European Development Days 2015
EDD is Europe’s leading forum on development and international cooperation. The focus for EDD15 echoes the motto of the European Year for Development - 'Our world, our dignity, our future'. This year’s programme will be structured around 4 themes and 12 topics.
One of the themes of the 2015 event is "Our world - Creating sustainable growth within the limits of our planet".
The great challenge faced by developed and developing economies is to integrate environmental sustainability with economic growth and welfare. This can be achieved by decoupling environmental degradation from economic growth. Sustainable growth is one of the EU’s key objectives in its development cooperation. But rapid urbanisation, climate change and the growing demand for energy and resources are challenging this objective.
Sustainable growth is a cornerstone of the post-2015 development debate and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This theme's topics:
- Halting climate change and building resilience
Climate change disproportionately affects the poorest and most vulnerable and adds a further layer of complexity to development, jeopardising the achievements of earlier efforts and placing more communities and areas at risk. Today, coping with climate variability and anticipating future climate changes is not an option; it is a must. - Sustainable energy for growth
Without energy there can be no development. Worldwide, 1.3 billion people live without access to electricity and the benefits and opportunities it provides for working, learning or running a business. Energy is linked to eradicating poverty, access to clean water, economic growth, health, education, women’s empowerment and food security. - An urban world: challenges and opportunities
Rapid urbanisation reflects the unprecedented global demographic growth. On top of its internal population growth, this growth is due in some cases to the attractiveness of the city for people who aspire to take up work and better living conditions or who are fleeing conflicts or natural disasters.
The event will also feature a discussion on "Disaster Risk Reduction, Resilience, Climate Change adaptation: Joining the Dots for Sustainable Development" on 3 June 2015.
Target Audience
EDD15 will attract high‐profile political decision makers (Heads of State, prime ministers and ministers of EU Member States and partner countries), development practitioners (field operatives, development agencies), international organisations (United Nations, regional development banks), advocacy organisations (NGOs, CSOs, trade unions), private sector representatives, academia (think-tanks, research centres), media and EU staff from Brussels and delegations worldwide.