- Published: 15.04.2014.
Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation holds first meeting
The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation held its first meeting 15 and 16 April 2014 in Mexico City
The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation held its first meeting 15 and 16 April 2014 in Mexico City. The Croatian delegation was headed by Assistant Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Global Issues Vesna Batistić Kos.
The two-day meeting saw more than 1500 participants from 130 odd countries discuss the progress in development cooperation, prospects of partnership strengthening, as well as finding practical solutions for sustainable and inclusive development. The final document underlines the necessity of changing the approach from efficient development assistance towards efficient development cooperation, which means that southern countries should assume the leading role and responsibility for their own development. Such a shift should contribute to filling the gap between “developing” and “developed” countries as well as to a better understanding of development priorities.
The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation was launched in December 2011 in Busan, South Korea, and by strengthening the development factors of the public and private sectors is working to eradicate poverty.
On the fringes of the meeting, Batistić Kos held a series of bilateral talks with officials from Mexico, Brazil, Turkey, Colombia, Myanmar and Angola. The talks with the Mexican hosts, Roberto Dondisch (Director General for Global Issues) and Juan Sandoval Mendiolea (Director General for the UN) focused on the prospect of strengthening multilateral cooperation. The rest of the talks focused on the possibilities of establishing and enlarging development cooperation. The representatives of Myanmar, Colombia and Angola expressed interest in Croatia’s experience and know-how in the area of post-conflict transition, reconciliation, demining and rural tourism development, while the Croatian companies were invited to invest directly.