Leading European development networks reconfirm commitment to the 2030 agenda

In Brussels on 17 March, three prominent European development networks endorsed a joint statement of intent to enhance their collaboration and work together to progress the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through a Team Europe approach, the networks will collaborate using the European Commission’s Global Gateway strategy for international partnerships to structure their collaboration and scale impact with and in partner countries. Specific attention will be given to those in a fragile context.

In this statement, the Association of Bilateral European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI), the Joint European Financiers for International Cooperation (JEFIC), and the Practitioners’ Network for European Development Cooperation (PN) reaffirmed their commitment to EU policy objectives for the benefit of partner countries, contributing in their respective roles to the European development cooperation system. The three networks intend to further enhance development impact by leveraging their respective expertise and by bringing in their international networks.

SNV and The International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIAPPP) currently hold the PN co-Presidency. They have spearheaded this collaboration initiative as one of their main priorities.

Simon O'Connell, SNV CEO and PN co-president said, ‘On the one hand, we have got huge escalating needs and on the other, Official Development Assistance budgets under increased pressure. Therefore, we urgently need to establish more effective, efficient and collaborative ways of working together across our organisations. This joint statement of intent sets the foundations to accelerate and scale up collaboration between and across technical cooperation actors within the Practitioners' Network and finance institutions, ultimately leading to greater  impact.’

The three networks represent more than 40 organisations from 21 countries and 18 from the European Union. The group will set common goals and a shared roadmap to achieve their goal.

EDFI

EDFI is the Association of 15 bilateral state-owned European Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), which invest in sustainable private sector projects and economic activities in developing and emerging economies to promote job creation, boost sustainable economic growth, and fight poverty and climate change. With a combined portfolio of €48 billion, including over €13 billion of climate finance, EDFI’s member institutions share a vision of a world where the private sector offers people in low- and middle-income countries opportunities for decent work and improved lives and where private investment flows are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement.

JEFIC

The Joint European Financiers for International Cooperation is a network of 5 European bilateral banks and financial institutions (members see below), which mainly work with public sector partners in partner countries worldwide. Next to this, JEFIC plays an important role in leveraging the private sector and in enhancing the local regulatory framework. With a combined funding volume of more than EUR 21 billion in 2022 and more than 200 local offices, JEFIC provides a substantial share of global financing for sustainable development. JEFIC members share strategic objectives and operational opportunities to identify common financing activities, with the vision to contribute to the success of Global Gateway and the EDFI-JEFIC-PN – Statement of Intent on an enhanced collaboration of the three networks – March 2023 Team Europe Initiatives and to achieve the UN SDGs by covering multiple target countries and sectors.

Practitioners’ Network

The Practitioners’ Network (PN) is an open platform for exchange, coordination and harmonisation between European development cooperation organisations with a public service mission. The Practitioners' Network aims to contribute to coherence within the EU donor community and, at the same time, benefit from the wide range of organisations active in this field to encourage an integrated, pluralistic and innovative approach to European development cooperation, implemented as efficiently as possible. The PN aims to strengthen cooperation, links and complementarity between European development players, creating opportunities for cooperation and synergies at the implementation level. It promotes sharing of information and experience between practitioners and provides feedback on European development policies from the “HOW TO” perspective.

To learn more about this initiative, please contact Benedicte Marcilly at bmarcilly@snv.org.