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1 Newsletter N 30 - March 2013 The ACP Local Government Platform e-newsletter is an electronic newsletter produced every three months by the ACP Local Government Platform (ACP-LG Platform). The editor of this e-newsletter invites readers to make comments & contribute news on local government issues from their organisations, local authorities & countries. All former editions of the newsletter are available on the Platform website: (go to News, then Platform Newsletters ). For those who want to know about the Platform and its history, please visit the Platform website (go to The ACP-LG Platform, then Background, Establishment of the Platform and Future orientation ). The Newsletter N 23 is a special edition to celebrate the 10 th anniversary of the Platform. *********************************************************************************************************************************** The ACP-EU Energy Facility II 2 nd Call for Proposals Deadline for submission of applications: 03/06/2013 *********************************************************************************************************************************** The 2 nd call for proposals of the ACP-EU Energy Facility II has been published 1. This is an open call for proposals, where all documents are submitted together (Concept Note + Full Application Form). Prior registration in the PADOR system (Potential Applicant Data On-Lone Registration) 2 is obligatory both for applicants and partners. Global objective: To contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) on poverty alleviation, as well as of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) objectives on energy, while helping to fight against climate change. Specific objectives: To increase and improve access to modern, affordable and sustainable energy services for rural poor by focusing on renewable energy solutions as well as on energy efficiency measures. Priorities: Focus: concentrate on the target group, i.e. poor people living in scattered settlements, villages, rural towns. Ownership: anchor ownership of a project to the beneficiary and to ensure the coherence and alignment of the project with Local, National or Regional Development Plans and other sector-specific, poverty reduction and energy-related policies. Geographical coverage: Priority of funding will be given to actions to be implemented in African ACP Countries. Actions in the Pacific ACP Countries are not subject of this Call for Proposals because for this region a separate initiative will follow. Considered as an Advantage: Private sector involvement - Leverage: Considering the limited amount of funds available under this Call in comparison with the required investment needs, private sector and bank's investments and participation in the energy sector will be sought, notably by supporting the reduction of barriers for private sector involvement. Innovation: Extend the frontiers of energy supplies and services through support for approaches which are innovative in their organisation, financing or delivery mechanism. Support to authorities in charge of rural electrification/rural energy: actions and activities aiming at supporting/implementing strategies and plans of existing Rural Electrification/Energy Agencies and/or other governmental organisation managing rural electrification. Productive use of Energy: actions and activities aiming at increasing access to energy services for local productive activities so as to promote economic growth, generate jobs and consequent increased affordability for energy service. Access to energy services for public services (e. g.: schools, clinics, etc.) Energy-Food nexus: the proposed actions should support a diverse range of innovative and viable approaches to improve food security accelerating the design and deployment of clean energy solutions to smallholder farmers and agribusinesses. Such interventions may address the aforementioned demand-side and/or supply-side barriers to integrating clean energy technology in the production, processing, storing, and marketing of agricultural goods. Type of Actions: The Call for Proposals will aim at providing grants for investments for provision of modern energy services for the rural poor through rural electrification. The focus shall be the local impact of the action and on utilising renewable sources of energy. Capacity building and governance may be included as an integral and complementary part of investment operations, and may cover all aspects related to the provision of energy services. Technology transfer will be encouraged insofar as it is adapted to the local context. For economic and environmental reasons, energy efficiency measures are encouraged, including as a component of an investment project. Projects should directly involve local actors and end beneficiaries. In the access-oriented energy investment projects, accompanying measures could be foreseen, including for the promotion of productive use of energy, beyond the provision of basic services. The use of fossil fuels (NB in hybrid systems only) and the connection to existing grids (e.g. to make a renewable investment economically more viable), may be considered on an exceptional basis only and subject to adequate justification as regards the increase of access to energy and on the basis of environmental and economic considerations. With regard to rural electrification, actions may address various types of target areas: 1. Electrification of isolated areas: the actions supported by the Energy Facility will concern decentralised systems mainly based on:

2 Small solar / wind / bio-energy / hydro power plants in combination with a rural distribution network; Technical innovations for rural electrification in areas such as micro-hydro, new types of electricity distribution technology, decentralised grids, etc.; N.B. projects concerning biofuels production will not be considered eligible. 2. Electrification of rural growth centres through decentralised solutions; Projects aiming at implementing decentralised solutions, based on renewable energy, for rural growth centres and surrounding areas (which in a later phase might be connected to the national grid). These projects could have electricity surpluses potentially sold in the medium-term to the national grid. Such projects could benefit from blended funding (mix of loans and grants) with a contribution from the EF. The Call will also support projects managed by rural electrification funds and agencies, in particular those involving cofinancing of investment projects (with the possible involvement of EU Member States and European Financing Institutions) and those aimed at rural electrification schemes covering a regional concession area, including renewable technologies and decentralised solutions. Actions should not contribute to markets distortions nor give rise to profits during the period of implementation of the project. Under certain circumstance, the Call for Proposals may support actions involving Public Private Partnerships or other forms of private sector participation from the international to the local levels. Innovative ways to leverage private and commercial funding can be proposed and are encouraged. They will be analysed under the overriding principles of affordability and benefits to users/citizens and compliance with 10 th EDF financial and contractual rules. The following non-exclusive list gives indications of the type of actions which may be considered for support provided that they meet the objectives, specific objective and priorities of the Call for Proposals (see above). Actions aiming at consolidating and/or scaling-up of proven successful, relevant, efficient (financially and in terms of management), effective, having high impact on poverty reduction and sustainable energy access activities (including activities previously funded by the EU and the ACP-EU Energy Facility). In such cases, demonstration of the successful deployment along with proof of capacity to replicate/upscale it will be critical. Will be considered for funding only actions providing access to energy services to not less than 30,000 people by the end of the project duration. The feasibility of such a target will have to be duly proven. Investment projects and well defined components of existing energy sector programmes that have a clear rural focus. Actions which include rehabilitation and improvement to existing services may be acceptable, provided that they bring real and measurable additional benefits to the poor. Actions that intend to promote local investment for rural electrification inter alia through development of local credit markets, excluding credit lines. Actions supporting microfinance activities, especially those at grassroots level, may also be considered. However direct credits to third parties are not eligible under this Call. Civil Society initiatives, including the promotion of innovative approaches for rural electrification, to deliver basic energy services for the un-served poor, support to community projects that sustain livelihoods through the provision of energy. Governance and capacity development: In a number of cases a successful implementation of a project will be closely related to the governance of the sector and/or capacity development of the involved stakeholder, including at the level of authorities. Furthermore, very often, when implementing concrete projects unforeseen governance and capacity issues arise and should be dealt with. It is a good opportunity to enhance the investment framework in a particular region or country. Therefore, in some cases, accompanying measures of investments projects can include some measures for good governance and/or capacity development. Types of activity: Construction and/or rehabilitation of energy infrastructure towards enhanced energy access in coherence with the local energy needs and context. Examples (non-exhaustive): Setting-up of mini-grids and/or off-grid renewable energy systems for households, public services (schools, clinics) and productive use of energy including food production and processing; Energy markets development; Development of Renewable Energy Companies or Energy Saving Companies; Supply and installation of solar/wind powered pumps for water supply schemes for agricultural purposes. Expected results (non-exhaustive): Increased access to electricity in rural communities of target countries; Improved living conditions and life opportunities; Creation of livelihoods through productive use of energy; Jobs created; Enhanced sustainable and inclusive economic growth. Financial allocation: Overall indicative amount: 55,000,000 Probable allocation to the Great Lake region (Burundi, DRC and Rwanda): 15,000,000 Grant size: Minimum amount: 4,000,000 Maximum amount: 8,000,000 Co-financing: between 25% and 75% Application forms: In addition to the Concept Note and Full Application Form, the following documents are needed:

3 Eco-Fin analysis (following the template of Annex3 of the Grant Application form) Assessment of the Environmental Impact (Annexes 6 & 7) Feasibility Study (following the Technical Guidance Note) Looking for partnership The Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) is an international trade association that represents all kinds of actors coming from all continents working on all types of off-grid renewable energy solutions to electrify rural areas in developing and emerging countries. Our platform currently gathers 70 organisations, most of them coming from the European private sector. However, we also have African, South-East Asian and Latin American members. As we are technology neutral, we promote other types of technologies in addition to solar, such as wind, biomass, hydro as well as battery and power components. ARE has amongst its members, top leaders with long experience in the development of energy for development. In this context, ARE is currently looking for local partners in ACP countries that are interested in development projects in the framework of the ACP-EU Energy Facility II. For further information, please contact the ARE Secretariat at [email protected] Tel: Website: * EC calls for proposals: open / foreseen * Various EC calls for proposals open/foreseen for some programmes of interest to local authorities can be seen at Non-State Actors and Local Authorities thematic programme (NSA & LA) Countries Deadline Budget* (EURO) Reference Central African Rep. 06/05/ EuropeAid/134152/L/ACT/CF Ghana open EuropeAid/133762/L/ACT/GH Eritrea open EuropeAid/131033/L/ACT/ER EIDHR: European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights Countries Deadline Budget (EURO) Reference Botswana 30/05/ EuropeAid/133894/L/ACT/BW Zambia 03/05/ EuropeAid/134189/L/ACT/ZM Niger open EuropeAid/133476/L/ACT/NE Ghana open EuropeAid/133776/M/ACT/GH Papua New Guinea open EuropeAid/131030/L/ACT/PG Food Security Countries Deadline Budget (EURO) Reference Madagascar foreseen EuropeAid/134180/M/ACT/MG Various fields in ACP countries Countries Deadline Budget (EURO) Reference Cameroon open EuropeAid/134122/L/ACT/CM Cameroon open EuropeAid/134022/L/ACT/CM Dominican Republic foreseen EuropeAid/134167/L/ACT/DO Malawi open EuropeAid/133067/M/ACT/MW All ACP open EuropeAid/130741/D/ACT/Multi Central African region open EuropeAid/131971/M/ACT/Multi All ACP open EuropeAid/133437/D/ACT/Multi Chad 02/04/ EuropeAid/133647/M/ACT/TD Vanuatu foreseen EuropeAid/127380/D/ACT/VU * News from the EU * 3 rd Assises of Decentralised Cooperation (DC) 9 & 10 April 2013 in Brussels Registrations for the 3 rd Assises of Decentralised Cooperation are now open on the DC portal of the Committee of the Regions The Assises of Decentralised Cooperation for development represents a unique opportunity to bring together local and regional authorities' representatives from the EU and developing countries to exchange their views and hold a political dialogue with the European institutions on development cooperation. The ultimate aim is to contribute to reinforce development aid effectiveness towards the full integration of local and regional authorities into the development cooperation policies and to build a genuine partnership between the different actors active in the field of development. The third edition of the Assises includes an opening session and five parallel thematic roundtables, on 9 April in the afternoon. The plenary session, will take place on 10 April, in the morning and will bring together the "rapporteurs" of each roundtable to present the main conclusions of the discussions. This will be followed by an exchange of questions and answers session between the participants and high representatives of the EU institutions. Round Table 1: Cross-border & interregional cooperation, decentralised cooperation in support of regional integration Round Table 2: Local and regional authorities and the international agenda on development post-2015 Round Table 3: Decentralisation in developing countries, including fiscal dimension Round Table 4: Capacity building of local and regional authorities: a support for development Round Table 5: EC Communication on Local Authorities in Development: the results of the consultation

4 On the occasion of the Assises, associated events will be held at the Committee of the Region. They will take place on Tuesday April 9 in the morning and on Wednesday April 10 in the afternoon. Next EU aid budget: no cut, but neither a step ahead Even if it makes no cuts to previous sums, the new EU multi-annual budget ( ) agreed upon on February 8 does not add any extra money to the EU development and humanitarian aid funding, falling to put the EU on track to meet the UN target of 0.7% of gross national income (GNI), established by the UN for the achievement of Millennium Development Goals by At the current level (as of 2011), the EU's aid budget reached a rate of only 0.44% of GNI. However, the sum falls short of the initial proposals made by the European Commission. The European Development Fund (EDF), the main instrument for providing Community development aid in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and the overseas countries and territories (OCTs), has received under the new budget 26,9 bn, 3 bn less than in the initial proposal of the European Commission. In the previous period ( ), the EDF had a budget of 22,7 bn. The EU's assistance to the ACP countries has traditionally been financed outside the EU budget for historical and legal reasons, but its level has been traditionally agreed as part of the overall budget negotiations. Besides the EDF, the other instruments of foreign aid that do come under the budget, and which represent the largest part of foreign aid - the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), and ten thematic programmes that provide regional and country-based approaches to development- received a total budget with 1.9bn lower than that proposed by the Commission, but will still amount to a 3.4% rise based on previous spending levels of 58.7bn. The DCI covers three components: i) geographic programmes supporting cooperation with 47 developing countries in Latin America, Asia and Central Asia, the Gulf region (Iran, Iraq and Yemen) and South Africa; ii) thematic programmes benefiting all developing countries, such as the NSA-LA programme; and iii) programmes of accompanying measures for the 18 African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Sugar Protocol countries, in order to help them adjust following the reform of the EU sugar regime. For the period , 16.9 billion were allocated to the DCI. Even if no aid cuts took place compared to previous years, NGOs see the Union s deal as disappointing, and lacking ambition prospects for the MDGs goals. Last year, developing countries of the ACP group have expressed their concerns that prospects aid cuts in EU foreign aid funding would lead to the impossibility of reaching the Millennium Development Goal for halving the number of people living in absolute poverty by New EU Platform for blending funds in external cooperation A new EU Platform will provide recommendations and guidance on the use of blending in the external cooperation of the European Union, to unlock additional public and private resources and thereby increase the impact of EU external cooperation and development policy. Blending is a tool which combines EU grants with other public and private sector resources such as loans and equity in order to leverage additional non-grant financing. The new EU Platform will act as a major forum to build on the experience so far in this area and look at how to improve the quality and efficiency of blending mechanisms, taking due account of the policy frameworks that govern the EU relations with the different partner countries, notably EU Development, Neighbourhood and Enlargement policies. Since 2007, the European Commission, together with Member States, has set up eight regional blending facilities. The work plan agreed for 2013 includes a review of the existing blending mechanisms and the development of a common results based framework to measure impact. For further information: News from the ACP-EU CTA Briefing on Agricultural Resilience in the Face of Crises and Shocks organised by CTA on 04/03/2013 in Brussels. The Briefing brought together about 180 ACP-EU policy-makers and representatives of EU Member States, civil society groups, research networks and development practitioners, and international organisations based in Brussels. Most decision makers agree that the integration of disaster preparedness, mitigation and prevention measures into policy development is key to reducing the vulnerability of human populations to natural hazards. Interventions must build on local institutions and livelihood adaptation strategies to achieve more sustainable solutions. Linking weather data with nutritional information, crops and animal disease outbreaks and market prices, the systems need to draw their data from all levels, including community level. Local government have a key role to play in promoting agricultural resilience by coordinating data collection and ensuring adequate food stock at the local level. The ACP-LG Platform, on behalf of ACP local government, participated in this activity. For any further information, please contact the CTA at [email protected] or the Platform at [email protected]. All documents related to the briefing are available at **** News from the ACP Good practices *** Success story of the ARIAL Programme support to the Association of municipalities of Chad (ACT) ACT background Created in 1997, the ACT was a moribund association: it was more a club of friends than an umbrella structure of local governments August 2011: the ACT solicited financial and technical support from the ARIAL programme. It was a success and the ACT got a financial and technical support for 2 years. Objectives: The ACT set objectives that will allow its actions to be sustainable. These are: Members ownership of the Association

5 Legitimisation of the Association vis-à-vis the public authority Confirmation of the ACT as the unique interlocutor of donors Step 1: to introduce oneself to donors Objective: to make oneself known among donors Action: in parallel to elaborating ACT key documents, the Association took the opportunity of the visit of experts to meet donors with them: UNDP, French cooperation and the EU. Step 1: first results There was an immediate knock-on effect and the French cooperation provided the ACT with office equipment The French cooperation also financed the Permanent Secretary capitalisation mission in Burkina Faso The EU started to regularly communicate with the ACT Step 2: to maintain contact Objective: in order to gain donors confidence, it is important to maintain contact and inform them of the ACT actions Added value of an association of municipalities: an umbrella organisation of donors target group (municipalities and local population) Action: the ACT solicited support from two experts of the ARIAL programme in elaborating strategic documents and developing funding requirements to be submitted to UNDP. The quality of the documents presented to UNDP convinced the agency to recognise the ACT as the unique interlocutor of municipalities and key player in the decentralisation process in Chad. Step 2: results The Ministry of Territorial Administration (MATD) and the ACT were invited by UNDP at the meeting of validation of the programme. A joint team UNDP MATD ACT visited ten pilot municipalities with the following missions: i) to assess the situation of the communes; ii) to identify the needs in IT equipment; and iii) to identify the needs in office space Step 3: to be visible and known Objective: to use main events to increase the association visibility throughout the country Action: July 2012: organisation of the ARIAL regional workshop in Ndjamena; November 2012: ACT 1 st General Assembly Step 3: results The ARIAL regional workshop confirmed the ACT which became National Association of Municipalities of Chad (ANCT) as the centre of actions in favour of the structure members and as a dynamic structure able to play the role of interlocutor vis-à-vis donors and central government for the benefit of members. The General Assembly was a major event: presence of numerous donors; active participation of new elected mayors; the ANCT could be presented as a networking platform between donors, national stakeholders and municipalities. Prospects The French cooperation signed an agreement with the State. It will enter into force in 2014 and foresee a credit line for the ANCT. The ANCT undertook the process of moving its statute from a simple association (ACT) to an association of public utility (ANCT). This statute will allow the association to get an annual structural grant from the budget of the State. Challenges The ARIAL financial and technical support will end in August 2013 Condition of donors to support municipalities in Chad: to hold local elections Chance of the ANCT: even though elections were held with delay in early 2012, they have given momentum to development partners for the benefit of municipalities and their umbrella structure Conclusion Being in a favourable environment is important in order to attract external fund The ARIAL programme support was combined with favourable external factors: local elections were held; donors give priority to the decentralisation process in their programme Source: ANCT - This case was presented during the ARIAL special session at the 6 th Africities Summit, Dakar. Role of LG associations (LGAs) in lobbying national government/development partners Good practice from the National association of the municipalities of Benin (ANCB). What lobbying opportunities for LGAs? LGAs can lobby national governments for political recognition as a tier of governments Lobby development partners to be part of development in their own right LGAs can influence policy (legal) reforms Through intervening in the law-making process (to amend existing law or enact a new law) LGAs can lobby for increased transfer of resources and competences to LGs Lobby partners for development cooperation/joint project implementation and for resources to undertake development projects on their own Lobby the private sector for public private partnerships with LGs The good practice of ANCB: ANCB lobbied and secured a position in making inputs into the national budget before it is passed by the national parliament.

6 How does it work? The national parliament obtains inputs on LG from ANCB to make sure LG concerns are taken on board. In the 2013 budget sent to ANCB by Parliament, it was realised that 2% allocation was made for LGs. ANCB asked for a minimum of 15% allocation for LGs. The lobbying technique employed: the LGA used a Member of Parliament as a Lead Person to lobby Parliament on its behalf. The MP was a former Mayor and therefore understands the concerns of LGs and articulated these in Parliament. What makes it good? The representative body of LGs is consulted on a crucial issue such as the drawing of the national budget. It is an example for other LGAs to lobby to be part of national political dialogue and decision making process and resource allocation to LGs. Who benefits? LGs benefit in terms of increased budgetary resources for development Local citizens are the end beneficiaries The ANCB has found a voice in national affairs There is political recognition for the ANCB and LGs as a whole Source: WARO & ANCB This case was presented during the ARIAL special session at the 6 th Africities Summit, Dakar. Reading Decentralisation and Local Governance (DeLoG). Newsletter. March 2013 and December Localising aid. Sustaining change in the public, private and civil society sectors. Overseas Development Institute. March This report examines whether 'localised aid' can help strengthen country systems. Crucially, we expand the scope of our research to look at three sectors of society: the public sector (state); the private sector; and civil society. It is based on extensive literature analysis supported by three country studies: Guatemala, Liberia and Uganda. The authors find that while localising aid is no magic bullet in any of the sectors, it must be considered as a critical element in any aid strategy aimed at strengthening systems. The authors propose a range of ways in which aid providers can work with governments to strengthen the private sector. The authors conclude that too much emphasis may have been placed in past aid effectiveness discussions on finding the perfect aid modality, and that all aid modalities can be used well or poorly. However, the inability or reluctance to localise aid should be viewed as a significant weakness in an aid programme portfolio. n+%28governance%3a+local+governance+and+decentralisation+%29 European Union Development Cooperation in a Changing Global Context - DIIS Report on the future of EU development cooperation. The global arena for development cooperation is in a state of flux, as the conventional drivers of economic and social progress have seen rapid transformations in the last years. In the South, new powers have (re)emerged and now represent proper alternatives to conventional North-South cooperation as a range of middleincome countries (MIC) have witnessed swift growth. Remittances and private financial flows to developing countries have exploded, and aid today only constitutes a small brick in the large puzzle that is financial flows for development. Different forms of partnership and comprehensive agreements are slowly substituting traditional donor-beneficiary relationships to the point where aid may be left with a marginal role in stimulating development. The implications of these changes for EU development cooperation are immense as the recognised and employed instruments and modalities are challenged. The changing global environment necessarily requires it to rethink its approach to development cooperation and its relations with emerging actors. Still, Europe holds a comprehensive history and experience in several areas that may prove to be comparatively advantageous in development cooperation, and where potential may be unlocked. Development-Cooperation-web.pdf Practice makes Perfect? - DIIS Report debates the EU in the Post-2015 negotiations for a development framework is the deadline by which the 193 UN Member States have committed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and when discussions on a possible future framework will have to be concluded. Since the MDGs were designed in the 1990s the world has witnessed profound changes, and the negotiations towards 2015 are set to take place in a context marked by resource scarcity and financial restraints, and where the barriers for change and progress, as well as the opportunities, have changed significantly. For the European Union to maximise its influence on the negotiations leading up to 2015, it will have to learn from its past performance in international negotiations. Delivering a comprehensible and influential message in the UN, with political support from both EU and non-eu Member States will be a delicate process of internal coherence, gaining political support and building alliances. The report discusses the potential of EU influence in a post-2015 process that is at its core UN-led. It seeks to complement an analysis of the possible substance of a post-2015 framework, a subject evidently covered in current policy discussions and recent studies, with an analysis of the EU s on-going and future engagement in the process of negotiating such a framework. The latter aspect is not covered in detail in most of the on-going research on post-2015 processes, and this report explores to what extent useful lessons can be drawn from an analysis of the EU s engagement in recent EU negotiations. With better support to tax reform, donors can strengthen governance. Effective tax systems are central for sustainable development because they can mobilise the domestic revenue base and help developing countries escape from aid or single natural resource dependency. At the same time, they contribute to improved governance and state-

7 building. A new paper published by UNU-WIDER reviews how donors could better support the strengthening of links between tax reform and broader governance goals. Donors should complement the traditional technical approach to tax reform with measures that encourage constructive engagement between governments and citizens over tax issues, the paper recommends. Lessons from tax reform in sub-saharan Africa underpin the argument. The OECD and UNDP collaboration in supporting the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation n Capacity + autonomy = good governance. Francis Fukuyama launches a discussion on how to measure the quality of the executive branch of government the institution that accumulates and uses power - in a new Working Paper for the Centre for Global Development. He argues that it is a function of the interaction of capacity and autonomy. Capacity is measured in terms of the ability to collect and use taxes and the level of education and professionalisation of government officials. Autonomy refers to the manner in which issues are mandated to bureaucrats. If an agency were full of incompetent, self-dealing political appointees, one would want to limit their discretion and subject them to clear rules [ ] because one could not trust them to exercise good judgment or refrain from corrupt behaviour. The paper suggests that states need to be disaggregated into their component parts, both by function, region, and level of government, and that we need both capacity and autonomy measures for all of these components. ign=feed%3a+cgdev%2fpublications+%28center+for+global+development++- +Publications%29&utm_content=Google+Reader The political implications of evidence-based approaches. Distinct from its more general usage of what is observed or experienced, evidence has acquired a particular meaning relating to proof about what works, particularly through robust evidence from rigorous experimental trials. But no-one really believes that it is feasible for external development assistance to consist purely of technical interventions. Most development workers do not see themselves as scientists in a laboratory, but more as reflective practitioners seeking to learn how to support locally generated transformative processes for greater equity and social justice. Where have these experimental approaches come from and what is at stake? Policy Coherence for Development should be at the heart of the post-2015 agenda. This September, the UN General Assembly will take decisive steps towards setting a new development agenda that will replace the MDGs after the target year of In the coming months UN members, including the EU will provide inputs to this process. To inform its own position, the European Commission launched a public consultation and the individual contributions and a summary report are now available. While most respondents stressed the need for a comprehensive approach to sustainable development in the post-2015 framework, many agreed that the focus should remain poverty reduction. An immense majority of respondents made it clear that Policy Coherence for Development should therefore be at the very heart of the post-2015 development agenda. What reforms matter for Africa in Continuous positive change in Africa has transformed the hopeless continent into a rising region in the past few years. Optimistic outlooks predict that many African economies will continue to grow in the near future, though the continent still faces numerous challenges. A new report by the Brookings Institution outlines what will be the key issues for 2013 and ways to leverage opportunities so that Africa can continue the emerging momentum. Top priorities for 2013 include employment policy reform, tackling the energy poverty gap, and broader issues of insecurity ?rssid=LatestFromBrookings&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrookingsRSS%2 Ftopfeeds%2FLatestFromBrookings+%28Latest+From+Brookings%29&utm_content=Google+Reader For any request for information/comment/contribution to the ACPLGP e-newsletter, please contact: ACPLGP - Avenue Eugène Plasky, 8/ Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32.(0) Fax: +32.(0) [email protected] - Website: With the financial assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are a sole responsibility of the ACPLGP and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.