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TAIEX REGIO PEER 2 PEER is designed to share expertise between bodies that manage funding under the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund. What exchanges are supported? TAIEX REGIO PEER 2 PEER finances: Expert Missions: EU Member State experts can be sent to institutions in other Member States that have requested peer advice and exchange of experience on a specific topic. Expert missions can last between 2 to 5 days. Study Visits: employees (maximum 3) from a requesting institution can be sent on a working visit to other EU Member State institutions to learn from peers and exchange good practices. Study visits can last between 2 to 5 days. Workshops: single or multi-country workshops can be organised in a requesting institution. Workshops would normally last 2 days.

"HLPE StC Renewal - Call for Nominations The Steering Committee of the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) is to be renewed in 2015, for a 2-year term starting at the closure of CFS42 (2015) and ending at closure of CFS44 (2017). A call for nomination of experts is open from 3 November 2014 to 31 January 2015 (3 months). The letter from the CFS Chair and Secretary, calling for nominations, is available to download here [or in AR, ES, FR, RU]. Nominations can be submitted by all CFS members, participants and stakeholders. Nominators shall request their specific, dedicated, password-protected access to the nomination site by sending an e-mail to cfs-hlpe@fao.org. The given login and password will be specific to each nominating country or organization. The nomination procedure is entirely web-based via an online application form. Read more about the process here"

Do you want to participate in Europe's largest forum on development? Do you want to have a say in the debates that shape development policy? Apply to our Future Leaders Programme to be selected to come to European Development Days 2015 in Brussels!

"The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training is a five-year project that enables teachers to better prepare youth for employment in the Lower Mekong countries of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam though the use of innovative training approaches. USAID works to bridge the gap between the private sector, universities and vocational centers to build up the supply of skilled workers to meet the demands of local businesses. The project will partner with local education providers to utilize mobile technology, online learning and traditional in-person workshops to promote learning and regional networking in targeted Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries in ways that help residents from rural and marginalized areas access educational services."

"Welcome to the online application process for the FUTURE LEADERS programme at European Development Days 2015! We are looking for 12 extraordinary young people ages 21-26, from across the world with proven commitment and community engagement to represent the powerful impact that youth have in the development field. The winners will be 'movers and shakers' in their communities and countries who are helping to solve the universal challenges outlined in the EDD programme. Debate with Global Development Actors As a FUTURE LEADER, you will speak in the auditorium panel discussions, along with key political leaders, and have the opportunity to present your story to the audience, engaging with the delegations of governments and international organisations. Prior and during the forum, the FUTURE LEADERS will have the opportunity to visit the EU institutions, meet relevant development policy-makers and present practices from their regions."

"As part of the NEN Close Up series, the Near East, North Africa, Europe and Central Asia Division hosted a knowledge sharing event on rural youth and economic empowerment in the Near East and North Africa. Through a regional grant, IFAD is partnering with Making Cents International, a social enterprise based in Washington DC, and Silatech, a social initiative working to create opportunities for young people throughout the Arab world, to help increase the employment and self-employment opportunities of more than 18,000 young people of ages 15-35. Covering four countries, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia and Yemen, the 3-year joint programme, Rural Youth Economic Empowerment Programme, is seeking to test innovative financial and non-financial engagement tools for young rural people. The event provided an opportunity to learn from the programme and to discuss how the findings can inform IFAD's future engagement with young people in rural areas. Click here to read the full news on IFAD."

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Connecting the Mekong through Education and Training is a five-year program activity that enables teachers to better prepare youth for employment in the Lower Mekong countries of Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam through the use of innovative training approaches. USAID works to bridge the gap between the private sector, universities and vocational centers to build up the supply of skilled workers to meet the demands of local businesses. The project partners with local education providers to utilize available technology, online learning and traditional in-person workshops to promote learning and regional networking in targeted Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) countries in ways that help residents from rural and marginalized areas access educational services.

WYG and Natural Resources Institute (NRI) are pleased to launch the call for concept notes for the Sustainable Agricultural Intensification Research and Learning Programme in sub-Saharan Africa (SAIRLA) research opportunity. SAIRLA is a five-year programme, from 2015 to 2020, which will commission research and facilitate learning to understand different ways of achieving Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) and their developmental implications. Its key focus is on assessing how SAI can be promoted in ways that enable women and poorer smallholders in Africa to participate in and benefit from agricultural development through SAI approaches. SAIRLA's research projects will generate new evidence and decision-making support tools to help decision makers create an enabling environment for poorer smallholder farmers, especially women and youth, to engage in Sustainable Agricultural Intensification.

"The key message of the 2014 EFA Global Monitoring Report on teaching and learning was very clear: there is a global learning crisis. Despite efforts to improve universal access to education, 250 million children are not learning even the basic skills, let alone the skills they need to thrive in the world of work. The report underlines that more efforts should be made to ensure that children actually learn when they go to school, which can be achieved when governments invest in well-qualified and motivated teachers (UNESCO, 2014)."

The next Brussels Development Briefing on "Global food systems, local impact: the role of agribusiness and development partnerships in advancing African agriculture" will take place Tuesday 25th November 2014 (9h-13h) at the ACP Secretariat (451 Avenue Georges Henri, 1200 Brussels, room C). The transformation of the African agri-business sector is a key challenge to achieve food security and economic development. A differentiated approach to partnerships, based on the development of competitive local private sectors, is essential to boosting agricultural development in Africa. In this context, the objective of this Brussels Briefing is to discuss strategies and approaches for harnessing the potential of development partnerships with the private sector to catalyse market development and productivity in African countries. The outcome of this meeting should be a better understanding of the needs and constraints of the local agricultural sector and strengthen linkages between private sector and development cooperation. At the European level, the meeting would contribute to the development of a framework for dialogue and effective joint action with the private sector. Speakers will include the European Commisison (DG Agri and DG Devco), Yara, the Farmers organizations (SACAU, EAFF), some EU agribusiness groups operating in Africa, European Investment Bank, BMZ, AUC

"The debate is intended to be an open exchange of views among high level political personalities on how the future relations between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries should look like after the expiry of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement in 2020. The Joint Communication "Towards a renewed partnership with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries", sets out the main ideas for a revitalised political partnership with ACP countries, focussing on common interests and going beyond the sole aim of development policy and donor-recipient paradigm. Distinguished speakers, representing both the ACP regions and the EU, will gather together to share their expectations, views and recommendations regarding the future of the ACP-EU relations, focusing on which are the key priorities and the biggest challenges ahead. This session will also provide the opportunity to reflect on how to make the current relationship fit for delivering on common challenges and mutual interests in an interconnected and globalised world. Remaining time would be devoted to questions and interventions from the audience. "

"28 November-1 December 2016. Nairobi, Kenya. Hosted by the Government of Kenya in Nairobi HLM2 : Took stock of the implementation of development effectiveness principles and commitments Provided a learning space on development effectiveness, showcasing successful examples Identified innovative approaches to sustainable development that can be scaled up Position the Global Partnership to effectively contribute to implementation of the SDGs and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda Based on an inclusive consultation that concluded in Kenya at the Global Partnership's HLM2, the was released on 1 December 2016. This document will help to shape how existing and new development actors can partner to implement Agenda 2030 and realise the SDGs."

Livelihoods Venture, an investment fund financing innovative social projects, is looking for a passionate and motivated project manager in charge of rural development around the world. Livelihoods is convinced of the necessity to invent a new model that would allow companies to have a hands-on approach to sustainability. One of its main objectives is to set-up and strengthen sustainable supply and value chains. The funds are used to promote projects maximizing both the social and environmental impacts on local communities.

"The Platform's work plan 2014 was endorsed by board members at the beginning of February following a consultation process of about three months. Its outcomes are orientated to attain the revised Platform goal to promote effective policy and investment in rural development. Activities are planned under four pillars: strategic initiative, targeted advocacy with policy and decision makers, knowledge sharing, and networking and cooperation. Several thematic streams from post-2015 to nutrition, land and livestock etc. as well as input, reporting and co-organising from relevant international events will be implemented. Furthermore, Platform evaluation will help define the Platform's future and the design of its new Strategic Plan. The 2014 work plan is designed in a way general enough to provide for the flexibility a network needs, but also detailed enough to allow for a neat work process."

"One year ago, over 700 experts in technical and vocational education and training, including 40 ministers and deputy ministers, attended the UNESCO Third International Congress on TVET in Shanghai, China. They came to Shanghai in order to discuss the transformation of TVET and set the international TVET agenda for the next five years. Since then, UNESCO has undertaken a number of steps to implement the key recommendations made to UNESCO at the congress, outlined in the Shanghai Consensus. To inform about the progress, the UNESCO TVET Section and UNESCO-UNEVOC have published the first issue of the 'Shanghai Update' newsletter. Shanghai Update (pdf) The newsletter will soon also be available in other languages on the UNESCO website"

"Reforming agricultural education curriculum in tandem with technological advancement and development demands remains one of the key challenges facing African universities. Fara-Web Bureaucratic bottlenecks and inadequate resources have conspired to slow down the pace of curriculum reform in the midst of rapid technological advances especially in the field of agriculture.The cumulative effect of the dislocation between agricultural education curriculum in African universities and practical realities could have a negative impact on development in the continent. Hence, the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE) led a side event on Curriculum reforms during the FARA Science week held from 15 - 20 July 2013 in Accra, Ghana. The main objective of the session was to identify bottlenecks to curricula reform and agree on key steps to undertake to reform TAE curricula in sub-Saharan Africa. The session was chaired by ANAFE's Board Chair, Prof. John D. Saka."

The Global Partnership for Education started as the Education for All - Fast Track Initiative (EFA FTI) in 2002. In the last ten years, we have grown from 7 to close to 60 partner countries, mobilized more than $3.5 billion to improve access and quality to education, helped nearly 19 million children go to school for the first time, supported the construction of over 37,000 classrooms, and trained over 413,000 teachers. More results.

"Project description Expertise France is preparing a bid for a project funded by the World bank which aims to provide technical assistance to the Government of Macedonia and the Ministry of Education and Science (MOES) to reform the 4 year Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) system and incorporate mechanisms for a quick response to the labour market demands adapting to changes in the market and in the demographic situation. More info online: http://mon.gov.mk/images/documents/SDIS_project/TOR_VET_reform_NOL.15.pdf"

"Bruxelles 1 - 2 June 2015. The Assises of Decentralised Cooperation for development represents a unique opportunity to bring together local and regional authorities' representatives from the EU and developing countries to exchange their views and hold a political dialogue with the European institutions on development cooperation. The ultimate aim is to contribute to reinforce development aid effectiveness towards the full integration of local and regional authorities into the development cooperation policies and to build a genuine EU partnership between the different actors active in the field of development."

Parliamentarians from Southern Africa are meeting this week (11-12 August) to debate how foreign agricultural investment can bring benefits to local people, in the context of the 'land rush'. Land rights, food security and jobs are among the themes discussed at the Pan-African Parliament/SADC Parliamentary Forum event. This is the last in the current series of regional meetings on the topic. For more information, see the event page: Making Agricultural Investment Work for Africa: A parliamentarian response to the land rush