CLGF Programme Manager Claire Frost is in Gaborone, Botwana this week, taking part in the 2nd Regional Meeting of the Policy Forum on Development (PFD) with key players from local government and beyond.  

Opened by Hon Venson-Moitoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development for Botswana and CLGF board member, and Jan Sadek, European Union Ambassador to the Republic of Botswana, the policy forum began with discussions on the best ways of partnering to deliver the joint global development agenda; with delegates sharing their experiences of the difficult process of setting development priorities.

Safety is the priority

Achieng Akena, Executive Director of the Pan African Citizen Network, reminded partners that movement is not the problem, but that safety to stay and safety to move must be the priority. 

With extensive experience of running EU programmes, Claire Frost explained how the Policy Forum on Development organises dialogue and exchange between multiple stakeholders and the EU.

This regional meeting for Africa is taking place from 8 to 10 October and will follow up on many issues from the previous meeting and also take into consideration the new context after the last African Union - European Union Summit which took place in Abidjan in November 2017. The meeting is looking at the summit recommendations concerning youth; peace and security; mobility and migration; and governance.

Assess progress

The objective is to assess the progress made by the EU and its partners in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific Group of states in these areas. In addition, the aprox. 70 participants - representatives from civil society organisations (including diaspora groups and foundations) and local authorities from all over Africa - will discuss the state of play of their working environments, in how far development commitments are being met so far and how Africa can leverage its partnerships in the fight against corruption and illicit financial flows.

Feeding in to post-Cotonou agreements

The final recommendations of the meeting will be communicated to EU decision-makers to be taken into consideration in the preparation of the post-Cotonou agreement and future EU Africa policies.