Employer priorities for future EU regional programming

IOE member inputs to this process are crucial to ensuring EU development policies are sustainable, inclusive and create an enabling environment for business.

As you are aware from our previous communications, the IOE is continually striving to uphold our commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 17. Through our successful partnership with the European Commission, IOE aims to consolidate and enhance our partnership to ensure that a multi-stakeholder approach is taken to the design, delivery, implementation and evaluation of EU development projects at local level. We want such an approach to harness the knowledge, expertise and aspirations of our members and the companies they represent to optimise sustainable development outcomes: inclusive growth, an enabling environment for business and innovation, and the creation of decent employment.

IOE has been highly involved in recent years in the EU’s Policy Forum on Development (PFD), coordinating and articulating the business voice alongside you, our members, in EU PFD meetings in Brussels, and at regional and global level. The most recent meeting took place in Nepal in September 2019. Previous meetings have taken place in Botswana in October 2018 and Brussels in 2019. A virtual Global meeting will take place in September to make up for the global March 2020 meeting that was cancelled due to Covid-19 concerns.

Currently, the EU is deciding on a new structure for its financing and development policy in the EU neighbourhood, Africa, Asia and Latin America. This instrument is the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI). As part of IOE’s ongoing work, you are strongly encouraged to provide your inputs and comments with regards to employer needs and priorities, especially in the post-COVID landscape in time for the PFD Global Virtual Meeting in September. Task forces from three regions (Asia, Africa, and Latin America) have had exchanges in July through virtual meetings and the result of their commentary can be found here.

It is essential for employers’ voices to be articulated. Members are asked to fill out only the relevant sections of the attached template in their corresponding language. Kindly send your contributions before 21 August.