Focus Development Dialogue on Poverty Alleviation

Investments in priority sectors like agriculture and health would be futile without a profound, honest and open political and policy dialogue with governments and communities benefiting from EU cooperation. It is important to foresee that, on the EU side, the core of political/policy interaction with developing countries like Rwanda or Malawi is about "poverty alleviation" and the root causes of poverty are regarded as being inequality, discrimination, exclusion and vulnerability in the partner country. All sectoral policy should take place within this framework. EU representatives claim the fact that there is ample room for the EU to respect Southern partner nations' ownership of global development issues while maintaining their own convictions and values regarding these issues. By providing the opportunity for the EU to work with the least developed countries and developing new policies that can reinstate a sustainable view on prosperity for both partners, there is consensus on the need for North-South cooperation.

Development is a process that requires long-term strategies and sustained implementation. The determined pursuit of these programs and strategies will make a difference in reducing poverty and inequality, strengthening the development cooperation's profile ahead of the negotiations for the next multi-annual financial framework for 2015.

Whatever shape future financing instruments might take, the Lisbon Treaty's commitment to poverty eradication makes a continued commitment to the efficient and coordinated use of ODA (Official Development Assistance)imperative. The EU can and should seize the opportunity of these budget negotiations taking place until January 2011 to push for a more involved approach to international development - an approach that truly focuses on countries and populations where needs are the greatest and on activities that guarantee that EU policies can make a positive change.

Do YOU support EU's financial aid and involvement in the least developed countries ?

The Post-Lisbon Landscape: Development at a Crossroads

The EU Lisbon Treaty, which came into effect in December 2009 marked the end of a difficult period of EU internal reform by providing a legal framework and new institutions that should enable the EU to underpin its political role on the world stage. In a context of economic and financial crisis, with emerging new global players as China and India, it is increasingly important for the EU to become a more coherent, credible, effective and visible actor in the world.

The EU has been promoting a long-term vision on integration, cooperation and sustainable development for decades. A major donor worldwide, a trading partner with the developing world and a renowned supporter of strategic partnerships with other regions, the 27 member states prove a major interest in providing stakeholders with the means of encouraging economic growth.

It is increasingly recognised that the Treaty of Lisbon presents opportunities but also harbours risks to development therefore we must carefully assess the potential offered by it and utilise it in EU's interests and its partners. The main goal is to develop more consistent EU external actions, ranging from diplomacy to defence, from trade to development, supporting sustainable economic, social and environmental development.

The key European actors are:

Herman Van Rompuy - President of the European Council

Catherine Ashton - High Representative for Foreign affairs and Security Policy

Andris Piebalgs - EU Commissioner for Development

Stefan Fule - EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy

Karel De Gucht - EU Commissioner for Trade

Kristalina Georgieva - EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response

EU objectives regarding development policy and cooperation

• increased EU coherence towards developing countries
• safeguarding development objectives and funds
• closer cooperation in global fora
• a more influential European Parliament
• better coordinated delivery of EU development cooperation

Are they feasible goals or not? What do YOU think?

WBD Topics

The 14th World Business Dialogue aims at analysing complexity and complex systems and elaborating on future prospects. Key topics for a profound discussion about complexity are:

European Union

Between Integration and Confrontation

The European Union is, on the one hand, the world?s most successful project of regional integration and has gained enormous power in international politics and economics. On the other hand, the decision about Greece?s future demonstrates how complex and intransparent interdependencies are within the union. It is not evident, who is responsible for which decision. How can interests and different standpoints of political and business actors be united and accommodated in the end?

Creating Tomorrow's Business

How can we deal with complex systems?

Which requirements for managers and leaders are imposed by the "global village" and the challenges of our time? How can interconnections in the globalized world be organized and managed? Entrepreneurs and managers are central actors within the complex economic system. Modern value added chains generate networks of companies that are crucial competitors in contrast to former singular companies in rivalry.

Operating globally

An increasing degree of globalization implies a more and more complex corporate value creation. Research, production and sales take place in every part of the word. Value chains encompass the entire globe and contain a variety of challenges. Different stages of production take place at different production sites, products are then distributed globally. Therefore supply chains play a major role. However, due to our highly dynamic economy, they are affected by enormous volatility and the risk of a system failure cannot be ignored regarding the sensitive interdependencies.

As requirements towards the operations of companies highly diverge from region to region, companies with a multinational presence face an increasing complexity within and outside of their corporate perimeters. Dealing with employees and consumers, companies have to build bridges between different social values and their own philosophy. If a company manages to do this successfully, new markets and opportunities emerge, especially for the industrial sector.

WBD 2011

Welcome to the World Business Dialogue - Blog of an Enthusiast UK Student

By providing up-to-date information about the 14th edition of the World Business Dialogue international convention, I will discuss about this event and its scheduled topics throughout the remaining three months until its start.

Feel free to ask for any information about my academic background and professional experience as I am keen on sharing my knowledge and expertise!

For starters, here is some more information about this event:

http://www.world-business-dialogue.com/274/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Business_Dialogue

http://www.facebook.com/WorldBusinessDialogueCologne