EUROPEAN COMMISSION Brussels, 31.1.2019 SWD(2019) 12 final COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Accompanying the document Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council Annual Report on the implementation of the European Union's instruments for financing external actions in 2017 {COM(2019) 37 final}



Table of Contents INTRODUCTION: EU response to world developments in 2017 1. DELIVERING ON GLOBAL COMMITMENTS 1.1. EU as a stronger global actor 1.1.1. International Cooperation and Development 1.1.2. European Neighbourhood Policy 1.1.3. Humanitarian aid and Civil protection 1.1.4. EU Enlargement 1.1.5. Security and Defence 1.1.6 External dimension of EU policies 1.1.7. Making a difference: new instruments and aid modalities 1.2. Fostering sustainable development 1.2.1 Implementing the 2030 Agenda comprehensively and coherently 1.2.2. The means of implementation of the new Agenda 1.2.3. Working better together with Member States – Joint Programming 1.2.4. Policy Coherence for Development 1.2.5. Development effectiveness and Joint Programming

1.3. PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 1.3.1. Human Development 1.3.2. Gender equality and women's empowerment 1.3.3. Migration, forced displacement and asylum 1.3.4. Culture, Education, Research, Innovation and Health 1.3.5. Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture 1.4. PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 1.4.1. Climate Change 1.4.2. Environment and sustainable management of natural resources 1.4.3. Sustainable Energy 1.5. PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 1.5.1. Poverty and inequality 1.5.2. Working with the private sector, investments, business environments and responsible behaviour 1.5.3. Agricultural growth 1.5.4. Infrastructure, cities and ICT 1.6. PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 1.6.1. Democracy, Human Rights and Good Governance 1.6.2. Fragility 1.6.3. Crisis response and preparedness 1.6.4. Security, including global and regional trans-border challenges

1.6.5. Nuclear Safety 1.6.6. Actions under CSDP 1.7. PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 1.7.1. Cooperation with civil society organisations and local authorities 1.7.2. Cooperation with the donor community 1.7.3. Cooperation with international organisations 1.7.4. Macro-financial Assistance 2. RESULTS FOR PROJECTS CLOSED BETWEEN JULY 2016 AND JUNE 2017 2.1. Development progress in partner countries 2.2. EU Contributions to results in partner countries: aggregated results 2.3. European Commission's organisation performance as the manager of EU aid 3. IMPLEMENTATION: Working towards people, planet, prosperity, peace, partnership and responding to crisis in each region 3.1. African continental, Sub-Saharan Africa & all ACP programmes 3.1.1. Sub-Saharan Africa 3.1.1.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.1.1.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.1.1.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.1.1.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.1.1.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.1.1.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda

3.1.2. South Africa 3.1.2.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.1.2.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.1.2.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.1.2.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.1.2.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.1.2.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.1.2.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.2. Latin America & the Caribbean 3.2.1. Latin America 3.2.1.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.2.1.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.2.1.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.2.1.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.2.1.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.2.1.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.2.1.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.2.2. Caribbean 3.2.2.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.2.2.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination

3.2.2.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.2.2.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.2.2.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.2.2.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.2.2.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.3. Asia, Central Asia, Middle East/Gulf and Pacific 3.3.1. Asia 3.3.1.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.3.1.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.3.1.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.3.1.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.3.1.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.3.1.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.3.1.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.3.2. Central Asia 3.3.2.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.3.2.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.3.2.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.3.2.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.3.2.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs

3.3.2.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.3.2.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.3.3. Middle East / Gulf Region 3.3.3.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.3.3.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.3.3.3 PEOPLE – Human Development, dignity and education 3.3.3.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.3.3.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.3.3.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.3.3.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.3.4. Pacific 3.3.4.1 Introduction (Policy Developments) 3.3.4.2 Working Better Together, Development effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.3.4.3 PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 3.3.4.4 PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 3.3.4.5 PROSPERITY - Inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs 3.3.4.6 PEACE – Peaceful and inclusive societies, democracy, effective and accountable institutions, rule of law and human rights for all 3.3.4.7 PARTNERSHIPS – The EU as a force for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda 3.4. Enlargement 3.4.1 Introduction

3.4.2. Working Better Together, Donor effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.4.3. Examples of support to the implementation of the fundamentals of Enlargement Policy 3.4.4. Implementation 3.5. European Neighbourhood 3.5.1. European Neighbourhood East 3.5.1.1. Introduction (Policy developments) 3.5.1.2. Working Better Together, Donor effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.5.1.3. Working towards People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership 3.5.1.4. Implementation 3.5.2. European Neighbourhood South 3.5.2.1. Introduction (policy developments) 3.5.2.2. Working Better Together, Donor effectiveness, and donor coordination 3.5.2.3. Working towards People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership 3.5.2.4. Implementation 3.6. OCTs 4. MANAGING AID 4.1. Monitoring Systems 4.1.1. Evaluation: review of the work programme 4.1.2. Lessons learned 4.2. Aid delivery modalities

4.2.1. Budget support, Public finance management / Domestic Revenue Mobilisation 4.2.2. Using EU grants strategically via blending 4.2.3. European External Investment Plan 4.3. Improving ways of working 4.3.1. Simplification of procedures 4.4. Communication & transparency 4.4.1 Communication 4.4.2 Transparency



INTRODUCTION: EU response to world developments in 2017 The European Union’s (EU) external action is guided by the Lisbon Treaty and taken forward by the EU Global Strategy on foreign and security policy. In its engagement in world affairs, the EU promotes a joined-up approach, bringing together all available instruments from the EU institutions and Member States, to work towards a more peaceful and prosperous world. In 2017, Europe continued to be confronted with a range of significant challenges. Conflicts and instability were developing both globally and in our Southern and Eastern borders. Terrorist attacks were perpetrated inside and outside Europe. As in previous years, the EU responded comprehensively, using the entire breadth of its policies and tools that span diplomatic, security, financial, trade, development actions and humanitarian aid. In the Western Balkans, the EU is stepping up efforts and political engagement to move forward with credible and irreversible EU integration steps for all the Western Balkans and mitigating regional frictions. The Eastern Partnership Summit in November took stock of past achievements and provided guidance for future cooperation based on the ‘20 deliverables for 2020’. The EU supports all efforts for a lasting peaceful solution respecting the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Ukraine through the complete implementation of the Minsk Agreements and it continues to condemn the illegal annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol by the Russian Federation. This principle and those agreed at the Foreign Affairs Council in March 2016 continue to guide our relations with Russia. We are addressing foreign policy and global issues of interest to the EU with Russia while supporting civil society and enhancing people to people contacts. In the Middle East and North Africa, the EU promotes stabilisation and regional integration in the Mediterranean as a strategic region for engagement. The crisis in Syria is an important focus of our work, not least through the Brussels process High Representative/ Vice President (HR/VP) Mogherini launched at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and the Syrian conference. The EU supports the stabilisation of Iraq, Libya and Yemen in close cooperation with the United Nations (UN) and regional partners. The two-state solution and its existing policies, including on Jerusalem, remains the basis for our engagement in the Middle East Peace Process. The EU will continue to work with both Israelis and Palestinians as well as the international community towards this aim. Implementing and preserving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran remains an important priority. It is a prime example of the EU's ability to deliver conflict prevention through a negotiated international agreement, crucial for regional as well as global stability. The EU promotes stabilisation and regional integration in Africa and is strengthening its strategic partnership with the African Union following the AU-EU Summit (29-30 November 2017). This stronger alliance between the two continents encompasses: peace and security; governance; mobility and migration; investment and job creation, knowledge and skills. Building on the universal 2030 Agenda, the negotiations for a renewed partnership with ACP states after the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement are ongoing as well as the support to the G20 Compact with Africa initiative. Key progress was achieved pursuing the integrated approach to Sahel combining all our instruments in the area of security and development, including the partnership with the G5 Sahel, and in promoting closer cooperation within the Horn of Africa and the broader Red Sea region. On transatlantic relations, the EU focus is on strengthening the partnership with the US, Canada, Brazil and Mexico. The EU works strategically with the US in all areas of mutual interest and seeks a constructive relationship with the US Administration and other stakeholders within the US, including in areas where differences have emerged. We continued to highlight European security and defence efforts as an enhanced EU contribution to transatlantic burden-sharing and EU-NATO cooperation as a means of strengthening transatlantic security. In 2017 the EU looked at ways to shift the focus of its cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean from development cooperation to a diversified model giving a more prominent role to trade, investment, research and innovation, education and the digital agenda, forging a stronger partnership on foreign policy and global issues, including the shared 2030 Agenda, in defence of common values. The EU is committed to ensure an active EU security presence and engagement in and with Asia at bilateral, regional and global level as well as to engage with partners based on a sustainable connectivity between both regions. EU's support to furthering the diplomatic process in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) is combined with sustained pressure through severe sanctions. The EU believes that a multilateral process will be necessary to address the DPRK nuclear issue in its entire complexity and achieve lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. The European Union has a huge expertise on nuclear non-proliferation, particularly thanks to the talks with Iran, and is ready to support these processes, in close consultations with key partners, in any possible way.

In 2017, as much as ever, the EU engaged to boost multilateralism. The Global Strategy on the EU's Foreign and Security Policy affirms that the EU will strive for a strong United Nations as the bedrock of the multilateral rules-based order. The EU works closely with partners to advance the agenda on climate diplomacy and driving forward the UN 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. The EU is also engaged actively in the work on the UN process leading the adoption of a Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and the Global Compact on Refugees as well as in implementing the external aspects of migration, notably through our strategic partnerships with countries of origin and transit of migrants. The UN brings unique value-added to our citizens. The key priority for the EU, together with like-minded partners, is to support the UN through a period of change. The EU is a strong supporter of the UN Secretary General's ambitious reform agenda, has a strategic interest to see reforms unfolding this year, and vigorously supports its implementation. The EU is and will be at the forefront of a more effective UN, building bridges in support of multilateralism. In a rapidly evolving global context, conflicts have deepened, and new dangers have emerged. The EU and the UN are indispensable partners to deliver peace and security. In addition, we have made important headway on the conceptual work on the Integrated Approach to Conflict and Crises. On Resilience work on a coherent policy framework will continue following the Joint Communication on Resilience adopted in 2017. The focus will continue to be on the neighbourhood. During 2017 EU continued to promote external policies and cooperation that enhance the security of the EU and its citizens, focusing on the internal/external security nexus. The EU is engaging with partners inter alia in the areas of counter-terrorism, non-proliferation and disarmament, cyber security, maritime security and sanctions.



1. DELIVERING ON GLOBAL COMMITMENTS 1.1. EU as a stronger global actor The EU Global Strategy (EUGS) on foreign and security policy sets out EU core interests and principles for engaging in the world and provides a vision for a more credible, responsible and responsive EU in the world. Implementation of the EUGS started on the five priorities endorsed by the European Council of December 2016, namely investing in the resilience of states and societies to the East and South and an integrated approach to conflicts and crises; strengthening security and defence; reinforcing the internal/external policy nexus, with special attention to migration; updating existing or preparing new regional and thematic strategies; and stepping up public diplomacy efforts. Progress in implementing the EUGS in the area of security and defence was swift and substantial with the work on a Coordinated Annual Review on Defence (CARD), the establishment of the Military Planning and Conduct capability (MPCC), the implementation of the European Defence Action Plan and of the EU-NATO Joint Declaration or the agreement on Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO). Intense work continues on the European Defence Fund and the proposal of the HR/VP with the support of the Commission for a European Peace Facility financed by the Member States. The Defence Union Task Force is operating and adds coherence and coordination to the ongoing work. It is also necessary to focus on the civilian aspects of security and defence, on partnerships and on establishing a truly European strategic culture. The EU also continued to pursue its strategic interest through fostering dialogues on values and global challenges with key partners across the world. Since 2017, two overarching priorities have been added to the work to implement the EU Global Strategy, support to a global order based on international law with the UN at its core and focus on Cooperative Regional Orders. The EUGS acknowledges the importance of an international system based on multilateralism. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be a cross-cutting dimension in all the work to implement the EUGS. The EU works with partners around the globe to implement the SDGs) and the Paris Agreement on tackling Climate Change. Human Rights and Gender Equality as well as support for Women Peace and Security are a central part of all EU policies. One key priority for the EU is to support the UN through a period of change. This means translating the EU commitment to multilateralism into a proactive multilateral agenda. The EU seeks to broaden conversations, defend and promote European values, build new cross-regional alliances and project influence. The EU and the United nations (UN) are indispensable partners to deliver peace and security, both organisations promoting an integrated approach to conflicts and supporting prevention and mediation. An overarching EU-UN strategic partnership is needed for the future, working closely with regional and/or sub-regional organisations, for example with the African Union (AU). The ground breaking joint trilateral AU-EU-UN work on Libya/migration aims to pave the way for enhanced cooperation in the wider peace and security agenda. The support being provided to the G5 Sahel Joint Force shows the importance of investing in global-regional security partnerships. For example, the EU will also consolidate its interaction with the League of Arab States and continue its already strong collaboration with the Union for the Mediterranean. The EU continued to promote external policies and cooperation that enhance the security of the EU and its citizens, focusing on the internal/external security nexus inter alia in the areas of counter-terrorism (capacity building and upgraded dialogue inter alia with Turkey, the Western Balkans, Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan), non-proliferation and disarmament, cyber security, maritime security and sanctions. It worked tirelessly with its international partners against the activities of Da'esh. Under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), the EU operates civilian and military missions worldwide. These missions carry out a variety of tasks, ranging from supporting border management to training local police. The EU continued work to tackle existing high levels of vulnerability due to humanitarian crisis, drought, and insecurity funding operations for more than EUR 2.2 billion in over 90 countries outside the EU. The EU and its Member States remain the world's largest donor of humanitarian aid providing life-saving aid to the victims of disasters, refugees and others in dire need. The EU and its Member States are also the largest donor of development assistance providing more than half of Official Development Assistance (ODA) globally. In 2017 Commission services alone disbursed EUR 13.34 billion in ODA. This contribution makes a huge difference to millions of people's livelihoods around the world. The European Union is the world’s largest trading bloc. It works with international partners everywhere to promote a free and fairer international trading system, underpinned by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Implementation of regional strategies and action plans continued, together with promoting the economic and investment aspects of our relations. The attractiveness of EU membership and the political and economic stability it brings have meant that many European countries continue to aspire to join – although they must first pass through EU membership tests, including on democracy and the rule of law. 1.1.1. International Cooperation and Development In 2017 the European Union remained the world's largest provider of Official Development Assistance, which shows the EU’s commitment to the SDGs and to the eradication of poverty. The EU’s collective ODA reached EUR 76.6 billion in 2017, representing 0.50% of the EU's GNI. This constitutes a 1.4% decrease compared to 2016 levels and the Commissioner expressed strong concerns over the reduction of EU collective ODA and of development assistance worldwide. The EU also sent a strong message on its commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda with the adoption of a renewed development policy framework, the New European Consensus on Development, in June 2017. The Consensus provides a framework for a common approach to development policy for the EU institutions and the Member States, in support of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in developing countries (see chapter 1.2.1.). It approaches development cooperation from a broad perspective as part of the EU external action.

The Commission continued to play a key role in supporting the EU objective of eradicating poverty and promoting sustainable development in developing countries, in the context of the implementation of the SDGs. It also remained strongly committed to strengthening EU and Member States' collective voice and global influence, helping to shape common positions on development matters in international fora, contributing to effective multilateral discussions and strengthening the role of development policy in the EU's external action. Since the adoption of the Consensus, the Commission has continued to develop tailored partnerships for effective development cooperation. It continued to be a strong supporter of least developed countries in 2017, contributing to the provision of basic services, including through budget support. The Commission also continued its support for middle-income countries, taking account of country capacities and resources available. The Commission services in collaboration with the External Action Service (EEAS) started to develop a new approach for engagement with more advanced developing countries, an issue discussed at the informal meeting of EU Development Ministers in Tallinn in September 2017. The Commission also continued to foster multi-stakeholder partnerships to support implementation of the SDGs in developing countries, in particular supporting the role of civil society organisations. 2017 was an important year for the Strategic Partnership with Africa. A Joint Communication for renewed impetus of the Africa-EU Partnership was adopted in May, followed by the fifth African Union-EU Summit, held in Abidjan in November under the theme ‘Investing in Youth for a Sustainable Future’. The Commission services, together with the EEAS, started preparations towards a new relationship with the countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP), based on the universal 2030 Agenda. The proposed negotiating directives set out the main orientations for a true modern political and targeted partnership between equal partners. This Annual Report also provides information about the implementation of the European Development Fund (EDF) in all three ACP regions in 2017. This encompasses some financial data; a state-of-play of commitments and payments; a presentation of outputs, outcomes and impacts; a presentation of the evaluation exercises undertaken, and lessons learned from them. In 2017, the Commission also continued efforts to boost sustainable and inclusive growth in EU partner countries, and to contribute to prosperous and peaceful societies, including through the new External Investment Plan (EIP), which aims at contributing to the attainment of the SDGs in partner countries. The EU remains committed to aid-for-trade as a key element of development cooperation, as reflected in the Communication of November 2017 on Achieving Prosperity through Trade and Investment. The EU and its Member States continue to be global leaders in promoting gender equality and women and girls' empowerment across all EU development activities. The first report on implementation of the EU Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 was published in 2017, highlighting progress in its first year. 2017 also marked the launch of the Spotlight Initiative, a new partnership between the EU and UN to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. Together with the High Representative, the Commission produced the Joint Communication on a Strategic Approach to Resilience in the EU's external action, which expands the previous approach to resilience to include the adaptability of states, societies, communities and individuals to political, economic, environmental, demographic or societal pressures in order to sustain progress towards the SDGs. This approach is being tested in a number of pilot countries. The implementation of the EU's external action and the external dimension of the EU's research and innovation policy share complementary objectives, for example in so far as they both contribute towards the EU's international commitments such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Research and innovation international cooperation is a key vector for sustainable economic, social and environmental development, which are also key objectives of the EU's external action. 1.1.2. European Neighbourhood Policy In 2017, the EU continued to roll out its revised European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), aiming to give to the EU greater leverage to achieve its common goals of stabilising Neighbourhood countries and developing more tailor-made partnerships. In this context, revised Association Agendas were concluded with Georgia and Moldova, and the Association Agreement with Ukraine, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, entered into force in 2017. A Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement was adopted with Armenia. Partnership priorities for 2017-2020 were also agreed with Algeria and Egypt, while progress was made on identifying similar joint priorities with Armenia, Tunisia, Palestine, Azerbaijan and Belarus. Single Support Frameworks were adopted for Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in the East and Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Tunisia in the South. The EU support to Palestine is framed by the European Joint Strategy in Support of Palestine 2017-2020, the first ever joint programming document in the Neighbourhood agreed by the EU, its Member States and like-minded countries. The Multiannual Indicative Programme for Regional East 2017-2020 was also adopted. The EU continued to engage with all neighbourhood countries through bilateral political dialogues and provided additional guidance and support in their reform efforts. A Joint Communication on developments in the Neighbourhood and implementation of the ENP review was adopted in May 2017. Financial assistance continued via the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) to support the Eastern Partnership and the Southern Neighbourhood with ongoing and new reforms in the areas of good governance, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, enhancing economic governance, stronger cooperation on security and cooperation on migration and mobility. The ‘Elements for an EU strategy for Syria: Reinforcing efforts to build peace’ was adopted in March 2017. It set the core objectives for EU action in helping to bring an end to the war and in promoting a genuine political transition. The Communication served to guide the EU's work as host of the international conference on the Future of Syria and the Region, held in Brussels in April 2017, which looked at challenges inside Syria as well as in Jordan and Lebanon, and which was funded and co-organised by Commission services. The EU restated its pledge for 2017 and pledged an additional EUR 560 million for 2018 for Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, with the ambition to maintain this sustained level in 2019. The Strategy also fed into the continuing role of the Commission as Chair of the Core Donors Group on Syria. In 2017, the focus of migration shifted to the Central Mediterranean route as the main challenge and Libya remained the main country of departure towards Italy. The Commission responded quickly to the recommendations of the Communication ‘Central Mediterranean Route – Managing flows, saving lives’ issued on 25 January 2017 asking the EU to step up efforts towards the protection of highly vulnerable migrants in Libya, as well as engaging with Libyan municipalities to promote alternative livelihoods and support the resilience of local communities hosting migrants. The pace of implementation of the North of Africa window of the EU Emergency Trust Fund (EUTF) for Africa increased considerably with eight new programmes approved for a total amount of EUR 232.5 million, as well as one cross-window programme for EUR 8.6 million. In 2017, around 120 000 persons arrived in Italy along the Central Mediterranean route, a 34 % decrease compared to 2016. In the Southern Neighbourhood area, an increasing share of the EU’s non-humanitarian aid for Syria’s neighbouring countries is provided through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis. The Fund primarily addresses long-term economic, educational and social needs of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries. In 2017, the Fund passed the EUR one-billion goal, set by President Juncker in September 2015 at the informal meeting of the European Council on migration and in the Communication on Managing the Refugee Crisis. 2017 was also marked by the EU's continued efforts to strengthen the Eastern Partnership and support regional cooperation between southern neighbours, including through the Union for the Mediterranean. The Brussels Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017 reconfirmed the joint commitment by EU Member States and the six Eastern Partnership countries to the importance of strengthening common resilience along the four key priority areas of cooperation: economic development, good governance; connectivity and people-to-people contacts. Relations with the Union for the Mediterranean further developed in key strategic sectors, with several ministerial meetings held on water, sustainable urban development and on women. 1.1.3. Humanitarian aid and Civil protection

The European Union together with its Member States is the world's leading donor of humanitarian assistance and is consistently at the forefront of the response to humanitarian crises and disasters. 2017 was another challenging year and humanitarian needs continued to expand, not least in Europe's immediate neighbourhood. There was little or no improvement in the most severe large-scale crises, with 27 % of the people in need concentrated in only three crises: Yemen, Syria and Iraq. The Syrian conflict has created the worst humanitarian crisis of our time with a hundred thousand people dead, more than eleven million displaced and close to 19 million Syrians in need of assistance. An additional man-made crisis that affects the Rohingya population (Myanmar/Bangladesh), rapidly took dramatic proportions and by the end of the year, affected close to one million people. Overall, more than 95 million people needed humanitarian assistance in 2017, and almost 65 million people (half of them children) were forcibly displaced. In several countries and regions, the impact of conflict has fed into and been compounded by severe food crises. In 2017, four countries or regions faced an alarming risk of famine: Yemen, north-east Nigeria, Somalia and South Sudan, with about 20 million people considered as being at risk of starvation in these four countries. Figure 1. EU Humanitarian Aid in 2017 EU humanitarian aid funded operations for more than EUR 2.2 billion in more than 90 countries outside the European Union. A significant proportion of this supported the conflict-affected populations inside Syria and refugees in the neighbouring countries and regions. The Commission has also continued to be a leading donor in other parts of the world, with Africa continuing to account for a large share of funding. Support for innovation and digitalisation has, moreover, emerged as a major focus for maximising the impact of EU humanitarian aid. In addition, education in emergencies remains a flagship policy and 6 % of the EU's humanitarian aid budget was devoted in 2017 to education in emergencies. In line with its commitment to support cash as a delivery modality whenever possible, the Commission has encouraged the use of the cash in its programme throughout the world and has now surpassed its initial target of supporting one million of the most vulnerable refugees in Turkey with regular cash allocations. The Commission's humanitarian interventions mainly consist of funding for the work of operational humanitarian actors. The Commission does not, with some exceptions, intervene directly on the ground. EU humanitarian aid funding is managed by Commission services headquartered in the Brussels and with a field network of 45 offices globally. EU humanitarian aid financing is managed through individual agreements with partner organisations such as United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations or International Organisations. 1.1.4. EU Enlargement With its enlargement policy, the Commission continued to work on improving the readiness of the enlargement countries to join the EU. A key political event in 2017 in this area was President Juncker's reinforcement of a clear enlargement perspective for the Western Balkans in his State of the Union address. As announced in 2016, the Commission moved the adoption of the annual Enlargement Package from autumn to spring. The new timing allows for alignment with the Economic Reform Programme cycle and with the calendar year as a basis for gathering statistical data. The adoption of the next Enlargement Package was therefore rescheduled for April 2018. The Commission’s financial assistance remained focused on fundamental reforms, including a strong emphasis on the rule of law, fundamental rights and civil society, economic governance and socio-economic development, as well as improved good neighbourly relations in the Western Balkans region with a view to overcoming the legacy of the past. Given the complexity of the reforms required, all countries need to make substantial reform efforts, both in terms of the political criteria (including issues such as judiciary, fighting organised crime, freedom of expression, fight against corruption and public administration reform), and on alignment with economic criteria. With regard to Turkey, 2017 saw a further deterioration of the rule of law and fundamental rights. These negative developments, as well as the degradation of relations with some Member States, have meant that accession negotiations have remained de facto on hold. Despite these negative developments, the EU-Turkey dialogue was maintained on crucial issues of common interest, including on migration, with a key role played by the implementation of the March 2016 EU-Turkey Statement. The Facility for Refugees in Turkey (FRIT), established in January 2016, continued to provide for a joint coordination mechanism of existing instruments and to ensure that the needs of refugees and host communities in Turkey are addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated manner. Despite challenging circumstances, the Commission services succeeded in committing and contracting EUR three billion and disbursing EUR 1.85 billion as humanitarian and non-humanitarian assistance in 2017. The mobilisation of the full Facility envelope in approximately 18 months is a remarkable achievement and constitutes major progress in achieving the EU’s objectives. Throughout 2017, Commission services continued to work in favour of improved connectivity within the Western Balkans and between the Western Balkans and the EU and improved good neighbourly relations in the region with a view to overcoming the legacy of the past. The EU supported substantial investments in the 'Western Balkans Six' (WB6) transport and energy networks with the purpose of creating a regional environment conducive to economic growth and job creation. The connectivity package endorsed at the Trieste Summit in July 2017 included seven new projects financed by the Western Balkans Investment Framework (WBIF) for a total grant size of EUR 194 million, leveraging EUR 500 million in investments. There was also progress in the framework of the WB6 cooperation at political and working level. 1.1.5. Security and Defence Following up the EU Global Strategy of 2016, important progress was achieved in the area of security and defence. Several substantive steps were taken in 2017 to pursue the objectives set out by the EUGS and to fulfil the new level of ambition as agreed by Council in November 2016, in line with subsequent Council Conclusions adopted in March, May and November 2017 as well as guidance by the European Council in March, June and December 2017. To make CSDP missions and operations more effective, the Military Planning and Conduct capability (MPCC) was set-up in the EU Military Staff of the EEAS. In June 2017 it assumed the command of the EU's non-executive military CSDP missions. The MPCC will work closely with its civilian counterpart, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability, through the new Joint Support Coordination Cell. Situational awareness will be improved through the joint work of the Single Intelligence Analysis Capacity (SIAC) of the EEAS. Steps were also taken to improve the responsiveness of civilian CSDP missions and the Council agreed in November 2017 on a three-stage process to strengthen civilian CSDP, by developing a new strategic approach, presenting a Civilian Capability Development Plan and agreeing a Civilian CSDP Compact later in 2018. To further address rapid response of civilian CSDP missions, Member States decided in November 2017 to create a Core Responsiveness Capacity (CRC) consisting of a reinforced Mission Support Platform (MSP) as well as resources placed in existing CSDP Missions. The overall objective of the CRC is to speed up operational planning processes and deployment in theatre. The CRC can be used when starting a new Mission as well as to provide temporary reinforcement to current Missions.

The review of the Athena mechanism for the funding of the common costs of EU-led military operations was launched, including the common funding of the deployment costs of EU Battlegroup operations. Agreement was also reached with a view to Member States making their EU Battlegroups more flexible and modular to improve their usability. To develop the right military capabilities, through closer defence cooperation, the Council agreed in December 2017 on the launch of the Permanent Structured Cooperation – a Treaty-based framework and process for willing and able Member States to jointly develop capabilities and improve their operational availability. 25 Member States decided to join the Permanent Structured Cooperation by undertaking the more binding commitments required between one another, as foreseen in the Treaty. Furthermore, agreement was reached to launch the trial run of the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence in 2018 with a view to enhancing transparency and coordination of national defence spending plans. Moreover, important steps were taken towards the establishment by the Commission of a European Defence Fund, in particular the new European Defence Industrial Development Plan, to be launched in 2018 with a view to the start of the programme in 2019. In December 2017, an amendment to the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) was approved to add an element of Capacity Building in Support of Security and Development that will allow the European Commission to support military actors, in exceptional circumstances, and only in cases when the military performs a development objective. This will be a useful tool to support EU's partners in addressing their own security needs and to prevent and manage crises on their own. As regards EU-NATO cooperation, the implementation of the first common set of proposals (42 actions) agreed under the Joint Declaration signed by EU and NATO leaders in Warsaw, in July 2016, was taken up in 2017 as reflected in the two progress reports submitted by HR/VP Mogherini and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg to their respective Councils in June and December 2017. Moreover, in December 2017, the two Councils endorsed a common set of new proposals, consisting of 32 additional actions and expanding cooperation to key areas such as counter-terrorism, women, peace and security and military mobility. 1.1.6 External dimension of EU policies The Partnership Instrument (PI) contributes to EU external action by articulating and implementing the external dimension of internal policies, interconnecting between different policy areas. Actions cover challenges of global concern like climate change and environmental protection; the international dimension of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive jobs and growth; improving access to markets and boosting trade, investment and business opportunities for EU companies with particular emphasis on small and medium-sized enterprises; and public diplomacy. It targets actions with priority strategic partners of the EU such as India, China, US, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and other G20 countries. The mid-term evaluation finalised in December 2017 confirmed that the Instrument is fit for purpose. Despite its relatively limited envelope and novelty, the PI is effective in delivering results. The PI acts as an enabler, opening up areas for dialogue and cooperation in practical terms. Political dialogues combined with technical assistance related to EU norms and standards have proven to have a positive impact on decision making with partners, enabling talks and negotiations with the EU. In 2017, the PI saw 23 stand-alone actions adopted for a budget of EUR 116.9 million covering the following areas: climate change action post COP-21; sustainable environment and energy; economic empowerment of women; trade and market access, fair competition and transparency; and public diplomacy. FPI Specific objective 1.6: EU and partner countries have developed joint approaches and responses to challenges of global concern. Under this objective, 13 new stand-alone actions were adopted in 2017, for a total of EUR 64.15 million. Activities underpin the growing recognition of the EU's key role on climate change, environment and energy while also advancing cooperation on responsible business conduct and security. FPI Specific objective 1.7: Partner countries take up measures and actions towards the implementation of the international dimension of the EU 2020 strategy. In 2017, PI enabled and supported policy dialogue and cooperation with a wide range of partners for the realisation of the external dimension of the Europe 2020 strategy as well as strengthening of the EU's political relationship with partners more broadly. Under this objective, six stand-alone actions were adopted in 2017, with a special accent on the themes of Responsible Business Conduct and Economic Empowerment of Women. FPI Specific objective 1.8: Understanding and visibility of the Union and its role on the world scene is enhanced and widened. In 2017, PI public diplomacy actions allowed the EU to engage with a broad range of stakeholders in key partner countries to build trust and mutual understanding. Activities targeted students, academia, policymakers, civil society and cultural operators. The actions contributed to enhancing knowledge and understanding of the EU. Under this objective, one public diplomacy action was adopted in 2017. FPI Specific objective 1.9: Improved fulfilment of EU's economic interests (trade, investment and business). In 2017, the PI strengthened engagement between the EU and economic and business stakeholders with a view to opening market access and ensuring a level playing field for EU companies. Under this objective, three actions were adopted in 2017 covering the areas of involvement of civil society organisations in trade agreements and business-related policy dialogues. Legal and Illegal Trade in Wildlife Species between the EU and Mexico (Policy Support Facility): Comprehensive analysis of the trade of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) listed species between Mexico and the EU (whether legally or illegally traded), in order to pave the way towards the development and implementation of actions to ensure their conservation, and guarantee that their trade is legal, sustainable and traceable. EU-India cooperation on Information and Communications Technology (ICT-) related standardisation, policy and legislation: India is a strategic economic partner for the EU and a key player both in the South Asia region and at global level. Significant market access barriers exist in the Indian ICT sector and there is a risk that additional India-specific ICT standards could result in further market access barriers for European companies. The action is a clear example of how the PI supports mutually beneficial objectives. The project helped facilitate collaboration on standard setting and capacity building with a view to supporting the realisation of a digital society / the Digital Agenda. Furthermore, it acted as a catalyst for an active dialogue between EU and Indian experts from the public and the private sectors, leading to the identification of priority areas (including 5G and Intelligent Transport Systems) for cooperation. 1.1.7. Making a difference: new instruments and aid modalities In 2017, the EU began its implementation of the EIP. The adoption of the EIP represents a watershed moment for EU external action. The EIP intends to catalyse private sector involvement to achieve development impact and pursue EU policy priorities in Sub Saharan Africa and the EU Neighbourhood countries. Those are set in the UN 2030 agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for Development, the 2017 European Consensus on Development, the EU Communication ‘The Stronger Role of the Private Sector in Achieving Inclusive and Sustainable Growth in Developing Countries’ and in the EU Neighbourhood Policy (as revised in 2015).

This new instrument aims at contributing to the attainment of the SDGs in partner countries. It addresses the many challenges faced by our global community, from climate change to instability, by developing projects with these priorities in mind and in so doing create an environment of Prosperity and therefore Peace. It is an important contribution to the implementation of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on development financing, as it aims at mobilising additional resources for development, and it contributes to the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change to protect our planet. The EIP structure includes three pillars combining development finance (under the framework of the European Fund for Sustainable Development), technical assistance and policy dialogue to mitigate the risk of investments in partner countries with the aim of stimulating growth and job creation. The new Guarantee Facility that has been set up will initially address five priority areas (or investment windows): connectivity (renewable and clean energy as well as energy efficiency and sustainable transport connections); affordable finance for micro, small and medium enterprises; agriculture; digitalisation; and sustainable cities. Crucial objectives such as creation of employment and climate change adaptation and mitigation are addressed horizontally. After the initial stages of implementation, the EU invited partner Financial Institutions to submit innovative Proposed Investment Programmes: portfolios of investments covering the European Neighbourhood and Sub-Saharan Africa. Together with partner countries, partner financial institutions and in collaboration with EU Delegations, the EU will ensure that actual investments will materialise in partner countries in sectors and regions that are most in need. In addition to the Guarantee Facility, in 2017 the EU approved a contribution of approximately EUR 1.3 billion for blended finance operations, with the aim of unlocking a total of around EUR 11 billion of public and private investment. Synergies are sought with the budget support modality to offer platforms for policy dialogue and provide incentives for reforms towards an improved investment climate in partner countries. Budget support contracts are implemented in 91 countries or territories across the world. They offer a comprehensive framework to make sure that investments serve the countries’ development agenda, with due considerations for issues such as policy coherence, social and environmental progress, macroeconomic stability, domestic revenue mobilisation, asset management and maintenance, or accountability. These are preconditions for returns on investment to be sustainable and of benefit to all. The EU has also further developed modalities to strengthen its engagement in partnering with civil society organisations. At global and regional level, 23 Framework Partnership Agreements have been implemented with global and regional platforms for civil society. At country level, support to smaller civil society organisations has been used more frequently than in previous years. In September 2017, the EU also launched the first Policy Lab in External Relations, which is a tool based on participatory leadership methods stimulating open conversations and active engagement between local stakeholders, youth, public experts and EU representatives. The selected topic was employment policies for young people who are not in employment, education or training (NEETs), for the benefit of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. This creative and innovative approach was extremely well received by the participants, who showed an extraordinarily high level of engagement. Using their mapping and analysis, the participants formulated policy recommendations for youth employment initiatives for the next programming cycle of the EU bilateral cooperation with Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria. A new Lab will soon be launched in the Western Balkans.



1.2. Fostering sustainable development 1.2.1 Implementing the 2030 Agenda comprehensively and coherently In 2017, further to the Commission proposal, the new European Consensus on Development was signed on 7 June 2017 as a Joint statement by the Council and the representatives of the governments of the Member States, the Parliament and the Commission. The new Consensus built on the Commission's extensive policy analysis and multi-stakeholder consultation. The new Consensus constitutes a comprehensive common framework for European development cooperation. For the first time, it applies in its entirety to all EU Institutions and all Member States, which commit to work more closely together. The new Consensus is the EU's response to today's global trends and challenges in the area of international cooperation and development. It aligns EU external action to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by setting out the main principles which will guide the approach of the EU and its Member States to cooperation with developing countries, as well as a strategy for reaching the SDGs. The Consensus reflects the framework of external action provided by the Lisbon Treaty, and also relates to the EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy. Structured around the '5 Ps' framing the 2030 Agenda (People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership), the Consensus puts forward a balanced and integrated approach to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. Poverty eradication remains the primary objective. The Consensus highlights the contribution of development policy to the objectives of EU external action, as set out in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union. It underlines the links between development and other policies, particularly, but not exclusively, humanitarian aid, environment, climate change, migration, security and trade policies. The Consensus integrates a comprehensive approach to implementation, drawing on the framework agreed in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, combining aid with other resources with sound policies and a strengthened approach to Policy Coherence for Development. It includes a more coordinated approach to development by the EU and its Member States, promoting joint programming and joint actions. It puts emphasis on better-tailored partnerships with a broader range of stakeholders and partner countries and highlights the importance of development effectiveness, transparency, mutual accountability and ownership by all partners involved, as well as ensuring that all means are used to deliver on the SDGs. 1.2.2. The means of implementation of the new Agenda Consistent with the new Consensus, the 2030 Agenda and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the EU continued to play a leading role in UN financing for development negotiations in 2017. This included high-level participation at the UN Financing for Development Forum, which reviewed progress against the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on development financing, as well as work to strengthen the UN follow-up processes and support the Inter-Agency Task Force on financing for development.

The EU has continued to emphasise the key elements of the Addis Agenda in multilateral and bilateral discussions. These include public, private domestic and international financial sources, as well as a commitment to good policies and policy coherence, all of which are needed to fulfil the Sustainable Development Goals. The EU has been active in working towards its own Addis Ababa commitments in 2017 (see the Investing in sustainable development report ). The EU and its Member States remain the world’s largest ODA donor. ODA provided by the EU and its Member States reached EUR 76.6 billion in 2017 representing 0.50 % of EU Gross National Income (GNI). This constitutes a 1.4% decrease compared to 2016 levels. This decrease is explained by a reduction in the amounts of debt relief operations, of in-donor refugee costs, and of an increase in reflows of European Investment Bank’s loans. The EU expressed strong concern about the reduction of EU collective ODA and development assistance worldwide. The EU remains however significantly above the 0.21% ODA/GNI average of non-EU countries that are members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC). The EU's actions in 2017 have also helped to bring together aid, investment, trade, domestic resource mobilisation and good policies. Examples include the EU External Investment Plan with a European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD) that is expected to leverage EU contributions of EUR 4.1 billion into at least EUR 44 billion of extra investment to improve economic and social development in Africa and in the countries neighbouring the EU. Given the importance of the private sector as a contributor to growth and job creation, the EU has taken strong measures to promote private sector development through assistance for investment climate reforms, lending and venture capital facilities, and technical assistance to businesses, including Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Support to domestic resource mobilisation has helped improving the transparency, fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of tax systems in partner countries. Better knowledge of the array of resources available for sustainable development is crucial to promote synergies and coordination to implement the 2030 Agenda. The EU has been supporting the use of Development Finance Assessments as a diagnostic tool for partner countries. Additionally, the EU has been supporting the process of ODA modernisation and the development of the statistical measure Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) that aims to improve the transparency about available means of implementation, such as investment, private mobilised resources, technical and south-south cooperation and financial flows from emerging donors. 1.2.3. Working better together with Member States – Joint Programming The new European Consensus on Development places Joint Programming at the centre of the EU’s effort to work better together with Member States to implement the 2030 Agenda through support to partner countries’ national development plans. By bringing together resources and capacities, Joint Programming increases the collective impact and visibility of European development cooperation and external action. Programming together and the trust that this process builds, also facilitates at country-level a general more joined-up approach by European partners on broader issues. The new Consensus also strengthens the European commitment to inclusive joint implementation based on shared objectives and promotes joint working with a large set of like-minded partners including Member States’ agencies and financial institutions, private sector, civil society and academia. In May 2017, an independent strategic evaluation of EU Joint Programming process of development cooperation (2011-2015) was published. It concluded that the Joint Programming exercise has been instrumental in increasing coordination between the EU, Member States and other associated development partners, in some cases enhancing the EU and Member States’ voice and leverage at country level. Despite the short history of Joint Programming, the evaluation also concluded that it can positively deliver on the predictability of development assistance and promote better complementarity and synergy within the European group thus contributing to development effectiveness. The mid-term review of the external financing instruments in 2017 also concluded that through the use of Joint Programming with Member States and other donors, a more coherent and visible EU response to partners countries development has been created. At the end of 2017, twenty-six Joint Programming documents existed, of which seven were completed during the year. A Joint Programming process was ongoing in an additional thirty-six partner countries during the period, implementing different approaches and at different stages of advancement. 1.2.4. Policy Coherence for Development The EU takes account of the objectives of development cooperation in all the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries. This is known as Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) and is enshrined in the Treaty of the Functioning of the European Union. The EU aims to minimise contradictions and build synergies between its different policies to the benefit of partner countries and to increase the effectiveness of development cooperation. In 2017, the Commission continued promoting PCD, including by embedding it in the new European Consensus on Development, which reaffirmed the EU and its Member States' commitment to PCD and highlighted PCD as an important contribution to the achievement of SDGs by partner countries and to the broader objective of policy coherence for sustainable development. Given that the implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires a whole-of-government approach and coordination efforts at all levels, the PCD approach needed to be reviewed to better integrate the work on PCD into the overall EU effort on sustainable development. As a consequence, work on PCD has been integrated in the work of the Commission inter-service group on the overall follow-up of the 2030 Agenda, involving all Commission services and EEAS. Regular contacts were maintained with focal points in other Commission services. A continued dialogue with Member States, the European Parliament and civil society helped inform the Commission's work. Reporting from EU Delegations on PCD issues was further reinforced. A consolidated feedback was sent to EU Delegations. Work on the strategic evaluation on PCD, covering the period 2009-2016, started in 2016. This intensified in 2017 with desk reviews, targeted consultations with Member States, Commission line-DGs, EEAS and EU Delegations, and closer examination of some policies taking account of their impact on developing countries, including field visits.

1.2.5. Development effectiveness and Joint Programming In 2017, Development Effectiveness (DE) was confirmed as a core principle of EU development cooperation by the new European Consensus: it is ‘fundamental for achieving the SDGs and should underpin all forms of development cooperation’. The European Commission attended two Steering Committee meetings, representing also the EU Member States; the April Steering Committee meeting approved the new 2017-2018 Programme of Work of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation (GPEDC). At the end of 2017, seventeen Joint Programming documents existed, and six more were being negotiated during the year. A Joint Programming process was ongoing in an additional thirty-six partner countries during this period, implementing different approaches and at different stages of advancement. The Commission is directly engaged in its implementation, through direct funding to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/ Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Joint Support Team, in the areas of implementing and enhancing development effectiveness at country level; and in reviewing the scope of the monitoring framework and unlocking bottlenecks. Also, based on the experience in Joint Programming in 2017, development partners show good alignment with countries’ development strategies. There has been initial work in use of country-led results frameworks and monitoring and evaluation systems which needs to continue. In 2017, the Commission was also involved in some of the Global Partnership Initiatives (GPIs) stemming from the GPEDC: as lead, on transparency (International Aid Transparency Initiative - IATI) and Joint Programming; and, as partner, in Results and Accountability, Role of Local and Regional Governments in effective development, civil society organisations (CSO) enabling environment and New Deal for Engagement in Fragile States among others. 1.3. PEOPLE – Human Development and dignity 1.3.1. Human Development Eradicating poverty (SDG 1), tackling inequalities and discrimination (SDG 10) and leaving no-one behind are at the heart of EU development cooperation policy. The Human Development objectives pursued under the Global Public Goods and Challenges aim to foster economically, socially and environmentally sustainable development in an integrated and holistic way, through coherent, coordinated and focused action, in complementarity with the geographic programmes, in the key area of human development, such as health, education, social protection, sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition security, contributing particularly to achieving SDGs 1 (no poverty), SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 4 (quality education) and SDG 5 (gender). In 2017, thematic programmes were very active in promoting inclusive and sustainable growth for human development, through numerous actions in each sector. EU contributions to global initiatives on health and education, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI), and the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and Education cannot Wait, have allowed the EU to play a significant role in shaping the international policy agenda, both in financial terms and through proactive involvement in defining strategies and policies, and in the overall governance of these organisations. Support through these initiatives have, for instance, ensured that 18.5 million children could go to school, helped put 11 million people on life-saving HIV-treatment, detected and treated 17.4 million cases of tuberculosis, and distributed 7 953 million bed nets to prevent malaria. Numerous activities were carried out in the areas of Education and Culture (SDG 4). An innovative action to support inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue in countries with fragile situations was launched in March and five initiatives were identified (implementation to start in 2018). At the end of 2017, the EU also adopted a new programme supporting investment in culture and creativity aimed at strengthening cultural and creative industries, public governance and valorisation of cultural heritage in key partner countries. Concerning education, it is worth noting progress made in addressing the global learning crisis, in particular regarding vulnerable groups in low income countries (LICs) and for children in situation of crises, whose access to education improved. The 'Global Report on Food Crises' was launched officially in March reporting on over 108 million people in food crisis situations globally, and several hotspots at risk of famine, notably in South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, and Yemen, in addition to Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Malawi, and Syria. Resources were allocated in time for responses to specific crises and for global initiatives, tackling SDG 2. As the needs identified largely exceeded the available resources, the technical partnership producing the Global Report played an increasing strategic role in promoting the Global Network against food crises, resulting in United States Agency for International Development (USAID) becoming an active member of the strategic discussion. Activities in Social Protection were also carried out as planned. An agreement was signed in November with a consortium of Member State Agencies to implement the vocational education and training (VET) Toolbox Facility. The VET Toolbox aims to deliver high quality expertise and capacity building to public and private stakeholders with a view to enhance labour market intelligence, increase the involvement of the private sector in VET as well as to foster inclusion of women and of vulnerable groups in VET programmes, addressing both SDG 4 (quality education) as well as SDG 5 (gender equality). Concerning SDG 10 (reduced inequality), the Research Facility on Inequalities was launched in mid-2017 and, in line with its work plan, the SOCIEUX+ project on EU Expertise on Social Protection, Labour and Employment set up its governance and management structure. In addition, SOCIEUX+ received 34 new eligible requests, and implemented 18 actions (ongoing / completed) in 13 countries, while preparing an additional 22 actions. In the area of vocational education and training, the European Training Foundation (ETF) supports the European Commission's global actor role, notably by disseminating and applying EU policies in the partner countries of South East Europe and Turkey, the East and South Neighbourhood, and Central Asia. The ETF actively promotes policy learning by facilitating sharing of expertise and country self-assessment in the policy areas of good quality human capital development, employment-oriented lifelong learning, and employability more broadly. The ETF opens and sustains debates in the partner countries in innovative areas such as skills for the future, digital skills, entrepreneurial learning, work-based learning, skills financing and governance. A project on ‘Promoting responsible value chains in the garment sector’ with a focus on Decent Work and Transparency and Traceability was financed, with the aim of improving work and sustainability conditions in global garment value chains. It includes three modules: the first two focus on decent work and compliance with labour standards and the third on transparency and traceability efforts. In the area of conflict minerals and a responsible supply chain, enhanced and progressive formalisation of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining sector has been promoted, in partnership with other downstream economic operators, in compliance with the provisions of the new EU Regulation on Conflict Minerals. The action is expected to increase socio-economic conditions of miners in Conflict Affected and High-Risk Areas through capacity building and adoption of responsible mining practices that mitigate the various circumstances of vulnerability. A EUR 10 million project on ‘Women's Economic Empowerment’ including support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries was approved in the context of blending operations. It aims at promoting women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion in Sub-Saharan countries by improving access to suitable financial products and services, essential critical skills, digital enablers and capacity building services for financial institutions and end beneficiaries. The action will leverage public and private resources through blending and contribute to defining scalable and replicable approaches in other cooperation programmes such as the EIP.

In March, the EU adopted revised EU Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child. This revision, which sets out the EU's overarching strategy, aims to ensure that EU policies and actions support the strengthening of partner countries' systems, including child protection. A call for proposals on ‘De-institutionalisation and alternative care for children’ (to be launched in February 2018) was also prepared. 1.3.2. Gender equality and women's empowerment Gender equality and women's empowerment is a key component of EU development policy as well as of international agreements, featuring prominently in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Commission services contributed substantially to the operationalisation of the 2030 Agenda in the field of gender equality. The year 2017 was marked by the beginning of The Spotlight Initiative (SI), a new partnership between the EU and UN to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful practices. The SI is backed by an unprecedented amount of EUR 500 million from the EU and aims at achieving transformational change at the regional level, concentrating efforts in Asia, the Pacific region, Africa (particularly Sub-Saharan Africa), Latin America and the Caribbean. Based on evidence, the Initiative will focus on particular forms of violence against women and girls that are prevalent or prominently emerge in specific regions: Femicide in Latin America; Trafficking in human beings and sexual and economic (forced labour) exploitation in Asia; Sexual and gender-based violence (including harmful practices and sexual and reproductive health and rights) in Sub-Saharan Africa; Domestic violence in the Pacific region and Domestic and family violence in the Caribbean. A first commitment of EUR 25 million of programmes was finalised end of 2017 on Migrant/Domestic female workers in ASEAN countries. In addition, a EUR 32 million global Call for Proposals on gender-based violence was launched. The Gender Action Plan 2016-2020 (GAP II) implementation is fully underway and the first report covering the year 2016 was published in 2017. This report highlights the progress made in the first year through continued action for instance with regard to commissioning or updating gender analysis studies or profiles; coordinating for the identification of thematic objectives as well as the preparation of the reports contributing to the current review; the nomination or appointment of gender champions and continuous renewal and reinforcement of the Gender Focal Persons network; training on integrating gender dimensions; a move in the right direction for gender mainstreaming of core training curricula for EU staff; and greater collaboration on gender equality and women's empowerment between Delegations and Member States in partner countries. Furthermore, the commitment to mainstreaming or integrating gender analysis and perspectives across all instruments and modalities is gaining prominence within the Commission, even if the practice is not yet as robust as intended. The figures regarding the new decisions and contracts for 2016 indicate a further increase in the ODA gender sensitive allocation: EUR 9 400 million are marked with OECD Gender Marker G1 indicating actions that are gender mainstreamed, while EUR 419 million have been allocated to specific actions for gender equality and women’s empowerment (marked OECD Gender Marker 2). The Commission monitors closely developments with regard to gender equality and the fight against gender-based violence in the Enlargement Region. These issues are also addressed in the context of accession negotiations under chapters 19 and 23 and the Stabilisation and Association Process. Developments over the last year were reported in the 2017 Enlargement package. The EU accession process has also prompted legal reforms in the field of gender equality. It is positive that all countries except Kosovo have ratified the Council of Europe Istanbul Convention on Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. 1.3.3. Migration, forced displacement and asylum While only representing roughly 3 % of the world population, the number of international migrants has increased in recent years, reaching 258 million in 2017 - compared to 220 million in 2010 and 173 million in 2000. Global forced displacement figures remain at all-time high. During 2017 the EU as a whole received over 600 000 first-time asylum claims, registering a significant reduction compared to previous years . At the same time, the vast majority of worldwide refugees continue to be hosted by developing countries. While the total number of recorded deaths of migrants has decreased compared to 2015 and 2016, the numbers are still deplorable with more than 5 400 estimated to have died or gone missing in 2017 while trying to cross international borders. The journey on the central Mediterranean route including the crossing of the Mediterranean is by far the most dangerous route, with one death for every 42 arrivals. In this context, migration and mobility remained high on the EU agenda in 2017, including for EU development policy. Migration is now incorporated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which recognises international migration as a multidimensional reality of major relevance for the development of countries of origin, transit and destination, requiring coherent and comprehensive responses. Supporting partner countries to better address the challenges, but also seize the opportunities of migration, is now strongly anchored in EU development policy as expressed in the European Consensus on Development. The EU continued its active multilateral involvement in the process of elaborating two Global Compacts for Migrants and Refugees, as a follow-up to the UN Summit on large movements of refugees and migrants in 2016. The Global Compacts represent a unique opportunity to ensure improved governance of migration and forced displacement at international level. Balanced, concrete and action-oriented results are sought, firmly rooted in a long-term vision, fully aligned and supportive of the migration-related targets of the 2030 Agenda. In January, the Commission and the HR/VP presented a Joint Communication – Migration on the Central Mediterranean Route, Managing flows, saving lives , outlining a comprehensive strategy to strengthen EU engagement along this route, with a focus on Libya. EU focus is first and foremost on continuing to save lives and improving the lives of migrants and refugees in Libya and neighbouring countries, on fighting smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings and to improve the overall management of migratory flows on this route. The joint African Union-European Union-United Nations Task Force, established in November reiterated these commitments and support was reinforced with a focus on protection and return and reintegration assistance to vulnerable migrants in Libya. The Partnership Framework with third countries under the European Agenda on Migration, adopted in June 2016, remained the main framework for political and operational engagement with partner countries on migration. All instruments and tools available to the EU and its Member States are pooled to deliver on jointly agreed targets and commitments, including in areas such as resilience and job creation, infrastructure, investments, protection of vulnerable migrants, assistance to refugee hosting countries, border management, combatting migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings and addressing the root causes of forced displacement. Among a range of EU tools available, the EU Trust Fund for Africa has effectively contributed to ensure that the EU approach is delivering concrete results, having reached close to EUR 2.4 billion in approved support programmes at the end of 2017. By creating large numbers of decent jobs and addressing poverty in Africa and in the Neighbourhood, including in Least Developed and fragile countries, the European External Investment Plan, launched in 2017, will contribute, in the long term, to address some of the root causes of irregular migration. It will do so by leveraging some EUR 44 billion of private investment by 2020. In the context of the European Commission's Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography (KCMD) and in support of the Migration Partnership Framework, a series of Migration Profiles has been issued providing up-to-date and context-specific information and analysis of key third countries of origin and transit. Also, complementarities with the World Bank's Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD) have been sought linked to the migration-development nexus for improved and more evidence-based policymaking and better-informed public debate on migration and forced displacement at global and EU level. 1.3.4. Culture, Education, Research, Innovation and Health

The EU continued its proactive engagement towards achieving SDG 4, supporting more than 45 countries in their efforts to strengthen education systems. The EU also worked with the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) that supports basic education focussing on the poorest countries and/or those in fragile situations. The priority is to provide all children access to education and ensuring that they learn when in school. Through EU support to the GPE, 72 million more children were in primary school in 2015 in GPE partner countries compared to 2002. Primary school completion rate was 76 % in GPE partner countries in 2015 compared to 63 % in 2002. For girls, the rate increased from 56 % to 74 %. Completion rate for lower secondary education increased from 35 % in 2002 to 50 % in 2015 in GPE-supported countries. The EU maintains a special focus on education in emergencies and crises. It adopted a EUR 21 million programme with the objective to support education needs in protracted crisis, focussing on improving quality of education in safe learning environments and building global evidence base to inform future support. Through the Erasmus+ programme, the EU sustained support to partner developing countries to enhance employability of individuals through roughly 40 500 mobilities for university students and staff from higher education institutions, and scholarships for joint Master degree programmes as well as 149 projects to modernise higher education programmes, institutions and systems through capacity building projects. In addition, in 2017, there were approximately 350 international participations in Horizon 2020 collaborative research and innovation projects, supported with an EU contribution of about EUR 40 million. The EU continued to support the Global Fund, and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and in coordination with the EU instruments for financing external actions, through its Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020 , continued support was given to research fighting poverty related and neglected infectious diseases as well as regional initiatives, like the second European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership programme (EDCTP2) , and other multinational initiatives. The three main communicable diseases, HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as child and maternal health remain a major challenge for many EU partner countries in their efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 3) on health and well-being. The EU's support to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria has contributed to impressive results: 22 million lives saved; 11 million people on life-saving HIV-treatment in 2017; a decline by more than one-third in the number of people dying from HIV, TB and malaria since 2002 in the countries where the Global Fund invests; 17.4 million people have received TB treatment and 795 million mosquito nets distributed through programmes for malaria. EU support for GAVI contributed to 339 million additional children being vaccinated between 2010 and 2016. The great progress in vaccinations is an important contributor to the decrease in under-fives mortality from 52 deaths per 1 000 live births in 2010 to 41 in 2016. The EU has continued to play a leading role in ensuring women's access to health and family planning services around the world. Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) are an integral part of our bilateral health programmes and our commitments to gender equality. The Commission also supported the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to increase the availability of quality reproductive health services, contraceptives, condoms and maternal health medicines through the strengthening of national capacity and systems, including the in-country supply chain. The programme benefits 46 mainly low-income countries. By the end of 2017, Horizon 2020 had supported 104 research projects in the area of poverty related and neglected infectious diseases for EUR 431 million. In addition, under EDCTP and EDCTP2 31 calls for proposals were launched resulting in 125 project grants accelerating the development of medical interventions in this area with a total estimated value of EUR 263.71 million. These included 35 multi-centre clinical research grants with a total estimated value of EUR 223 million. Sustained investment in clinical research capacity in sub-Saharan Africa remains a central priority for the EDCTP including preparedness for (re-)emerging epidemics. To date, 58 individual fellowships (39 male and 19 female African fellows) have been funded to promote scientific excellence and leadership, an Alumni Network platform was launched and renewed funding for four regional networks of excellence focused on research capacity development was provided. EDCTP continued to fund projects to strengthen ethics reviews and the regulatory framework for conducting clinical research, for which an additional eight grants were recently awarded. Renewed emphasis is placed on the cultural dimension of development and international cooperation following the adoption of the European Council Conclusions of May 2017 on an ‘EU Strategic Approach to International Cultural Relations’. The new European Consensus on Development recognised the role of culture as an important component and enabler to facilitate social inclusion, freedom of expression, identity building, civil empowerment and conflict prevention and to strengthen economic growth. The EU adopted a number of programmes during the year to implement this new vision. The programme ‘Investing in Culture and Creativity’ aims to improve cultural governance in partner countries; stimulate job-creation and reinforce cultural heritage. The creative industries and cultural sector programme for African, Caribbean and African countries (ACP Cultures+) ended in 2017. Overall the programme reached 422 308 young people, impacted the regulatory framework of 17 ACP countries, trained 8 062 people and reached via social networks more than 20 million people. The EU continued to implement the EU-Eastern Partnership Culture and Creativity Programme II, aiming to support the cultural and creative sectors’ contribution to sustainable humanitarian, social and economic development in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. In 2017 ten third countries participated in Creative Europe, the EU programme financing transnational cooperation projects in the cultural and audiovisual sectors. Cultural and audiovisual organisations from these countries have been involved in 174 Creative Europe grants: 106 projects involving Western Balkan countries, 15 projects in Eastern Partnership countries, and 53 projects in Norway and Iceland. In May 2017 an agreement was signed with Tunisia for participation in Creative Europe. 1.3.5. Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture Following a few years showing improvements in reducing global hunger, food and nutrition insecurity was again on the rise as the year began with an additional 38 million people suffering from hunger. Today, about one in nine people suffer from food and nutrition insecurity. Challenges such as conflicts, climate change, environmental degradation, and economic slowdown contribute to hinder people from accessing affordable, sufficient, safe and nutritious food, with the poorest countries being the hardest hit. Chronic child malnutrition, or stunting, has been declining although one in four children under five years of age are still affected. The SDGs, and in particular SDG 2, seek to renew momentum and rally countries around targets to ‘end hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’ by 2030. Hand in hand with the SDGs, the new Consensus for Development underlines the EU's commitment systematically to integrate resilience and gender equality in its policies and programmes. At the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, the EU helped to spearhead an initiative to develop the Global Network against Food Crises. Together with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and World Food Programme (WFP), the EU helped galvanise support and attract additional partners to produce the Global Report on Food Crises, which is considered to be the reference document on the subject. Released in March 2017, the report demonstrated inter alia the need for analysis of the main drivers of food insecurity and for efforts to tackle the challenges indicating that nearly 108 million people would be in a food crisis or emergency situation. Consequently, joint work on strategic responses from the Commission and its partners has been catalysed. In 2017 those efforts resulted in targeted thematic and bilateral support, especially to address fragile and emergency contexts in countries including Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, Syria, the Central African Republic and Nigeria, with EUR 140 million allocated in synergy with EUR 750 million to help avoid famines in four countries considered at risk: Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Nigeria. In August, the EU published its second progress report on the implementation of the Action Plan on Nutrition. Throughout several initiatives and programmes, the EU demonstrated that it is dedicated to help reduce the number of stunted children under the age of five by at least seven million by 2025, with a EUR 3.5 billion allocation over 2014-2020. The Commission’s Food Fortification Advisory Services (FFAS) supports the strengthening of institutional and technical capacities regarding food fortification. Technical support has been provided to carry out research in relation to food/biofortification in Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Kenya, Madagascar, Niger and Sudan. 2017 also saw the start of the implementation phase of the National Platforms for Nutrition (NIPN), which strengthens country level information systems for nutrition to make better informed strategic decisions to prevent malnutrition and its consequences. In this context, the NIPN was officially launched in Guatemala, Niger, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Laos and Uganda. Towards the end of the year, the EU held a Strategic Dialogue on its partnership with the FAO. Emphasis on collaboration between the two partners focuses on agricultural investments and sustainable value chains, resilience and food crises, climate change and natural resource management as well as nutrition and sustainable food systems. With EU financial support, the FAO has worked on the ground, for instance in Yemen, to help 150 000 people improve food production and nutrition. Models were developed on micro-level impacts and national level impacts of selected national agri-food policies and EU cooperation programmes on food security, poverty alleviation and welfare in Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. Related to the above modelling studies, eight trainings were organised in 2017, involving around 60 participants, in Niger, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania. These countries are considered strategic for the EU in terms of agri-economic development and food and nutrition security. Furthermore, in view of analysing the impact of relevant CAP Scenarios on SSA countries' farming sector, the micro and macro approaches started to be integrated. The ‘Country fiches’ an interactive web dashboard for depicting the profile of developing countries under agro-economic, macro-economic and food and nutrition security perspectives, was launched in 2017. As a contribution to the ‘Global Report on Food Crises 2017’, methodologies were developed for analysing the situation in the food crisis hot spot areas described by the report. The ‘Anomaly hotspots of Agricultural Production’ (ASAP), a decision support system for early detection for food crises prevention and response planning was launched in 2017. Commission services also explored the potential use of the ‘minimum dietary diversity-women’ (MDD-W) in programmatic action. The MDD-W is a global indicator to monitor nutrition-sensitive actions and programmes aimed at improving the diet of women of reproductive age. In addition, support has been provided to EU Delegations to integrate the indicator in the Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of projects and programmes on the Agriculture and Food and Nutrition Security sector. Innovative Earth Observation data provided by COPERNICUS were used for monitoring the performance of large-scale land investments in remote areas of Ethiopia as part of the EU’s support to the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure on Land (VGGT). Continued support was provided to the Global Soil Partnership by promoting soil awareness measures in the Asian Soil Partnership, Near East and North African Soil Partnership, and Central Asian Soil Partnership through the development of the Soil Atlas of Asia. A session was organised as part of the 2017 EDDs, focusing on the implementation of sustainable soil management practices and climate smart agriculture in Africa. In December 2017, the implementation of the MEKROU project for the establishment of a Transboundary Cooperation Framework and an Integrated Water Resource Strategy for green growth in the Mekrou River basin was completed with the organisation of four technical workshops and the implementation of the E-WATER software.

1.4. PLANET - Protecting the environment, managing natural resources and tackling climate change 1.4.1. Climate Change Climate change continues to be one of the major threats affecting global sustainable development efforts. The new European Consensus on Development underlines the EU's commitment to contribute to the global fight against climate change in line with the Paris Agreement and SDG 13. The EU sees global partnerships and increased cooperation as essential to advancing the Union's strategic interests and to tackling global challenges. The EU is backing up its political commitment with concrete actions: cooperating more closely with major economies to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change and environment-friendly practices more broadly. Through the European Consensus on Development, the EU has committed to increase its efforts to build resilience and adaptability to change, consistent with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. In 2017, the Caribbean region was struck by several intense hurricanes – illustrating the important devastating impacts that more frequent extreme weather events can have on countries, their people, their economies and their resources. It is therefore critical to broadly integrate disaster risk reduction into development strategies. Besides such calamities, climate change also has adverse effects through slow-onset events, such as progressive changes in rainfall and temperature patterns. It also impacts natural resources (water, soil, vegetation), which remain the main basis for economic activity in many partner countries. Beyond adapting to this challenge, it is also crucial that EU external action supports the shift towards a low-emission, climate-resilient, green economy, consistent with SDG 8 on growth and SDG 12 on sustainable consumption and production. Mitigation efforts benefit from EU funding in a varied set of sectors across the SDGs: principally in energy, agriculture and forestry, transport and urban development. All Parties to the Paris Agreement have prepared their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), indicating their expected input to the global effort to reduce emissions. INDCs also include strategies to adapt to climate change impacts and to reduce climate-related risks. Support to INDC implementation – translating these intended efforts into strategies, plans and actions - is now central to the EU external action investments in the climate sector. At the global level, the EU continues to sustain the INDC Support programme implemented by UNDP. The majority of beneficiary countries (over 40) are still in their INDC preparation phase and undertake activities related to monitoring of INDC implementation, databases of emissions-, institutional framework, allocation of national targets to sectors and, last but not least, how to better link sub-national and private sector climate actions. In 2017, INDC Regional Dialogues continued in Latin America (Ecuador), Africa (Morocco) and Central Asia and Eastern countries (Turkey). In the countries covered by the enlargement and neighbourhood policies, support continued through regional and bilateral assistance on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and their commitments, including through capacity building and promotion of reforms related to energy efficiency. Moreover, these countries are progressing in their alignment to the Energy Union and its climate policies, which includes reforms fostering renewable energy. Adaptation is the climate top priority for most developing countries, in particular for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). In this regard, the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA+) EU flagship initiative has continued to focus on SIDS and LDCs as priority beneficiaries. While also supporting INDC implementation, thus also covering mitigation actions, its main efforts have continued to target adaptation and disaster risk reduction. As main donor, the EU also supported the Global Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, an important global initiative that, through carrying out Post-Disaster Needs Assessments (PDNAs), contributed to deliver support to the Caribbean just a few days after the hurricanes struck. The EU continues to provide a larger share of its climate finance to adaptation, accurately reflecting the priorities set by partner countries. In the 2014-2016 period, the biggest share of EU climate funding went to adaptation actions (41 %), followed by synergy actions addressing both adaptation and mitigation (31 %) and by mitigation actions (28 %). 1.4.2. Environment and sustainable management of natural resources With the growth of world population, rapid urbanisation, and unsustainable production and consumption patterns leading to the depletion of natural resources, the need to invest in protecting the environment is very clear. Natural capital, including productive land, water resources, forests, fish stocks and biodiversity are the backbone of many of our partner countries' economies and contribute enormously to peoples’ livelihoods. They are key enablers to deliver on the EU's other external goals and policies. This is reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which is calling for enhanced efforts to protect global environmental public goods and support the transition to a low carbon, pollution-free, resource efficient, green economy. The EU is also committed to help stop global biodiversity loss by 2020. To achieve these objectives, the EU works on different fronts: at global level by supporting multilateral environmental agreements; at national level by encouraging policy changes and the transformation to greener economies in partner countries; and by mainstreaming environment into all actions. For example, the EU engaged and took strong commitments at the third session of the United Nations Environment Assembly convened in Nairobi in December under the overarching theme ‘Towards a pollution-free planet’. The EU has also been particularly active in protecting oceans with participation at the UN Oceans Conference for the implementation of SDG 14 in June 2017 in New York and the organisation of the ‘Our Oceans’ Conference in Valletta in October 2017. The EU supported the efforts of partner countries to integrate environment and climate change in their policies, plans and budget, notably through the UN Poverty and Environm