrin.stichtenoth@dsw-brussels.org


Thanks to the DSW Brussels team – Amandine, Maria, Mascha and Matthias – for contributing to nEUws!

Latest News:

Calls for Proposals
more

EU News: Health in developing countries on agenda of coming French, Czech and Swedish Presidencies Programme
more

EU News: European Council Conclusions welcome the EU Agenda for Action on MDGs
more

EU News: EU specialist team created on the MDGs
more

Upcoming Events: Malaria Workshop
more

Resources: Child Health and Maternal Health - Who's got the power? Transforming health systems for women and children
more

Resources: MDG target 5B and preparations for ICPD+15
more

Calls for Proposals

The Calls on the following budget lines are usually open for organizations and projects interested in SRHR. For further details on any of these Calls or corrigenda see the EuropeAid website,
http://ec.europa.eu/comm/europeaid/cgi/frame12.pl

Non-State Actors (NSA) and Local Authorities (LA) in Development: To build capacity of NSA and LA in order to strengthen their participation in poverty reduction and sustainable development.
- In Cuba, until: 14.08.2008, budget: 130,000 €.
- In Ecuador, until 14.07.2008, budget: 2,000,000 €.
- In Zimbabwe, until 04.08.2008, budget: 2,000,000 €.

Cypriot civil society in action II programme: To support civil society in the Turkish Cypriot community amongst others targeted to organizations promotion and protection of women’s rights with a view to promote gender equality in the society;
- In Cyprus, until 09.09.2008, budget: 2,500,000 €.

Support and Strengthening of Non State Actors (ARIANE): to improve local governance, citizens rights and civic education. Actions should focus on young people and vulnerable groups.
- In Mali, until 12.08.2008, budget: 457,347 €.

Support and Strengthening of Non State Actors (ARIANE): with a specific focus on dialogue between civil society and national authorities and women’s empowerment.
- In Mali, until 12.08.2008, budget: 457,347 €.

If you work in the field of SRHR and need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us at: info-eu@dsw-brussels.org.

 top

EU News: Health in developing countries on agenda of coming French, Czech and Swedish Presidencies Programme

13 June

While health systems in Europe are one of the top priorities of the upcoming presidencies, in the field of development, the programme mentions that “ Several policies and programmes will require monitoring, fine-tuning and/or new impetus, such as, inter alia, strengthening health systems in developing countries with a view to universal access to health."
The only other reference to health is related to policy coherence in development.
Please see the programme:http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/08/st10/st10093.en08.pdf

 top

EU News: European Council Conclusions welcome the EU Agenda for Action on MDGs

20 June

In the Conclusions “The EU proposes to its partners in development to share this agenda”. The Agenda for Action says : “The EU will urgently support the attainment of the target set in 2005 regarding universal access to reproductive health”. The agenda further calls for increased EU investment in the health sector, mentioning an necessary increase of EU support to that sector of € 8 billion by 2010, which would not only “contribute to get as close as possible to the universal and free access to HIV/AIDS prevention, mitigation and treatment by 2010” but also be used for the Global Fund to fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Please find the conclusions here:http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/ec/101346.pdf

 top

EU News: EU specialist team created on the MDGs

A team of development specialists, led by Professor François Bourguignon has been formed to review progress towards the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The paper is a first step towards the realization of the European Report on Development (ERD), which is designed to be a major research-led review of development issues aiming at enhancing the European perspective on development in the international arena. The first ERD is due for publication in 2009. A first draft of the paper will be available in mid-July and finalized in September for the UN General Assembly debates on Africa and the MDGs.
http://ec.europa.eu/development/icenter/repository/Europrean_research_for%20Development-Bourguignon-Paper2008-06-17.pdf

 top

Upcoming Events: Malaria Workshop

DSW has organised a workshop aiming to raise awareness and expose the linkages between malaria and maternal health among Brussels-based Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working in the field of sexual and reproductive health and gender, namely those advocating for progress on the MDG 5 (Reducing maternal mortality). In addition some members of the European Commission Gender Expert Group will also be invited.

The 25th of July, two days before the commemoration of the Day of African Women (27th of July), is an ideal opportunity for the workshop to take place, also due to its proximity to the mid-term review of the MDGs and the elaboration of the new EU Plan of Action for Gender Equality & Women's Empowerment in External Relations.

 top

Resources: Child Health and Maternal Health - Who's got the power? Transforming health systems for women and children

The report highlights that change is possible. It advances a comprehensive action plan that recommends “the rapid and equitable sale-up of interventions such as integrated management of childhood illness, the universal provision of emergency obstetric care and sexual and reproductive health services, and the provision of strengthened health systems”.
Please see:http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/reports/tf_health.htm

 top

Resources: MDG target 5B and preparations for ICPD+15

The new MDG target 5B on universal access to reproductive health by 2015 and its indicators can now be found on several UN websites: the UN Statistical Division and UNFPA. Please see:
http://www.unfpa.org/
http://ngosforicpdat15.org/content/view/14/32/

 top