COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Progress of the EU and its Member States – Goal by Goal Accompanying the document Report from the Commission Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals across the world: The 2019 Joint Synthesis Report of the European Union and its Member States
Date: 2019-05-10
Institutions: Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development, European Commission
Subjects: civil society, climate change policy, developing countries, development aid, human rights, international cooperation, poverty, social policy, sustainable development, the EU's international role

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 10.5.2019  SWD(2019) 176 final  COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT Progress of the EU and its Member States – Goal by Goal       Accompanying the document Report from the Commission Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals across the world: The 2019 Joint Synthesis Report of the European Union and its Member States {COM(2019) 232 final}  
 
 
SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere1 

Global trends 

The number of people living on less than $1.90 a day has fallen to a record low of about 736 million 
or  10  percent  of  the  world’s  population,  but  without  significant  shifts  in  policy,  about  480  million 
people - some 6 percent of the world - will remain in extreme poverty in 20302. According to recent 
projections,  in  2030,  87%  of  the  world’s  poorest  will  be  living  in  sub-Saharan  Africa,  including  in 
fragile contexts3.  

EU policy approach 

Eradicating poverty in all its dimensions, tackling discriminations and inequalities and leaving no-one 
behind are at the heart of the European Consensus on Development4 (‘the Consensus’). Tackling the 
various  dimensions  of  poverty  requires  actions  on  all  fronts  (including  education,  health,  social 
protection,  gender  equality,  and  strengthening  resilience).  The  EU’s  and  Member  States’  actions 
under all SDGs contribute in some way to the core goal of eradicating poverty. Poverty eradication 
requires a special focus on the poorest and most vulnerable sections of society. To help achieve this, 
the EU is committed to allocating at least 20% of its Official Development Assistance (ODA) to social 
inclusion  and  human  development.  Given  future  projections  for  extreme  poverty,  the  EU  and 

1 Further information on the actions of the EU and its Member States in support of the SDGs in partnership 
with developing countries is available at the European Commission’s dedicated webpage on the Joint Synthesis 
Report.  
2 https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/30418/9781464813306.pdf 
3 https://www.brookings.edu/blog/africa-in-focus/2019/01/24/figures-of-the-week-fragility-and-extreme-
poverty/ 
4 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/european-consensus-on-development-final-
20170626_en.pdf 

1 

 
 
 
                                                           
Member States have continued to strengthen ways to address needs in Least Developed Countries 
(LDCs), sub-Saharan Africa and fragile and conflict-affected states. 

The EU and its Member States have also addressed the links between poverty, conflict, fragility and 
forced displacement in a coherent and comprehensive manner, by joining up actions for instance on 
human rights, food security, education in crises, rule of law, good governance, climate change, peace 
and security. Tackling extreme  poverty, especially in fragile  situations, requires a strengthened link 
between humanitarian, development and security actions. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The  EU  has  supported  several  global  and  country  programmes  to  strengthen  social  protection 
systems  and  is  involved  in  the  Universal  Social  Protection  Initiative5 to  promote  universal  social 
protection  policies,  particularly  for  the  poor  and  vulnerable.  In  2018,  the  EU  supported  around 
twenty  partner  countries,  including  in  fragile  or  conflict  affected  countries,  in  their  efforts  to 
strengthen their social protection systems. One of them is Lesotho, where the EU helped to establish 
a social protection system that addresses vulnerability and inequality throughout life. Budget support 
has been an important delivery modality for social protection policies. 

The EU’s use of budget support to eradicate poverty 

The EU disbursed €1.8 billion through budget support in 2017, about 18% of its ODA. The EU’s budget 
support is fully aligned with partner countries’ own development policies, priorities and systems. It 
increasingly  focuses  on  low-income  and  lower-middle-income  countries  -  37%  of  total  2017 
commitments went to low income countries compared to 26% in 2014. This includes helping fragile 
states  to  rebuild  basic  state  functions  and  improve  their  resilience.  The  90  countries  receiving  EU 
budget support achieved strong gains in reducing extreme poverty.   

Figure  1: Percentage  of  population  living in  extreme  poverty (US$ 1.90  a  day,  2011  international 
prices) 

Source: https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/budget-support-trends-and-results_en 

5 https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---
dcomm/documents/genericdocument/wcms_378996.pdf 

2 

 
 
 
                                                           
The UK helped 8.9 million people (including at least 4.6 million women) meet basic needs with cash 
transfers  and  provided  69.5  million  people  (including  36.4  million  women)  with  access  to  financial 
services over the period 2010-2015. Hungary funds multiple projects promoting the rights and social 
protection  of  ethnic  and  religious  minorities  in  developing  countries,  providing  €24  million  since 
2016, including to those  facing persecution in conflict  countries and LDCs.  Ireland  has supported a 
livelihood  project  of  training  and  credit  in  Northern  Ethiopia  since  2014,  enabling  over  70,000 
smallholder  farmers  to  diversify  and  secure  their  incomes.  Estonia  has  supported  disadvantaged 
groups, such as women in rural areas in Kenya and Ghana and people with disabilities in Uganda in 
the  fields  of  handicraft,  business  development  and  agriculture.  In  rural  Moldova,  Estonia  has  also 
helped women entrepreneurs and young people to understand product development and marketing 
priorities  for  small  producers  and  promoted  female  entrepreneurship  and  craft  production  in  the 
Calarasi region.  

SDG2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable 
agriculture 

Global trends 

With 821 million people suffering from hunger worldwide, in 2017 food and nutrition insecurity was 
on  the  rise  for  a  second  year  after  steadily  declining  for  over  a  decade.  Malnutrition  rates  remain 
alarming: 88% of countries face a serious burden. Worldwide, stunting is declining too slowly, with 
approximately 155 million children under five suffering6. The impacts of climate change and growing 
pressures on food, water and energy systems are affecting the ability of agriculture and food systems 
to deliver healthy and nutritious diets to all. 

EU policy approach 

Ending hunger and improving the nutritional status of the most vulnerable are key concerns in the 
Consensus. The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  worked  to  ensure  that  food  and  nutrition security 
remain  at  the  heart  of  development  cooperation  efforts  globally  and  that  work  is  enhanced  to 
improve  nutrition  and  stimulate  better  livelihoods  in  the  agricultural  sector.  Gender  equality  and 
support for women in food and nutrition security have been important parts of this approach. 

In  2017,  annual  financial  commitments  from  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  to  food  and  nutrition 
security totalled €4.03 billion7.  In the reporting period, the EU and Member States have addressed 
systemic issues in the global food and agriculture systems and worked to build a strategic approach 
to  food  crises  and  resilience,  linking  humanitarian  actions,  development  and  peace  building.  They 
have  promoted  agricultural  development  that  serves  multiple  purposes,  working  to  increase  land 
productivity  and  boost  food  supply,  creating  additional  income  and  employment  opportunities, 
enhancing  gender  equality,  while  protecting  natural  resources  and  the  environment  and  tackling 
climate  change. To address the complex  link between food insecurity, rural poverty and migration, 

6 file://net1.cec.eu.int/homes/112/ellismi/PST/My%20Documents/implementing-eu-food-and-nutrition-
security-policy-commitments-3rd-report_en.pdf 
7 OECD Creditor Reporting System (CRS) data 

3 

 
 
 
                                                           
the EU has stepped up its dialogue in the EU-African Union (AU) Partnership8 and organised EU-Africa 
Business  Forums9 to  help  create  employment  opportunities  for  youth  and  women,  including  in 
agriculture.  The  EU  and  Member  States  have  worked  to:  improve  smallholders’  livelihoods  and 
reverse  negative  trends  in  chronic  hunger  by  sustainably  enhancing  incomes  and  dietary  diversity; 
improve poor people’s tenure  security of their land; support regional agriculture; strengthen social 
security  mechanisms;  enhance  nutrition;  and  improve  the  coordination  of  humanitarian  and 
development actors to better address the needs of victims of crises and emergencies.  Through the 
Global Network against Food Crisis10, the EU and its Member States have improved joint analysis and 
coordinated  responses.  This  Network  strengthens  coordinated  actions  in  support  of  humanitarian, 
development and peace objectives, acknowledging the links between armed conflict, food insecurity 
and  the  threat  of  famine.  The  EU  and  Member  States  have  enhanced  national  and  regional 
agricultural research capacities. At the One Planet Summit in 2017, the EU and the Gates Foundation 
each committed €270 million over 2018-2020 to work together on climate-relevant innovation and 
research in agriculture in third countries.  

Examples of EU and Member States actions  

In the framework of the European External Investment Plan11 (EIP), one of the investment windows 
under the European Fund for Sustainable Development is dedicated to “sustainable agriculture, rural 
entrepreneurs and agroindustry", with the objective of addressing the lack of financing mechanisms 
adapted  to  farmers  and  agri-entrepreneurs,  particularly  for  smallholders,  cooperatives  and  micro, 
small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). In addition, the  Task Force Rural Africa12, who delivered a 
final report in March 2019, have set an agricultural, food and rural agenda for the new Africa-Europe 
Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs13. The EU assisted over 8 million food-insecure people 
through  social  transfers  and  nearly  a  million  women  of  reproductive  age  and  children  under  five 
through nutrition-related programmes.  

In joint programming, since 2013, the EU and its Member States have engaged in Senegal, focusing 
on the inter-dependence between nutrition, food security and agriculture, particularly in rural areas. 
In Laos, nutrition is one of the joint programming strategy’s seven priority sectors. In Nepal, the EU 
and Member States have jointly implemented a rural village water management project, supported 
priority  interventions  around  nutrition-sensitive  value  chains  and  rural  advisory  services,  and 
supported investment in drinking water infrastructure.  

The Netherlands provided assistance to over 33 million undernourished people, with over 15 million 
demonstrating improved food intake, with higher incomes and productivity for 2 million farmers and 
370,000 hectares cultivated in a more eco-efficient manner, including in the Sahel. The Netherlands 
also funded  the  Geodata  for  Agriculture  and  Water project,  which  uses  information  from  satellites 
and translates it into agricultural advice for producers, thus increasing food security. With the special 

8 https://africa-eu-partnership.org/en 
9 https://www.euafrica-businessforum.com/ 
10 http://www.fsincop.net/global-network/about/en/ 
11 https://ec.europa.eu/commission/eu-external-investment-plan_en 
12 https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/farming/international-cooperation/africa/eu-africa-
partnership_en 
13 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/news-and-events/africa-europe-alliance-sustainable-investment-and-jobs-
eu-supports-economic_en 

4 

 
 
                                                           
initiative  ONE  WORLD  –  No  Hunger,  Germany  supports  28  partner  countries.  This  initiative  has 
enabled  920.000  people  to  have  a  healthier  and  more  nutritious  diet.  In  15  “green  innovation 
centres”,  850.000  small-scale  farmers  participated  in  training  to  increase  their  production  and 
incomes.  Around  1.8  million  smallholders  have  benefited  from  knowledge  on  soil  protection  and 
130,000 hectares of soil have been protected or rehabilitated. The United Kingdom reached over 42 
million  children  under  five,  women  of  childbearing  age  and  adolescent  girls  through  nutrition-
relevant programmes between April 2015 and March 2018. France supported 15 million smallholder 
farmers  between  2016  and  2018.  This  included  projects  in  West  Africa  to  develop  resilient  and 
workable agro-ecological techniques and to strengthen rural community food and nutrition security. 
The  programme  has  led  to  61%  of  participants  having  acceptable  food  consumption,  compared  to 
36% of non-participants. 

Denmark is increasingly blending humanitarian and development aid streams to reduce vulnerability 
in protracted or recurrent crises. In Ethiopia and Kenya development programmes were adapted to 
address  the  challenges  of  drought,  famine  and  displacement.  In  Ethiopia,  humanitarian  cash 
programmes  complemented  the  government-led  national  social  protection  system  targeting 
chronically poor and food-insecure groups. Famine 12-12, a Belgian multi-stakeholder initiative has 
mobilised the public, personalities, firms and media to help 20 million people suffering from severe 
malnutrition in South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria and Yemen. Since 2015, Latvia has provided technical 
expertise: on agricultural practice and food production in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan; on agricultural 
export  capacity  and  market  access  in  Ukraine,  including  for  MSMEs;  and most  recently  in  2018 on 
veterinary  drug  management  in  Georgia.  Romania  invested  over  €160,000  in  the  Republic  of 
Moldova  to  promote  innovation  in  fresh  fruit  production,  including  for  export.  In  2017,  a  joint 
‘Visigrad  4’  Action,  financed  under  the  EU  Trust  Fund  for  Africa  and  coordinated  by  Slovakia,  was 
started  to  provide  training  in  good  practice  and  for  organic  and  fair  trade  certification  to  improve 
market access for 15,000 marginalised smallholder farmers in Kenya, growing cashew and sesame. In 
Ethiopia, Austria helped 348,513 farmers (23.6% of whom are women) to improve their agricultural 
productivity. Over 6,000 households benefitted from rehabilitation measures in watersheds.  Ireland 
along with others quickly reacted to the worst drought in 35 years in Maputo Province, Mozambique, 
by providing drought resistant seeds and food to 700,000 people. 

Figure 2: EU and MS ODA to agriculture, fishing and basic nutrition, ODA commitments, € billions 
constant 2016 

12

10

8

6

4

2

0
2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: OECD CRS data 

Basic nutrition (EU and
MS)

Fishing (EU and MS)

Agriculture (EU and MS)

Basic nutrition, all
donors

Fishing, all donors

Agriculture, all donors

5 

 
 
  
 
SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 

Global trends  

Over the last quarter of a century, global health has made impressive  progress: child mortality has 
more than halved; maternal mortality has declined by 44%; millions of people are now on life-saving 
TB  and  HIV  treatment;  and  malaria  elimination  has  become  a  realistic  prospect.  Global  ODA  for 
health  increased  to  $37.4  billion  in  2017,  reflecting  a  1%  average  annual  increase  since  201014.  
Infectious diseases continue to represent a threat especially in low-income countries, and fragile and 
conflict  affected  countries.  In  middle  and  high-income  countries,  HIV,  TB  and  viral  hepatitis 
epidemics  remain  a  public  health  challenge  disproportionally  affecting  vulnerable  hard-to-reach 
populations.  Non-communicable  diseases  also  represent  emerging  challenges  for  developing 
countries. This includes life years lost due to pollution, notably 7 million premature deaths worldwide 
every year due to air pollution. An increasing number of partner countries now face a 'double burden 
of disease', requiring both curative and preventive care. In 2016, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), 
accounted for 71% of the 57 million deaths worldwide15. 

Figure 3: Under-five mortality rate (deaths per 1,000 live births) 

Source: World Development Institute data 

EU policy approach 

The  EU  has  supported  a  comprehensive,  inter-sectoral  approach  to  health,  with  a  focus  on 
strengthening  health  systems  to  achieve  universal  health  coverage.  Truly  effective  health  policy 
requires parallel work in other sectors, such as SDG 2, SDG 5, SDG 6, SDG 7 and SDG 10. Therefore, 
the EU and Member  States supported partner countries in pursuing approaches  which took  health 
into account across all policies and which looked at interconnected, multidisciplinary ways to tackle 
health challenges. This included coordinated efforts aimed at the most vulnerable population groups, 
including children under five years, adolescents and pregnant and breastfeeding women. The efforts 
have  been  pursued  both  through  bilateral  programmes  on  health,  population  and  gender,  and 
through contributions to global health initiatives, UN agencies and civil society organisations. Global 
initiatives  include  the  Global  Fund  to  Fight  AIDS,  Tuberculosis  and  Malaria16 (GFATM),  the  Vaccine 

14 OECD Creditor Reporting System 
15 https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272596/9789241565585-eng.pdf?ua=1 
16 https://www.theglobalfund.org/en/ 

6 

 
 
 
                                                           
Alliance17 (GAVI)  and  United  Nations  Population  Fund  Supplies18 programmes.  EU  Member  States 
have progressively shifted their support from bilateral programmes towards global health initiatives. 
Among  Member  States,  multilateral  channels  now  account  for  75%  of  development  assistance  for 
health compared to 50% in 2002.  In 2017, the EU and its Member States contributed around 50% of 
GFATM’s  annual  budget  of  $4  billion,  and  around  50%  of  GAVI’s  annual  budget  of  $1.5  billion. 
Programmes supported by the GFATM partnership have saved an estimated 27 million lives as at the 
end  of  2017.  Sexual  and  reproductive  health  and  rights  was  also  a  priority  area  for  support.  An 
estimated 30% of EU health aid was spent on reproductive maternal neonatal child and adolescent 
health (around €469 million in 2017)19.  

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

During  the  2013-2017  period,  EU-funded  interventions  supported  more  than  19  million  births 
attended  by  skilled  health  personnel,  provided  full  immunisation  for  13  million  children,  enabled 
more  than  57  million  women  to  use  contraception,  provided  11  million  people  with  access  to 
treatment for HIV and distributed 600 million insecticide-treated bed nets20. The EU contributed to 
the  EU-World  Health  Organisation  universal  health  partnership  programme21 to  strengthen  health 
systems  in  more  than  35  countries.  They  supported  improved  access  for  family  planning  and  the 
reduction  of  harmful  traditional  practices  and  gender-based  violence.  The  EU  is  committed  to 
supporting  developing  countries  in  implementing  the  International  Health  Regulation22 (IHR,  WHO 
2005)  in  order  to  strengthen  country  systems  for  prevention  and  response  to  health  crises.  EU 
budget support is often used to strengthen such systems. In Myanmar, the EU contributed to a multi-
donor  fund  to  strengthen  the  national  health  system,  to  improve  access  for  poor  and  vulnerable 
populations.  The  fund  successfully  improved  maternal,  new-born  and  child  health,  and  combatted 
HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. 220 000 children were immunised during the period 2013-
2016.  The  EU  has  provided  over  €200  million  in  emergency  and  longer-term  research  funding  in 
response to the Ebola and Zika virus emergencies. It has also further developed the Global Research 
Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness23, the  only global network  to enable an effective 
research  response  within  48  hours  of  a  major  outbreak  of  an  infectious  disease  with  pandemic 
potential.  

EU  Member  States’  programmes  have  included  investment  on  women’s  and  girls’  access to  sexual 
and  reproductive  health  information  and  services.  Ireland  adopts  an  integrated  multi-sector 
approach to HIV/AIDS with a particular focus on fragile states. Sweden and Romania have developed 
a  joint  emergency  response  programme  in  the  Republic  of  Moldova.  The  Product  Development 
Partnerships  III  Fund  is  a  Dutch  Fund  of  €86.3  million  (2015-2020)  which  funds  public-private 
partnerships  to  develop  affordable,  effective  medicines,  vaccines,  diagnostics  and  innovative 
products  for  neglected  diseases  and  conditions,  particularly  related  to  poverty  and  sexual  and 
reproductive health and rights. Six public-private partnerships are funded including the International 

17 https://www.gavi.org/ 
18 https://www.unfpa.org/unfpa-supplies 
19 OECD CRS data 
20 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/annual-report-2018-hres-20190212_en.pdf 
21 https://uhcpartnership.net/ 
22 https://www.who.int/topics/international_health_regulations/en/ 
23 https://www.glopid-r.org/ 

7 

 
 
                                                           
Partnership  for  Microbicides.  Luxembourg’s  SATMED+  project,  launched  in  2017,  is  an  e-health 
platform,  originally  piloted  with  NGOs  and  now  available  to  the  broader  health  sector,  to  improve 
public health in developing countries, especially in remote areas without connectivity.  

Figure 4: EU and MS ODA to health sector, ODA commitments, €m constant 2016 

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0
2014

Source: OECD CRS data  

2015

2016

2017

General health

Basic health

SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning 
opportunities for all 

Global trends  

The  last  decades  have  seen  considerable  progress  in  ensuring  access  to  primary  education  for  all 
children.  Primary  education  completion  remains  a  challenge,  particularly 
in  LDCs,  but 
implementation  of  SDG4  now  requires  a  focus  on  the  quality  of  education,  as  more  than  half  of 
children and adolescents worldwide are not meeting minimum proficiency standards in reading and 
mathematics. Increased attention is also required on other levels of education - secondary, tertiary 
and vocational. 

EU policy approach 

The EU and Member States actions have recognised that quality education can have major positive 
impacts  on  growth,  sustainability,  human  rights  and  inequality.  They  have  invested  in:  improving 
education  quality  and  infrastructure,  particularly  in  LDCs;  vocational  education  and  training;  plus 
education  in  fragile  and  conflict-affected  countries.  In  2018,  they  strengthened  their  approach  to 
education  delivery  and  systems  strengthening  in  emergencies  and  protracted  crises24.  They  have 
supported all the major areas of SDG 4, focusing on quality education in early childhood and primary 
years; promotion of education at secondary and tertiary level, technical and vocational training, and 
work-based and adult learning, including in emergency situations. They have paid special attention to 

24https://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/news/Communication_on_Education_in_Emergencies_and_Protracted_Crise
s.pdf;  https://ec.europa.eu/echo/sites/echo-site/files/20181126_-_council_conclusions_-_eie_final.pdf 

8 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
opportunities for girls and women. Their contributions to the education sector stood at €5.86 billion 
in 2017.  

Figure 5: EU AND MS ODA to education, ODA commitments, €m constant 2016 

14

12

10

8

6

4

2

Post-Secondary Education

Secondary Education

Basic Education

Education, Level
Unspecified

All donors, total

0
2014

Source: OECD CRS 

2015

2016

2017

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The EU committed €3.4  billion  in  bilateral  support  to education  and  training  in  45 countries  in  the 
2014-2020 period. The EU aimed to promote inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong 
learning opportunities for all, and allocated 60% of these actions for children in fragile and conflict-
affected  areas.  In  addition,  budget  support  has  been  used  to  strengthen  education  systems  in  23 
countries.  On  tertiary  education,  the  EU’s  ERASMUS+  programme25 has  supported  education, 
training and youth, including through scholarships. The EU, in partnership with the African Union, has 
established  and  funded  the  Harmonisation  of  African  Higher  Education  Quality  Assurance  and 
Accreditation26 (HAQAA)  initiative  to  support  the  development  of  effective  systems  at  national, 
regional  and  pan-African  continental  level.  The  EU  has  financed  the  SHARE  programme 27 to 
strengthen  regional  cooperation  and  enhance  the  quality,  regional  competitiveness  and 
internationalisation of ASEAN higher education institutions and students.  

Through joint  programming, the EU and its Member States have worked to improve the quality of 
education, especially for girls. For instance, in Senegal, initiatives from France and Italy have focused 
on  improving  management  and  transparency  in  the  governance  of  the  education  system  and  on 
better aligning learning with skills required in the labour market.   

EU and Member States’ support to multilateral initiatives has been a significant component of their 
action  in  education.  Along  with  UNESCO,  UNICEF  and  the  NGO  Plan  International,  France  has 
committed €1.5 million over the 2016-2018 period in Cameroon, Senegal and Togo to combat school-
related gender-based violence. Finland, Belgium, Ireland and Germany have provided sector support 
through  a  joint  financing  agreement  in  Palestine,  to  improve  equal  access  to  quality  and  inclusive 
education.  As  Palestine  is  a  fragile  and  conflict  context,  protecting  improvements  achieved  and 
sustaining the system is crucial.  Through the Arvid Pardo Fund, Malta has provided scholarships in 

25 https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/erasmus-plus/node_en 
26 https://haqaa.aau.org/ 
27 https://www.share-asean.eu/ 

9 

 
 
 
                                                           
areas  such  as  climate  change  and  blue  growth,  gender  equality  and  investment.  The  EU,  together 
with  Sweden  and  Lithuania,  support  the  European  Humanities  University  (EHU),  which  is  a 
Belarusian University-in-Exile, based in Vilnius, Lithuania, to help integrate Belarus into the Western 
intellectual community through independent teaching and learning in humanities and social sciences. 
Within  the  EU’s  Eastern  Partnership,  Hungary  provides  development  assistance  to  educational 
institutions to improve local conditions and standards and also funds a broader tuition programme, 
the  Stipendium  Hungaricum  Programme,  which  provides  scholarships  to  students  from  developing 
countries  (over  7,000  in  2018).  Portugal  invested  €103  million  on  Education  and  Science  and 
Technical  and  Vocational  Training  between  2015  and  2017,  encompassing  quality  education  and 
planning,  management  of  the  educational  system  and  scholarships.  Greece  disburses  a  significant 
amount of Greek bilateral ODA annually as scholarships, targeting critical skills gaps.  

Poland  has  supported  education  at  all  levels  in  Belarus,  the  Republic  of  Moldova,  Georgia  and 
Ukraine, including improving the quality of local government educational policy and ensuring equal 
educational opportunities for children in rural areas. The Austrian Partnership Programme in Higher 
Education  and  Research  for  Development  aims  to  strengthen  institutional  capacities  in  higher 
education, research and management in partner countries, including in Sub-Saharan Africa, through 
partnerships  with  Austrian  education  institutions.  Bulgaria  has  provided  equipment  for  interactive 
language 
information  technology  (Georgia,  Ukraine  and  Moldova)  as  well  as 
reconstruction and rehabilitation of school buildings and kindergartens in a range of countries.  The 
EU-Central  Asia  Education  platform,  led  by  Germany  and  implemented  with  Latvia  and  Poland, 
supports  development  of  the  education  system  in  Central  Asia.  Latvia  has  also  supported 
cooperation  between  agriculture  MSMEs  and  higher  education  institutions  in  Tajikistan  and 
Kyrgyzstan to develop high quality education content that responds to labour market needs.   

learning  and 

SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 

Global trends 

While some forms of discrimination against women and girls are diminishing (such as child marriage 
and female genital mutilation), gender inequality continues to hold many women back and deprive 
them of basic rights and opportunities. Women spend in average about three times as many hours in 
unpaid domestic and care work as men28. The representation of women in national parliaments has 
increased from 19 percent in 1995 to only 23 percent in 201829.  

EU policy approach 

The  Consensus  recognizes  that  women  and  girls  are  key  agents  of  development  and  change.  It 
reaffirms  the  commitment  to  the  Convention  on  the  Elimination  of  All  Forms  of  Discrimination 
against Women30, the Beijing Platform for Action31 and the Programme of Action of the International 
Conference on Population and Development32. Further to its second EU Gender Action Plan for 2016-

28 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018-EN.pdf 
29 http://archive.ipu.org/wmn-e/history.htm 
30 https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/text/econvention.htm 
31 http://beijing20.unwomen.org/en/about 
32 https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/programme_of_action 

10 

 
 
 
                                                           
202033 (GAP  II),  EU  actions  have  focused  on  shifting  the  institutional  culture,  ensuring  girls’  and 
women’s  physical  and  psychological  integrity,  promoting  their  social  and  economic  rights  and 
empowerment, and strengthening their voice and participation.  Gender is a cross-cutting issue for 
all EU development policy. The EU undertakes systematic gender analysis for all new external actions 
and  supports  the  production  and  use  of  sex-disaggregated  statistics  and  data  wherever  possible. 
Robust gender analyses are used to inform the formulation of EU budget support contracts, which in 
turn has led to dialogues on policies, performance measurement and capacity development. Most EU 
Member  States  pay  special  attention  to  gender  equality  as  a  cross-cutting  topic,  notably  through 
gender  mainstreaming  in  projects  and  programmes.  Sweden  has  promoted  gender-responsive 
budgeting in public administration as a means of monitoring gender indicators. 

Figure 6: EU and MS ODA to gender, ODA commitments by sector, €bn constant 2016 

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: OECD CRS data 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

Other & unallocated

Humanitarian Aid

Budget support &
Commodity Aid

Env. & Multi-Sector/Cross-
Cutting

Production Sectors

Economic Infrastructure &
Services

Social Infrastructure &
Services

The  Spotlight  Initiative34,  the  multi-year  global  partnership  between  the  EU  and  UN  focused  on 
eliminating  all  forms  of  violence  against  women  and  girls,  was  launched  in  2017.  The  EU 
contributed €500 million. Comprehensive country programming in a limited number of countries is 
complemented by regional programmes. The EU has also funded the Women 2030 Programme35, 
constituted by a coalition of women and gender network organisations to realize the SDGs across 
the world.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States’  implement  gender  strategies  in  close  coordination  with  thematic 
areas of good governance, climate change and environmental sustainability, and human rights.  The 
principle  of  empowering  women  to  boost  prosperity  is  at  the  heart  of  the  first  Gender  Strategy 
adopted in 2016 by the European Investment Bank (EIB), the EU’s Bank. The EIB’s policy of “protect, 
impact,  invest”  embeds  gender  equality  and  women’s  economic  empowerment  in  all  its  activities 
both inside and outside the EU. 

33 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/eu_gap_2017.pdf 
34 https://www.un.org/en/spotlight-initiative/ 
35 https://www.women2030.org/ 

11 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
Many  Member  States  have  developed  specific  national  plans  and  strategies  to  implement  SDG  5 
through: gender mainstreaming of all development policy strategies and projects; targeted measures 
for  economic  empowerment  of  women;  combating  gender-based  violence;  supporting  women  in 
preventing  and  resolving  conflict;  and  supporting  sex-disaggregated  statistics.  Sweden  and  France 
have implemented feminist foreign policies, and Cyprus and the UK have recently appointed special 
representatives for gender equality. Many EU Member States seek to increase women’s participation 
in politics as well as decision-making processes, local employment and entrepreneurship initiatives. 
The  Women  and  Sustainable  Energy  initiative  was  launched  in  2017  with  a  contribution  of  €18.1 
million  over  five  years.  The  EU  has  supported  three  projects  to  contribute  to  gender  equality, 
improvement  of  women’s  lives  and  status,  eradication  of  poverty,  jobs  creation  and  promotion  of 
sustainable  energy.  A  project  by  Italy  has  empowered  women  and  increased  their  participation  in 
local  and  national  politics,  which  includes  support  to  actively  promoting  gender  equality,  the 
establishment  of  a  national  network  of  women  elected  at  local  level  and  microprojects  for  local 
development conducted by women.   

Many  Member  States  have  prioritised  sexual  and  reproductive  health  and  rights  policies,  projects 
and  programmes,  often  in  conjunction  with  health  objectives  under  SDG  3.  In  2017  the  UK 
committed to a £1.1 billion investment in family planning, to support nearly 20 million people with 
contraception,  prevent  6  million  unintended  pregnancies  and  save  the  lives  of  over  6000  women 
every year.  Finland,  Hungary  and the  UK  support psychological and psychosocial health awareness 
and  initiatives  for  women  subjected  to  gender-based  violence.  Cyprus  has  worked  through  UNFPA 
since  2017  to  promote  more  synergies  between  development  financial  institutions,  the  private 
sector,  civil  society  and  academia,  as  well  as  like-minded  governments,  the  UN  and  other 
international and regional organisations.  

SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all 

Global trends 

Currently, 3.6 billion people worldwide (nearly half the global population) live in areas where water 
can be scarce at least one month per year, and this could increase to 5 billion by 2050 according to 

12 

 
 
 
 
UNESCOi36. According to UN Water, 37 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water 
services and 4.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation services globally.  The pressure on this 
vital resource will only increase with population growth and the effects of climate change.  Over 80% 
of countries report insufficient financing to meet national water, sanitation and hygiene targets. 

EU policy approach  

The EU and its Member States have supported policy initiatives to tackle water challenges. This has 
included  supporting  the  implementation  of  drinking  water  and  sanitation-related  human  rights,  as 
well  as  sustainable  and  integrated water  resources  management  at  all  levels, while  addressing the 
most relevant inter-linkages between water food, energy, land and climate change. 

The EU and its Member States have supported transboundary water cooperation in different part of 
the  globe.  They  have  also  promoted  accession  to  the  Helsinki  Water  Conventions38.  The  EU  has 
addressed  the  recommendations  of  the  Global  High-Level  Panel  on  Water  and  Peace39 on  the 
interdependence  between  water  security,  international  water  cooperation  and  conflict  prevention, 
condemning the use of water as a weapon of war and supporting access to water and sanitation for 
conflict-affected populations.   

The EU and MS combined ODA to third countries in the water and sanitation sector has continued to 
increase: commitments to water and sanitation stood at over €3.1 billion in 201740, 60% up from the 
2014 level in real terms. The main sub-sectors of growth are large water supply systems and waste 
management  and  disposal.  Combined  EU  and  MS  ODA  commitments  in  water  and  sanitation 
represented 40% of all donors ODA commitments in 2017.  

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The  EU  has  pursued  its  SDG6  implementation  efforts  through  programmes  for  instance  with  a 
regional  focus  on  the  links  between  food,  water,  energy  and  ecosystems.  EU  Member  States  use 
bilateral  cooperation  directly  to  support  water  sectors,  but  also  address  water  and  sanitation 
through the perspective of adaptation and climate change, especially the integrated management of 
water resources of river basins and the interlinkages between food, water and energy.  

To  help  unlock  finance  for  high  impact  sustainable  projects,  in  2018  EIB  launched  its  first 
Sustainability  Awareness  Bond  (SAB).  Initially,  SABs  are  focusing  on  investments  in  water  supply, 
wastewater  collection  and  treatment,  and  flood  protection,  including  in  developing  countries.  The 
scope is expected to expand to include other sectors such as health and education.   

In  joint  programming,  the  European  Joint  Strategy  in  Palestine41 (2017-2020)  includes  support  for 
access  to  self-sufficient  water  and  energy  services.  The  EU  and  the  Member  States  are  working 
together to improve the operation of water and wastewater infrastructure and the management of 
water  resources,  and  contributing  to  the  rehabilitation  and  construction  of  water  wells  and 

36 UNESCO report 2018 
37 UN Water, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, http://www.unwater.org/water-facts/water-sanitation-and-
hygiene/ 
38 https://www.unece.org/env/water/ 
39 https://www.genevawaterhub.org/resource/global-high-level-panel-water-and-peace-secretariat-0 
40 OECD CRS data 
41 https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/final_-_european_joint_strategy_english.pdf 

13 

 
 
                                                           
distribution and collection systems, sewerage networks, and desalination and wastewater treatment 
plants. The EU has also supported large multi-country cooperation programmes such as the ACP-EU 
Water Facility42. 

Figure 7: EU and MS ODA to water supply and sanitation, ODA commitments, € m constant 2016 

3500

3000

2500

2000

1500

1000

500

0

2014

2015

2016

2017

Education and training in water
supply and sanitation

Waste management/disposal

River basins' development

Basic sanitation

Basic drinking water supply

Basic drinking water supply &
basic sanitation

Sanitation - large systems

Water supply - large systems

Water supply and sanitation -
large systems

Water resources conservation

Water sector policy & admin.
management

Source: OECD CRS 

In  2017,  France  invested  €1.2  billion  through  bilateral  projects  in  the  water  and  sanitation  sector, 
helping  to  provide  safe  and  sustainable  drinking  water  services  for  5  million  people  and  safe 
sanitation  services  for  1.5  million  people.  In  2016,  the  Netherlands  supported  1.33  million  people 
with  access  to  clean  drinking  water  sources  through  an  investment  of  €194  million  on  bilateral 
projects and institutions, with a focus on targets such as farmers’ use of water and climate resilience, 
improved  access  to  water  and  sanitation,  and  water  safety.  In  2017,  Hungary  supported  15  joint 
water  projects  in  13  partner  countries.  Hungary  is  one  of  the  main  donors  of  the  2030  Water 
Resources  Group,  which  brings  together  public,  private,  and  civil  society  stakeholders  to  improve 
water  management.  From  2016,  Hungary  has  provided  water  purification  equipment  to  Peru 
following a natural disaster. The CREWS initiative, supported by France, Germany, Luxembourg, the 
Netherlands and others is helping LDCs and Small Island Developing States to develop early warning 
systems  to  protect  the  most  vulnerable.  During  the  past  five  years,  two  Finnish-funded  bilateral 
projects  have  connected  nearly  300,000  people  to  clean  drinking  water  and  around  1.6  million 
people  to  sanitation  services  in  Nepal.  A  number  of  donors,  including  Germany,  Luxembourg, 
Sweden  and  the  Netherlands,  are  supporting  the  Mekong  River  Commission  (MRC)  to  provide 
scientific  information  and  policy  advice  to  its  Member  Countries  to  promote  the  sustainable 
development  and  management  of  transboundary  water  resources  in  the  Lower  Mekong  Basin. 

42 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/african-caribbean-and-pacific-acp-region/acp-multi-country-
cooperation/acp-eu-water-facility_en 

14 

 
 
 
                                                           
Portugal provided €10.5 million for water and sanitation, including a Waste Management Roadmap 
for Cape Verde and a water quality control network in Timor-Leste. 

SDG 7: Energy: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all 

Global trends  
Efforts to extend electricity access in low-income countries are  showing results  but  action must be 
stepped up to ensure universal access. In 2017 the number of people without electricity access fell 
below  1  billion,  a  fall of 97 million  compared  to  2016.  However,  progress  continues  to  be  uneven; 
three-quarters  of  the  people  who  gained  access  since  2011  are  in  Asia  and  600  million  of  those 
lacking access are in Africa43. Almost three billion people lack access to clean-cooking solutions and 
are  exposed  to  dangerous  levels  of  air  pollution44.  Renewable  power  generating  capacity  in  2017 
increased  by  9%  over  2016  but  faster  progress  is  needed.  The  energy  efficiency  target  is  currently 
unmet, with the current rate of 2.2% per year less than the 2.7 % needed45. Financial flows, including 
public and private investments in energy, are also falling short of need. 

EU policy approach 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  addressed  energy  as  a  horizontal  issue  to  achieve  sustainable 
development, working to strengthen the links between the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on 
Climate  Change46.  They  have  given  special  attention  to  energy  as  an  enabler  for  economic  growth 
and  sustainable  development  and  worked  to  meet  objectives  in  energy  alongside  other  objectives 
such as poverty eradication, gender equality, sustainable agriculture, education, job creation, health, 
environmental protection, peace and security.  

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  worked  to  improve  access  to  energy,  renewable  energy 
generation  and  energy  efficiency  in  order  to  achieve  a  sustainable  balance  between  energy 
production  and  consumption  while  bolstering  the  fight  against  climate  change.  This  has  involved 
supporting  political  ownership,  improved  governance  and  reform  of  the  energy  sector  in  partner 
countries, as well as promoting the use of digital technologies and boosting sustainable investment 
through innovative financing. The EU and Member States have worked on: renewable energy large 
scale  and  off-grid  investments;  providing  finance  for  energy  efficiency;  research  and  development; 
expanding regional partnerships and networks; and reforming energy sectors for wider deployment 
of sustainable energy, better energy governance and planning. 

Commitments to energy increased from €4.3 billion in 2014 to €5.4 billion in 2017, with particularly 
fast growth in commitments to energy policy, energy distribution and renewable energy production. 
Energy  represented  around  7%  of  total  ODA  commitments.  Spending  on  energy  distribution 
increased by €649 million between 2014 and 2017 - more than doubling in real terms. Disbursements 
for renewable energy generation increased by nearly €700 million between 2014 and 20176, a 70% 
increase.  

43 https://www.iea.org/newsroom/news/2018/october/population-without-access-to-electricity-falls-below-1-
billion.html 
44 https://www.seforall.org/global-tracking-framework 
45 https://webstore.iea.org/market-report-series-energy-efficiency-2018 
46 https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf 

15 

 
 
 
                                                           
In the 2014-2020 period, the energy sector has been a focal sector of EU cooperation in 30 partner 
countries, whilst other sectors (such as rural development, agriculture and sustainable infrastructure) 
also relied on energy cooperation. In total €3.7 billion has been committed to energy in 2014-2020 
programming, with around €2.7 billion for Sub-Saharan Africa. This should help 40 million people to 
gain access to energy and contribute to a saving of about 15 million tons of CO2 per year. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The EU and Member States are strong supporters of regional and multilateral energy initiatives. The 
EU  has  stepped  up  its  Energy  and  Climate  Diplomacy47 to  support  and  encourage  partners  in  their 
own  efforts  and  initiatives  and  set  up  the  Global  Energy  Transformation  Programme48 to  promote 
more  effective  development  cooperation  in  sustainable  energy.  It  has  facilitated  public-private 
cooperation  to  increase  investments  in  Africa's  sustainable  energy  sector.  It  launched  a  dedicated 
electrification  financing  initiative,  ElectriFI49,  together  with  several  Member  States,  private  sector 
actors,  civil  society  and  the  involvement  of  European  Development  Financial  Institutions.  One 
window  of  the  External  Investment  Plan  is  dedicated  to  provide  guarantees  in  'Sustainable  Energy 
and  Connectivity'  to  unblock  bottlenecks  and  de-risk  investments  in  renewable  energy  and  energy 
efficiency. The EU has also set-up an AU-EU research and innovation partnership on climate change 
and sustainable energy50. The EU is also a leading partner of the International Solar Alliance51, which 
aims  to  deploy  solar  energy  massively  by  2030  and  mobilize  funding.  In  2017  in  Ukraine,  the  EU 
supported  the  preparation  of  a  new  energy  strategy  and  a  national  Energy  Efficiency  Fund,  to 
promote energy saving measures in urban centres and improve energy security.   

Energy  is  a  focus  in  the  joint  programming  process  in  Togo  (2014-2020).  The  EU  programme  has 
improved  the  delivery  of  energy  to  urban  and  rural  populations  through  coordinated  investments 
and  is  expected  to  reduce  energy  costs,  currently  among  the  highest  in  the  region.  The  EU  and 
Member States support the Africa Renewable Energy Initiative52 and committed to mobilize finance 
to  achieve  the  10  gigawatt  goal  of  new  and  additional  renewable  energy  generation  capacity  by 
2020. 

The  Netherlands,  Germany,  Sweden  and  the  United  Kingdom,  together  with  Norway  and 
Switzerland,  are  funding  Energising  Development  (EnDev),  an  energy  access  partnership  in  25 
countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, promoting access to modern energy services (both on and 
off  grid  electricity  as  well  as  clean  cooking)  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  poor.  France’s  financial 
commitments  in  the  energy  sector  in  Africa  amounted  to  €5.9  billion  over  the  2013-2018  period, 
focused on: access to electricity by grid extension or off grid systems; development of production of 
renewable  energies;  and  modernization  of  electricity  networks.  Finland  set  up  the  Energy  and 
Environment  Partnership,  a  multi-donor  fund  providing  catalytic  financing  to  clean  energy  projects 
and technologies in East  Africa, plus grants for new  renewable energy initiatives in Cambodia, Lao, 

47 https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-
homepage_en/42455/Climate,%20Environment%20&%20Energy 
48 https://www.dmwc.me/portfolio/global-energy-transformation-programme-get-pro/ 
49 https://www.electrifi.eu/ 
50 https://ec.europa.eu/knowledge4policy/publication/au-eu-research-innovation-partnership-climate-change-
sustainable-energy_en 
51 https://myintracomm-collab.ec.europa.eu/networks/DEVCOSDG/Shared%20Documents/isolaralliance.org/ 
52 http://www.arei.org/fr/ 

16 

 
 
                                                           
Thailand and Vietnam. Over 700.000 households have benefited from improved access to electricity 
and clean cooking since 2015. Romania invested over €50,000 in 2016 in Armenia for crop cultivation 
using  solar  energy.    Portugal  has  established  a  cross-cutting  renewable  energy,  environment  and 
water concessional loan (totalling €100 million) for strategic projects in its priority partner countries 
and  provided  a  further  €12  million  on  clean  energy,  including  energy  infrastructure  and  energy 
efficiency projects. 

Figure 82: Energy ODA, EU and MS commitments in € billions 

6,0

5,0

4,0

3,0

2,0

1,0

0,0

Hybrid energy plants

Energy distribution

Nuclear energy plants

Energy generation, non-
renewable

Energy generation,
renewable sources

Energy policy

2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: OECD, ODA figures broken down by sector and sub-sector. 

SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive 
employment and decent work for all 

Global trends 

The average 3% GDP per capita growth rate in LDCs of 2.3% between 2010 and 2016 falls well short 
of  the  7%  target  set  in  the  2030  Agenda.  Over  the  past  three  years,  only  four  LDCs  achieved  per 
capita  growth  rates  exceeding  5%  per  year  (Bangladesh,  Bhutan,  Cambodia  and  Lao).  Regarding 
employment and decent work, the UN SDG Report 201853 highlights increases in labour productivity 
and  a  decrease  in  unemployment  rates,  but  at  the  same  time  emphasises  that  gender  earning 
inequalities  remain pervasive  and that youth were  three  times more likely to be  unemployed than 
adults in 2017.  

EU policy approach 

Prosperity is about inclusive and sustainable growth and jobs and thus spans not only SDG8, but also 
SDGs  9,  12,  13  among  others.  The  EU  has  supported  the  Decent  Work  Agenda54,  and  promoted 
employment that is secure, ensures fair wages, safe working conditions, equal opportunities for all, 
guarantees no discrimination in the workplace and provides for social protection and social dialogue. 
EU trade policy increasingly contributes to sustainable employment, decent work and internationally 
recognised  labour  standards,  through  the  new  generation  trade  agreements,  which  include  legally 

53 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018-EN.pdf 
54 https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/decent-work/lang--en/index.htm 

17 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
binding  commitments  on  labour  and  environment.  The  EU  also  uses  the  Generalised  System  of 
Preferences55 (GSP)  and  in  particular  the  GSP+  (Special  Incentive  Arrangement  for  Sustainable 
Development and Good Governance), as well as the ‘Everything but Arms56’ (EBA) arrangements to 
promote human rights and international labour standards.  

Member  States  pursued  SDG  8  both  through  major  strategic  objectives,  such  as  green  growth  or 
sustainable economies and through programmes designed to contribute to more inclusive and higher 
growth  and  better  employment  for  instance  by  generating  more  equitable  employment  and  more 
decent working conditions). Member States focused increasingly on synergies and interlinkages with 
other  SDGs  (for  instance  between  growth  and  gender  equality,  agriculture,  migration  and 
training, 
environmental  sustainability).  They  supported  a 
entrepreneurship, business development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Responsible Business 
Conduct (RBC), development of social economy systems and access to finance for Small and Medium 
Enterprises (SMEs).  

range  of  productive  sectors, 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  been  global  leaders  in  the  provision  of  support  to  financial 
intermediaries with 64% of all ODA to this area in 2017. This has included provision of credit to the 
banking sector for lending to SMEs. The EU and its Member States are also leaders in direct support 
to SMEs, providing 66% of all ODA commitments in 2017. This has been coupled with the promotion 
of  foreign  direct  investment  and  support  to  local  businesses  in  partner  countries,  through  the 
European  External  Investment  Plan  and  its  dedicated  investment  window  for  Micro,  Small  and 
Medium Enterprises Financing.  

Many  Member  States  have  launched  initiatives  to  encourage  foreign  direct  investment  for 
sustainable development, often linked with CSR/RBC. For example, investment guarantees, financial 
grants  and  advisory  and  promotional  services  are  provided  by  several  Member  States  under  their 
ODA  budget.  This,  with  the  associated  transfer  of  technology  and  know-how,  is  expected  to 
contribute  to  local  employment,  market  development  and  strengthening  of  export  capacities  in 
partner countries. Better natural resources management plays a pivotal role in decoupling economic 
growth from environmental degradation. The EU and a number of Member States fund authoritative 
research to inform policymaking in these fields. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The  European  External  Investment  Plan  is  an  example  of  a  multi-pronged  instrument  to  promote 
sustainable development through creating prosperity and jobs, particularly for the young.  By 2018, 
the EIP had invested €3.7 billion, which is set to leverage over €37.1 billion of extra public and private 
investment  to 
in  the  European 
Neighbourhood. This is well on the way to the target of €44 billion of investment to be leveraged by 
2020. The Africa-Europe Alliance for Sustainable Investment and Jobs, launched in September 2018, 
also contributes to employment opportunities, including for young women, by supporting education 
and training, and enhanced access for youth to digital technologies and services.  

improve  economic  and  social  development 

in  Africa  and 

55 http://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/development/generalised-scheme-of-
preferences/index_en.htm 
56 http://trade.ec.europa.eu/tradehelp/everything-arms 

18 

 
 
                                                           
"EU4Business57” is an umbrella initiative covering EU support for small and medium-sized enterprises 
(SMEs) in six countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine) in 
economic  development  and  market  opportunities.  EU  support  of  over  €300  million  has  triggered 
more than €1.5 billion in loans to SMEs in the region, supporting more than 110,000 SMEs and the 
creation  of  at  least  10,000  jobs.  “Boost  Africa58”  is  a  partnership  of  EIB,  the  African  Development 
Bank and the EU, to help develop an entrepreneurial environment in Africa by supporting the earlier, 
riskier  stages  of  new  ventures  in  a  sustainable  way.  The  objective  is  to  enable  African  youth  to 
compete  regionally  and  globally,  attract  domestic  and  foreign  investment,  create  quality  jobs  and 
contribute  to  inclusive  and  sustainable  growth.  An  EU  partnership  with  the  International  Co-
operative  Alliance59,  established  in  2016,  supports  enterprises  helping  vulnerable  groups,  such  as 
low-income  women, unemployed youth, persons with disabilities,  indigenous people, migrants and 
refugees to participate in the formal economy. Through the technical assistance facility SOCIEUX+60, 
since  2013  the  EU  has  provided  expert  assistance  to  138  countries61 to  foster  partnerships  for  the 
design  and  creation  of  inclusive  social  protection  and  employment  systems.  The  EU  supported  the 
sustainable growth and modernisation of Myanmar’s rural economy by encouraging diversification in 
agriculture and providing skills for new jobs with higher wages. From 2010 to 2016, 33  100 people 
(including 12 600 women) were trained in non-agricultural skills.  

In  Joint  Programming  in  Ghana,  Denmark  and  the  EU  have  promoted  the  business  environment 
through  advocacy  to  private  sector  organisations.  Denmark  and  the  Netherlands  have  promoted 
climate-related  investments  through  the  Ghana  Climate  Innovation  Centre.  Germany  and  the  EU 
have financed Technical and Vocational Education and Training and the Netherlands and Switzerland 
have supported the cocoa value chain including support for smallholders.  

Several  Member  States  have  sought  to  stimulate  private  sector  investment  in  sectors  with  a  high 
impact  on  poverty  reduction  such  as  agriculture.  For  example  the  UK’s  capital  investment  vehicle, 
AgDevCo,  has  benefited  over  450,000  smallholders  and  directly  addresses  lack  of  investment  in 
agriculture.  Denmark  and  Slovenia  have  started  initiatives  to  develop  sustainable  businesses  in 
partner  countries,  whilst  the  Netherlands  have  launched  an  innovative  blending  instrument  for 
private-public  partnerships.  The  Dutch  Good  Growth  Fund  has  provided  financing  to  SMEs  and 
entrepreneurs in 68 emerging markets and developing countries. As of 2016, it had mobilised three 
to five times as much private capital as the amount invested and helped create 12 000 new jobs in 
low-  and  middle-income  countries.    Slovenia’s  development  projects  in  the  Western  Balkans  and 
Sub-Saharan Africa aim at economic empowerment through skills development, linking SDG4, SDG5 
and SDG8. In 2015, the Czech Republic set up the B2B programme, an innovative instrument which 
has  provided  grants  for  business  activities  through  128  projects  in  more  than  30  developing 
countries.  The  Czech  Republic  has  also  launched  a  pilot  guarantee  programme  to  catalyse  private 
investments  in  developing  countries.  Hungary  supports  projects,  including  in  the  Middle  East, 
focusing on capacity building and promoting social mobility of populations most at risk of economic 
deprivation  and  local  persecution.  The  projects  aim  to  promote  the  livelihoods  of  vulnerable 

57 http://www.eu4business.eu/ 
58 https://www.eib.org/de/projects/regions/acp/applying-for-loan/boost-africa/index.htm 
59 https://www.ica.coop/en/media/news/ica-eu-partnership-international-cooperative-development-
celebrates-its-first 
60 http://socieux.eu/ 
61 http://socieux.eu/partner-countries/list-of-countries/ 

19 

 
 
                                                           
populations, provide  psycho-social support  to returnees and enhance  the  sustainable development 
of the recipient country. Since 2016, Poland has supported Ukraine to increase the competitiveness 
of  Ukrainian  regions,  by  developing  regional  centres  of  business  support  for  both  public 
administration  and  entrepreneurs,  and  providing  access  to  finance  for  start-ups.  Luxembourg’s 
Business  Partnership  Facility  (BPF),  launched  in  2016,  promotes  the  transfer  of  technology  and 
expertise,  as  well  as  job  creation  in  developing  countries,  targeting  the  ICT,  financial  technology, 
logistics,  bio-health,  eco-innovation  and  circular  economy  sectors.  Finland’s  programme  Business 
with  Impact,  funded  the  online  career  and  recruitment  platform  Fuzu  in  Kenya,  now  with  over 
700,000 users, which helps to unblock bottlenecks caused by poorly functioning public employment 
services. The International Labour Organisation (ILO) is the main multilateral partner of the EU and its 
Member  States  on  SDG8,  including  in  the  promotion  of  fundamental  labour  standards.  Belgium’s 
external  action  in  support  of  SDG8  revolves  around  two  areas:  job  creation  and  the  protection  of 
labour rights. Germany supports the ILO´s programmes on social protection, the elimination of child 
labour, and the promotion of labour standards in global supply chains. Sweden, in collaboration with 
other countries, the ILO and the OECD, has initiated the Global Deal to use enhanced joint dialogue 
between  all  relevant  parties  on  the  labour  market  to  promote  the  creation  of  decent  jobs  and 
support  inclusive  growth.  As  a  complement  to  its  grant  funding,  Sweden  has  also  substantially 
increased its guarantee framework, which is fully aligned with development cooperation objectives. 

Figure 9: Total EU direct investment flows, disaggregated by regions, 2014-2017, in €billions  

2013

2014

2015

2016

2017

African ACP states

Caribbean ACP states

Pacific ACP states

Latin American countries

Asian developing
economies (1)

-25

0

25

50

75

100

125

150

in billions of Euros 

Source: Eurostat, EU direct investment flows, breakdown by partner country and economic activity  

SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster 
innovation 

Global trends 

Infrastructure is a key driver of economic prosperity, sustainable development and inclusive growth, 
but its development is constrained by a major financing gap, estimated at USD 15 trillion from 2017 
to  204062.  Investment  needs  for  infrastructure  in  Africa  alone  are  estimated  at  USD  130  billion 
annually.  Improving  connectivity  and  accessibility  are  key  challenges.  The  digital  economy  is  a  key 
driver  of  inclusive  growth  and  sustainable  development.  By  2016,  the  proportion  of  population 

62 https://outlook.gihub.org/ 

20 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
covered  by  a  3G  mobile  broadband  network  stood  at  61  per  cent  in  the  LDCs  and  84  per  cent 
globally63.  But  there  is  still  an  access  divide,  for  instance  in  terms  of  mobile  broadband  networks 
coverage in rural areas. 
EU policy approach 

The EU and Member States have been major supporters of SDG9, committing over €8 billion in 2017. 
Work  on  SDG9  has  been  part  of  broader  support  to  inclusive  sustainable  growth,  including 
sustainable  production  and  consumption  and  development  of  small  businesses  and  industries. 
Actions are closely linked to other SDGs, such as SDG 7, SDG 8, SDG 12 and SDG 13. Work on SDG 9 
has included credit and research for technological advances, developing value chains and promoting 
good  business  practices.  The  EU  provided  three  quarters  of  global  ODA  committed  to  research  in 
2016, 73% of global support to banking and financial services and 52% of global ODA to industry.  

EU  programmes  have  focused  on  physical  and  mobile  connectivity,  coupled  with  policy  and  sector 
reform, to ensure that investments are cost-effective  and yield returns. This has included climate--
resilient infrastructure and in trade and transport  facilitation, including transport corridors.  The EU 
and  Member  States  have  supported  the  extension  of  broadband  connectivity  and  digital 
infrastructure,  particularly  in  rural  areas,  and  promote  digital  literacy,  skills  and  entrepreneurship, 
including among women and youth. They have promoted low-carbon transport solutions, aiming at 
decarbonizing cities and connecting them with peri-urban areas and centres of production. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

On transport, under European Investment Facilities64, such as the Africa Investment Platform65 (AIP), 
more than €3 billion was leveraged for enhanced transport connectivity between 2016 and 2018 with 
a  focus  on  Sub-Saharan  Africa.  It  aimed  at  strategic  corridor  development  consistent  with  the 
priorities  of  the  Programme  for  Infrastructure  Development  in  Africa66.  For  instance,  the  EU 
improved major transport axes such as the North South Corridor in Zambia and the Northern corridor 
linking  Kenya  to  Uganda.  Since  2015  the  EU  has  provided  access  to  all  weather  roads  to  over  12 
million people. In Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania, EU budget support contributed to improvement of 
accessibility,  road  maintenance,  and  management  capacities.  In  Rwanda,  the  EU  helped  to 
rehabilitate or maintain 1200 km of rural feeder roads, setting up community cooperatives for road 
maintenance. In 2014-2017, the EU supported the construction and maintenance of 520 km of road 
in  the  area  of  Garamba  national  park  in  the  Democratic  Republic  of  Congo,  to  strengthen  park 
management  and  conservation.    Since  2012,  the  EU,  with  France  and  the  EIB,  have    rehabilitated 
areas  of  unregulated  housing  in  Tunisia,  with  more  than  1000  km  of  improved  roads,  300  km  of 
sewerage systems, 13,000 street lights and other public facilities such as sport halls and playgrounds. 
In Azerbaijan, the EU has supported over 10,000 entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector with access 
to credit. 

Regarding small businesses, Spain finances the Huruma Fund, an Impact Investment Fund to address 
the  traditional  constraints  of  agriculture  finance  for  smallholders  and  underserved  farmers.  Spain 

63 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018-EN.pdf 
64 https://www.eib.org/en/projects/regions/acp/applying-for-loan/investment-facility/index.htm 
65 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/regions/africa-investment-facility_en 
66 https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/programme-for-infrastructure-
development-in-africa-pida/ 

21 

 
 
                                                           
also, in partnership with the African Development Bank, funded the Microfinance Capacity Building 
Fund for Africa, which aims to build capacity in the financial sector for the benefit of poor and low-
income populations, particularly women and those living in rural areas.  

in  2017,  the  EU  established  ‘Digital  for 
On  Information  and  Communication  Technologies, 
Development’ (D4D), a comprehensive approach to mainstream digital technologies in support of the 
SDGs. Estonia developed a project in Moldova to support the development of a secure digital society 
for reliable service delivery and economic prosperity. In Ukraine, Estonia is also co-developing (with 
the  EU,  Denmark,  Germany,  Poland  and  Sweden)  a  decentralisation  programme  to  improve  public 
service  delivery  in  local  governments  through  improved  ICT  architecture,  information  systems  and 
administrative services. The Estonian e-Governance Academy promotes good governance and better 
access  to  services  in  Pacific  islands.  Ireland  supported  innovations  in  e-health  platforms,  including 
diagnostics, information campaigns and logistics, helping to improve Sierra Leone’s Ebola response. 
Italy  supported  the  Women  and  Girls  First  Initiative  in  Myanmar,  which  developed  a  youth 
application  for  mobile  devices,  covering  sexual  and  reproductive  human  rights  and  gender-based 
violence. Sweden helped Guatemala, with over €3 million, to develop methodology and statistics for 
SDG  monitoring,  data  collection  and  analysis.  Belgium,  to  support  Palestinian  medical  doctors  and 
researchers, funded the project on efficient learning through digital information resources in health 
sciences (ELDIR-med). Belgium has also developed digital tools to promote human rights and create 
inclusive public  spaces in partner  countries.  To promote e-services and inclusive digital democracy, 
Latvia supported the  development  and modernization of a  united court administration system  and 
an electronic citizens’ initiative platform in Ukraine. The platform allowed Ukrainian NGOs to develop 
skills in using electronic participation platforms to increase civil engagement in decision-making. 

Figure 10: EU commitments in support of SDG 9, in €billions of constant 2016  

Industry

Business & other services

Banking & financial services

Communications

Transport & storage

Source: OECD CRS codes 

0

500

1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

2017

2016

2015

2014

22 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries 

Global trends  

Global progress in reducing inequality within and among countries has been mixed. Inequality in all 
its forms remains a concern in many parts of the world. Many of the countries with the highest levels 
of income inequality are in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

SDG10  includes  a  target  on  orderly,  safe,  regular  and  responsible  migration.  The  number  of 
international  migrants  has  increased  in  recent  years,  to  reach  258  million  in  201767.  Global  forced 
displacement  figures  remain  at  an  all-time  high.  During  2018,  the  EU  as  a whole  received over  0.5 
million first-time asylum claims68. However, the vast majority of refugees continues to be hosted by 
developing  countries.  Many  countries  of  origin  are  increasingly  becoming  countries  of  transit  and 
destination,  and  the  challenges  to  ensure  appropriate  governance  of  these  different  flows  are 
growing. 

67 Up from 220 million in 2010 and 173 million in 2000: United Nations - International migration report 2017. 
68 Eurostat, Asylum and first time asylum applicants by citizenship, age and sex Monthly data (rounded) 

23 

 
 
                                                           
EU policy approach  

SDG 10 calls for addressing inequalities in income as well as those based on age, sex, disability, race, 
ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status. Inequality is a multidimensional challenge that 
is  interlinked  to  many  other  important  aspects  of  sustainable  development:  it  hinders  sustainable 
economic  growth,  holds  back  poverty  eradication,  undermines  social  cohesion  and  erodes 
environmental protection. The reduction of inequality is an EU priority, both internally to the EU and 
externally.  The  rights-based  approach 69  (RBA)  to  development  cooperation  has  been  a  key 
instrument  for  the  EU  to  address  discrimination  and  promote  equal  opportunities  for  all.  All  EU 
funded  actions  use  a  RBA,  encompassing  all  human  rights.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have 
targeted  inequality  in  partner  countries  including  through:  support  to  social  protection  systems  to 
guarantee basic income and build resilience; support to universal access to public services, including 
education and health; policies to fight discrimination; redistributive policies to shareof the benefits of 
growth; and support to progressive fiscal policies and domestic revenue mobilisation. However, the 
reduction  of  inequality  needs  to  be  better  mainstreamed  in  EU  development  cooperation.  Ireland 
has a specific social protection strategy guiding its engagement. Slovenia addresses the reduction of 
inequalities as one of the key underlying goals of its development cooperation. Some Member States 
also  address  inequalities  between  countries,  including  by  shifting  their  geographic  focus  and 
commitments towards disadvantaged, least-developed and fragile countries.  

Inequality  is  a  root  cause  of  poverty,  conflict,  fragility  and  forced  displacement,  and  a  driver  of 
vulnerabilities.  The  EU  is  committed  to  promoting  the  dignity  and  resilience  of  long-term  forcibly 
displaced  persons  and  their  inclusion  in  the  economic  and  social  life  of  host  countries  and 
communities.  The  EU  prepared  a  European  Agenda on  Migration70 in  2015,  a  policy  framework  for 
the  management  of  displacement  with  new  tools  to  link  immediate  relief  to  mid-  and  long-term 
support for displaced persons and their hosts. External migration policy was further developed under 
the Partnership Framework on migration.71  

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The  EU  has  participated  in  the  Consultative  Group  to  Assist  the  Poor72 ,  a  global  initiative  to 
accelerate financial inclusion in partner countries. In terms of supporting the rights of persons with 
disabilities,  the  EU-funded  ‘Bridging  the  Gap73’  project  carries  out  actions  aimed  at  increasing  the 
inclusion of persons with disabilities at both the international and country level.  The EU Emergency 
Trust  Fund  for  Africa74,  launched  in  2015  has  allowed  the  EU  and  its  Member  States  to  work  with 
African  partners  faster  and  with  more  flexibility  to  foster  long-term  stability.  It  addresses  the  root 
causes of destabilisation, forced displacement and irregular migration across three regions of Africa: 
the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa and the North of Africa. With a budget of over €4 billion, 
the Trust Fund has proved its value as a swift and effective implementation tool. European Partners 

69 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sectors/rights-based-approach-development-cooperation_e 
70 ttps://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/european-agenda-
migration/background-information/docs/communication_on_the_european_agenda_on_migration_en.pdf 
71 COM(2016) 385 final of 7.6.2016. 
72 https://www.cgap.org/ 
73 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/news-and-events/bridging-gap-translating-eus-commitment-inclusion-and-
rights-persons-disabilities_en 
74 https://ec.europa.eu/trustfundforafrica/content/homepage_en 

24 

 
 
                                                           
have  jointly  supported  Ethiopia  in  addressing  the  ‘push  and  pull’  factors  that  make  young  people 
susceptible  to  irregular  migration  and  human  trafficking.  They  have  contributed  to  creating  more 
than  14,000  jobs  in  the  country,  assisting more  than  26,000  people  in  income-generating  activities 
and training 10,000 others. EIB has developed the Economic Resilience Initiative75 to respond to the 
long-term social and economic infrastructure needs of countries of origin, transit and destination. 

Italy’s  Fund  for  Africa  is  aimed  at  dialogue  and  cooperation  with  African  countries  relevant  for 
migration  routes.  In  2017  the  Fund  committed  €152  million  mainly  to  assisting  migrants,  refugees 
and host communities. This also funded the creation of jobs, social and economic development in the 
Sahel countries and supported human rights and the rule of law. Germany has supported the Global 
Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD) through its ‘remittances working 
group’ generating recommendations for policy through research and knowledge exchange. Germany 
also supported the G20 Global Partnership for Financial Inclusion, to reduce the cost of remittances.  
Estonia  aims  to  reduce  socioeconomic  disparities  between  regions  and  boost  welfare  in  Georgia, 
through tourism products and training for tourism entrepreneurs in disadvantaged regions. Hungary 
supports  educational  institutions  particularly  in  regions  in  developing  countries  that  suffer  from 
higher levels of inequality. From 2015-19, the EC, OECD, Finland (and since 2016 Germany) support 
low- and middle-income governments and expert institutions to develop effective social protection 
systems,  including  in  Cambodia,  Ethiopia,  Indonesia,  Kyrgyz  Republic,  Mozambique,  Namibia, 
Tanzania, Togo, Vietnam and Zambia. 

SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable 

Global trends 

Since  2015,  most  developing  country  partners  have  experienced  continued  rapid  rates  of 
urbanisation,  resulting  in  new  challenges  and  opportunities  for  developing  countries.  Cities  are  a 
critical element in achieving many SDGs, bringing economic opportunities but also risks in terms of 
stability, environmental quality, financing and basic service delivery in health, education, energy and 
water and sanitation. There are important gaps today in reaching the urban targets. Nearly 1 billion 
people live in slums. Air pollution in many megacities especially in Asia has reached toxic levels. 91% 
of  the  world’s  population  live  in  places  where  poor  air  quality  exceeds  WHO  guideline  limits76. 
Continued  rapid  urbanisation  will  exacerbate  these  problems.  It  is  projected  that  the  urban 
population will increase by 2.5 billion people up to 205077. Well-managed urbanisation will be a key 
element in achievement of most of the SDGs.   

EU policy approach 

Sustainable  urban  development 
in  EU  development  policy 
frameworks.  Actions  have  included  supporting  energy  efficient  buildings,  low  emission  transport 
networks,  climate  friendly  infrastructure  and compliance  with  environmental standards.  Further  to 

increasingly  being 

integrated 

is 

75 https://www.eib.org/de/projects/initiatives/resilience-initiative/index.htm 
76 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018-EN.pdf 
77 https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/2018-revision-of-world-urbanization-
prospects.html 

25 

 
 
 
                                                           
the UN Habitat III Conference78, the EU and its Member States have acted to promote well-governed 
cities that are inclusive and safe, green and resilient, prosperous and innovative. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The EU has increased bilateral and regional programmes in urban development, launching a city-to-
city  cooperation  programme  in  2018  and  addressing  slum-upgrading,  urban  resilience  and  climate 
change.  One  of  the  windows  of  the  External  Investment  Plan  is  focused  on  Sustainable  Cities.  EU 
budget support targeted various aspects of SDG11 including the legal, policy and fiscal frameworks of 
decentralization,  environmental management,  housing  and  public  infrastructure,  linking  these  with 
disaster prevention and preparedness and reconstruction. These commitments also built capacity for 
more decentralised service delivery.  

The Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme79 is a joint effort of the African, Caribbean and Pacific 
(ACP) Group of States, the EU and UN-Habitat. The programme works in 35 countries and 160 cities 
to  improve  the  lives  of  at  least  2  million  slum  dwellers  through  integrated  strategies  and  inter-
regional  technical  exchange.  The Covenant  of  Mayors  Sub-Saharan  Africa  initiative80,  launched  in 
2015, works with nearly 140 cities from 34 countries, to assure energy access and climate mitigation 
and  adaptation.  13  cities  received  grant support  for  local  climate  and  energy  planning  and  pilot 
projects in 2018.    

In joint programming In Kenya, one of four priority sectors agreed by European partners in the Joint 
Cooperation  Strategy  2018-202281 is  sustainable  infrastructure.  France,  Italy  and  Sweden  have 
supported the provision of sustainable housing and better managed urban development (nearly 61% 
of  urban  residents  live  in  slums).  European  partners  also  focus  on  financing  housing  and  urban 
infrastructure, including transport systems, and supporting governance in the infrastructure sector.  

Over the period 2014-2016,  France committed €5.1 billion  for sustainable cities. 2.8 million people 
benefited from waste collection and treatment and 750,000 people living in slums saw their housing 
improved  in  2015.  This  included  €6  million  for  India’s  Smart  Cities  Mission  initiative,  to  develop 
innovative and sustainable approaches for better life quality in 100 Indian cities. In the Philippines, 
France worked in natural risk management and prevention and sustainable urban development in 52 
cities,  including climate planning.    The UK established the Infrastructure and Cities for Economic 
Development programme to accelerate the development of urban and infrastructure programmes in 
partner countries through demand-driven technical assistance. The UK also committed £165m over 
five  years  to  deliver  the  Cities  and  Infrastructure  for  Growth  Programme,  which  seeks  to  enhance 
economic  growth  by  creating  jobs,  unlocking  investment  in  infrastructure  projects  and  expanding 
access  to  reliable  power  for  businesses.  Several  European  cities  are  also  partnering  with  cities  in 
partner  countries  to  jointly  work  on  SDGs,  such  as  the  partnership  between  the  city  of  Harelbeke 
(Belgium)  and  Eenhana  (Namibia).  In 2017,  these  cities  signed  a  declaration of engagement  to the 
SDGs.  In  Cyprus,  the  Nicosia  Municipality  is  actively  participating  in  the  SDGs  Cities  Leadership 

78 https://unhabitat.org/habitat-iii/ 
79 https://unhabitat.org/urban-initiatives/initiatives-programmes/participatory-slum-upgrading/ 
80 http://www.ccre.org/activites/view/40 
81 https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/kenya/53743/european-joint-cooperation-strategy-kenya_en 

26 

 
 
                                                           
Platform, to promote sustainable development in cities across the world, as well as raising awareness 
amongst citizens. 

Figure 2: EU and MS support  to housing, transport and urban development and management, in 
€billions of constant 2016  

4

3,5

3

2,5

2

1,5

1

0,5

0

Housing

Transport

Urban development &
management

2014

2015

2016

2017

Source: OECD DAC data, CRS for housing, transport and urban development and management. 

SDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns 

Global trends 

Decoupling economic growth from resource use remains challenging. While progress has been made 
on the development of policies, knowledge resources and technical tools  – notably through the 10-
year  Framework  of  Programmes  on  Sustainable  Consumption  and  Production  Patterns82 (10YFP) 
adopted in June 2012 - these have resulted in limited concrete changes in practice. Support to policy 
implementation  and  scaling  up  practices  with  positive  impact  are  necessary to achieve  the  shift  to 
sustainable  consumption  and  production.  Multi-stakeholder  partnerships  have  a  key  role  to  play. 
Improving monitoring is also important, to scale-up good practices and demonstrate their benefits.   

EU policy approach 

The  EU’s  Action  Plan  for  the  circular  economy83 of  December  2015  has  been  one  of  the  main  EU 
contributions to SDG 12. It concentrates on actions at EU level, but recognises the need to develop 
the  circular  economy  at  global  level  and  to  ensure  policy  coherence  in  internal  and  external  EU 
action.  With  partner  countries,  the  EU  has  worked  on:  sustainable  value  chains,  including  in 
garments;  the  systematic  inclusion  of  trade  and  sustainable  development  provisions  in  EU  trade 
agreements;  and  the  sharing  of  best  practices  and  scaling  up  initiatives  that  promote  responsible 
supply chains and multi-stakeholder approaches, including on responsible supply chains of minerals 
from conflict-affected and high-risk areas. The EU has also promoted regional programs on CSR/RBC 
with  international  organisations.  Most  Member  States  have  addressed  SDG12  under  a  wider 
objective  of  promoting  sustainable  economies  that generate  decent  jobs  and wellbeing.  Almost  all 
Member  States  have  actively  promoted  CSR/RBC  and  deepened  the  links  between  European 
businesses and developing country partners to promote more responsible corporate behaviour and 

82 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&type=400&nr=1444&menu=35 
83 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/index_en.htm 

27 

 
 
 
 
 
                                                           
better assessment of the economic, environmental and social sustainability impact of investments.  

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The  EU  has  launched  a  number  of  responsible  supply  chains  initiatives  such  as  the  EU  Garment 
Initiative84 and the SWITCH to Green flagship programme85. Under SWITCH, during the period 2013-
2017,  the  EU  supported  the  rattan  sector  in  Indonesia  in  promoting  sustainable  production, 
processing and utilisation of rattan products. The project involved stakeholders along the value chain 
and contributed to improved learning and application of sustainable best practices in the sector. In 
total,  720  SMEs  implemented  eco-friendly  production  process  with  EU  support.  Through  the 
SwitchMed  project86,  around  the  Mediterranean,  the  EU  promotes  sustainable  consumption  and 
production  patterns  in  partner  country  businesses,  encouraging  competitiveness  and  generating 
jobs, while also raising the awareness of policy makers and consumers through networks and sharing 
of good practices. “Responsible Supply Chains in Asia”87 is an EU pilot project, developed with the ILO 
and  the  Organisation  of  Economic  Cooperation  and  Development  (OECD)  in  six  Asian  countries 
(China, Japan, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). It promotes CSR/RBC with regard to 
the  environment,  decent  work  and  the  respect  of  human  rights  by  improving  understanding  of 
responsible behaviour and creating conducive policy environments. The EU Partnership Instrument88 
has  also  allocated  €9.5  million  for  specific  project  to  promote  CSR/RBC  and  Business  and  Human 
Rights  in  selected  CELAC  countries  (Argentina,  Brazil,  Costa  Rica,  Ecuador,  Mexico,  Panama,  Peru, 
Chile and Colombia). 

Many  Member  States  have  promoted  CSR/RBC  by  sharing  best  practices,  training,  promoting 
investments  and  by  focusing  on  supporting  responsible  business  practices  and  responsible 
management of supply chains, particularly in the agricultural sector, in order to develop agricultural 
markets and value chains in partner countries. France co-leads the Sustainable Tourism Programme 
of the 10YFP. This programme supports cooperation between stakeholders to implement innovative 
projects  and  good  practices  in  sustainable  tourism  in  developing  countries.    Spain  has  provided 
financing  for  private  companies  willing  to  invest  in  developing  countries  while  screening  these 
investments  for  CSR  content  and  their  economic,  environmental  and  social  sustainability  impact. 
Denmark  has  launched  the  global  initiative  P4G  –  Partnering  for  Green  Growth  and  the  SDGs  -  to 
develop  innovative  public-private  partnerships  (PPP)  with  a  focus  on  energy,  water,  agriculture, 
sustainable cities and circular economy.  

Germany supports  several multi-stakeholder-initiatives  to strengthen sustainability in global supply 
chains  and  to  improve  compliance  with  social  and  environmental  standards,  including  the 
Sustainable  Textile  Partnership,  with  initiatives  in  chemical  and  environmental  management  and 
improvement  of  labour  standards.  Germany,  with  the  Global  Coffee  Platform,  aims  to  foster  a 
sustainable  coffee  sector.  The  German  Initiative  on  Sustainable  Cocoa,  a  joint  initiative  with  the 
German sweets and confectionary and retail industries plus civil society, aims to improve the living 
conditions of cocoa farmers, improve natural resource management and increase the proportion of 

84 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/news-and-events/commission-takes-action-make-garment-sector-more-
sustainable_en 
85 https://www.switchtogreen.eu/?p=128 
86 https://www.switchmed.eu/en 
87 http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2018/march/tradoc_156624.pdf 
88 https://ec.europa.eu/fpi/what-we-do/partnership-instrument-advancing-eus-core-interests_en 

28 

 
 
                                                           
sustainably produced cocoa on the German market. Slovenia supported several projects from 2012 - 
2017  through  UNIDO,  to  promote  sustainable  consumption  and  production  in  Eastern  and  Central 
Europe. It also co-organized with UNIDO and the EU a 2018  Conference on the Circular Economy in 
Tourism  in  South  East  Europe.  Sweden  implements  the  Swedish  Textile  Water  Initiative;  a 
collaboration between over 30 Swedish textile and leather brands and the Stockholm International 
Water Institute, to develop sustainable business practices and improve water management in supply 
chains. The initiative works with suppliers in more than 70 countries. Estonian fashion designer Reet 
Aus is working with major textile manufacturers in Bangladesh and India to create garments that are 
entirely  made  from  manufacturing  leftovers  and  100%  upcycled.  Estonia’s  ‘Let’s  Do  It  Foundation’ 
works towards a waste  free world based on circular economy and zero waste practices. In 2018, it 
organized the biggest World Cleanup Day with 17 million people clearing waste in 157 countries.   

SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts 

Global trends 

The  year  2018  was  1  degree  Celsius  above  the  pre-industrial  period.  An  analysis  by  the  World 
Meteorological  Organization  shows  that  2015,  2016,  2017  and  2018  have  been  the  four  warmest 
years on record89. The world continues to experience rising sea levels, extreme weather conditions 
(the  2017  North  Atlantic  hurricane  season  was  the  costliest  ever  recorded)  and  increasing 
concentrations  of  greenhouse  gases.  This  calls  for  urgent  and  accelerated  action  by  countries  to 
implement their commitments to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.  

EU policy approach 

A  major  part  of  the  policy  approach  of  the  EU  and  Member  States  is  to  work  through  the  vitally 
important  global  processes  and  international  climate  governance,  supporting  the  United  Nations 
Framework  Convention  on  Climate  Change 90 (UNFCCC)  in  implementing  the  Paris  Agreement, 
monitoring and reporting on it and agreeing more ambitious action. This includes support to several 
progressive  climate  change  groups,  such  as  the  Vulnerable  2091 and  the  Alliance  of  Small  Island 
States92, as well as to the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change93, the scientific 
body informing the Convention. The Sendai Framework to promote Disaster Risk Reduction94 (DRR) is 
closely linked to climate change. DRR is the subject of several targets under different SDGs, including 
under SDG13. Support to DRR and insurance schemes is needed at global level, complementing work 
at regional and national levels. 

The  EU  has  supported  the  preparation  of  many  Nationally  Determined  Contributions  (NDC)  by 
developing  countries  under  the  Paris  Agreement.  Support  to  implementation  of  NDCs  is  crucial  as 
they are the framework for national climate action. The EU and Member States have joined the NDC 
Partnership95 to  coordinate  actions  with  other  donors  and  stakeholders.  Linking  NDCs  to  SDG 

89 https://public.wmo.int/en/media/press-release/wmo-confirms-past-4-years-were-warmest-record 
90 https://unfccc.int/ 
91 https://www.v-20.org/about/ 
92 http://www.aosis.org/about/ 
93 https://www.ipcc.ch/ 
94 https://www.unisdr.org/we/coordinate/sendai-framework 
95 https://ndcpartnership.org/ 

29 

 
 
 
                                                           
strategies is crucial to ensure partner countries engage in low-emission, climate-resilient sustainable 
development  processes. The  EU  and Member States have  also worked to integrate  climate change 
into  their  development  cooperation.  For  most  developing  country  partners,  adaptation  to  climate 
change and resilience are major climate challenges. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

The  EU  has  supported  partner  countries  in  achieving  climate  change  objectives,  in  particular  in 
relation to its commitment to spend 20% of its 2014-2020 total budget on climate change. Over the 
period  2014-2017,  19.8  %  of  total  budget  support  contributed  to  climate  change  objectives. 
Contributions from the EU and its MS to support developing countries in reducing their greenhouse 
gas  emissions  and  coping  with  the  impacts  of  climate  change  stood  at  €23.0  billion  in  2017. 
Innovative financial instruments such as  EIB’s Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund 
96(GEEREF)  are  contributing  to  these  objectives  by  leveraging  public  resources  to  catalyse  private 
capital.  

The  EU  recognises  that  cities  have  become  critical vehicles  for  meeting  NDCs  and  leading  catalytic 
climate action. The EU supports the regional chapters of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate 
and Energy in sub-Sahara Africa, Latin America and Asia97.  

Figure 13: EU ODA to climate change adaptation and mitigation, ODA commitments, €m constant 
2016. Stacked areas for EU ODA, stacked lines for all donors 

45.000

40.000

35.000

30.000

25.000

20.000

15.000

10.000

5.000

2014

2015

Mitigation, principal objective

Adaptation, principal objective

All donors, mitigation principal

2016

0
2017
Mitigation, significant objective

Adaptation, significant objective

All donors, mitigation significant

All donors adaptation, principal

All donors adaptation, significant

Source: OECD CRS data 

The EU’s Global Climate Change  Alliance  initiative98 (GCCA+) has fostered policy dialogue  with, and 
support to climate action in partner countries, mainly LDCs and SIDS. Two success stories are budget 
support  in  Rwanda,  promoting  climate  change-proof  investments  by  farmers,  and  in  Bhutan, 
supporting  the  implementation  of  policies  for  renewable  natural  resources  and  climate  change 

96 https://www.eib.org/fr/products/lending/equity_funds/infrastructure_equity_funds/geeref.htm 
97 https://www.globalcovenantofmayors.org/ 
98 http://www.gcca.eu/ 

30 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
adaptation  measures).  The  EUROCLIMA+  programme99,  launched  in  2017,  is  a  flagship  climate 
change  programme  for  Latin  America.  It  offers  specialised  services  to  support  implementation  of 
commitments  to the  Paris  Agreement  in climate  governance,  plus  funding  and  technical  assistance 
for  projects.  In  2017,  under  the  Sustainable  Urban  Demonstration  Projects100 (SUDEP)  programme, 
the EU supported twelve municipalities across ten neighbouring partner countries to the south and 
south-east  of  the  EU101 in  implementing  renewable  energy  and  energy  efficiency  strategies  and 
measures.  The  programme  supported municipalities  facing  major  challenges  of  population  growth, 
extreme weather conditions and increasing numbers of refugees, working together with civil society 
and with a special focus on women and youth.  

In terms of joint  programming, as part of the  agreed objectives on supporting climate change  and 
the environment in Bolivia, EU, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain joined forces for Climate 
Diplomacy Week102, which raised awareness on the impacts of climate change and the need for joint 
action.  It  provided  an  opportunity  to  showcase  European  partners’  achievements  in  promoting 
climate policy at home and abroad, communicate joint European objectives, and build relationships 
with key local actors from government, business and civil society.  

initiative  InsuResilience, 

initiated  by  Germany,  the  G20 

France  has  pledged  to  spend  50%  of  its  ODA  on  co-benefits  for  the  fight  against  climate  change. 
Building  on  the  G7 
launched  the 
InsuResilience Global Partnership for Climate and Disaster Risk Finance and Insurance Solutions. The 
objective of the G7 initiative is to increase to 400 million by 2020 the number of poor and vulnerable 
people  in  developing  countries  who  benefit  from  insurance.  The  Global  Partnership  promotes 
disaster risk financing and insurance approaches to improve disaster risk management. In November 
2018,  Germany  also  launched  a  new  Development  and  Climate  Alliance  initiative  to  mobilise 
voluntary contributions from the private sector for climate and sustainable development. Sweden is 
the largest per capita donor to the Green Climate Fund, which is of central importance for financing 
the  commitments  of  developing  countries  under  the  Paris  Agreement  and  climate  adaptation  and 
mitigation  action.  90%  of  Ireland’s  climate  finance  commitments  targeted  adaptation  for  least 
developed and small island countries. Ireland also provides significant support to the LDC and SIDS 
negotiating blocs, at climate-relevant multilateral meetings. Hungary has established “green funds” 
and  other  funding  opportunities  to  private  sector  and  civil  society  actors  seeking  to  implement 
innovative,  cost-effective  and  sustainable  climate  change-related  projects  in  developing  countries. 
Hungary allocated around €6 million from 2015-18 towards international climate finance.  

Lithuania  provides  financial  support  to  developing  countries  for  climate  change  mitigation  and 
adaptation,  promoting  renewable  technology  transfer  and  the  mobilization  of  additional  private 
sector  finance. With  EU  research  funding,  Cyprus  has  started the  development  of  a  new  Centre  of 
Excellence  at  the  Cyprus  Institute  to  pursue  research,  teaching  and  innovation  in  atmospheric 
sciences,  air  pollution  and  climate  change,  collaborating  with  other  international  and  regional 
institutions. The Slovak Republic has supported the development of weather monitoring systems in 
Georgia, including remote sensing, to promote water protection and hazard management.  

99 http://euroclimaplus.org/index.php/en/home-en/about-the-programme 
100 http://www.sudepsouth.eu/ 
101 https://ec.europa.eu/neighbourhood-enlargement/neighbourhood/southern-neighbourhood_en 
102 https://ec.europa.eu/clima/events/climate-diplomacy-weeks_en 

31 

 
 
                                                           
SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable 
development 

Global trends 

There  has  been  an  increase  in  protected  areas.  In  January  2018,  16%  (or  over  22  million  square 
kilometres) of marine waters under national jurisdiction were covered by protected areas, more than 
double the 2010 level. The  mean coverage of marine  key biodiversity areas  that are protected has 
also  increased—from  30%  in  2000  to  44%  in  2018.  However,  global  trends  point  to  continued 
deterioration  of  coastal  waters  due  to  pollution  and  the  uncontrolled  increase  in  nutrients 
(eutrophication). Without a coordinated effort, coastal eutrophication is expected to increase in 20% 
of  large  marine  ecosystems  by  2050.  The  global  share  of  marine  fish  stocks  that  are  within 
biologically  sustainable  levels  declined  from  90%  in  1974  to  69%  in  2013103.  Achieving  SDG  14  will 
require effective and coordinated strategies to address challenges such as overfishing, marine litter, 
coastal eutrophication, the impact of climate change and ocean acidification. Research capacity and 
ocean science funding are also crucial. 

EU policy approach  

The aim of achieving healthy and productive oceans is closely linked to broader efforts in the area of 
climate change mitigation, environment and sustainable development more broadly. The EU’s 2016 
guidelines to mainstream environment and climate change in its development cooperation include a 
focus  on  how  to  reduce  environmental  pressures  that  threaten  oceans  and  coastal  areas  and  to 
reverse  degradation.  The  EU  and  its  Member  States  remain  committed  to  contributing  to  the 
achievement of international commitments on biodiversity.   

The EU is committed to playing a strong role regionally and globally in shaping ocean management 
and use. This has included funding for international projects on marine ecosystem restoration under 
the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund104 and EU Partnership instruments. The EU has also shown 
strong commitment to sustainable fisheries management, as shown with effective implementation of 
the  EU  revised  Common  Fisheries  Policy105 and  to  the  issue  of  illegal  unreported  and  unregulated 
(IUU) fishing, as shown through the EU IUU regulation106.  

EU Member States approach SDG 14 in a range of ways, from a general approach to environmental 
protection to very specific measures directly targeted at SDG 14. Germany has direct commitments 
related to the protection and sustainable use of coastal and marine areas and sustainable fishery in 
partner countries, in order to implement the BMZ Ten point Plan of Action for Marine Conservation 
and Sustainable Fisheries.  

Examples of EU and Member States actions  

With the Commission of the Indian Ocean, the EU signed the programme ECOFISH107 for €28 million 
to promote the sustainable management of fish in the islands of the Indian oceans as well as Eastern 

103 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018-EN.pdf 
104 https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/emff_en 
105 https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp_en 
106 https://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/cfp/illegal_fishing_en 
107 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/news-and-events/peche-durable-dans-la-region-du-sud-ouest-de-locean-
indien-signature-dun-nouveau_en 

32 

 
 
                                                           
Africa.  A  new  joint  initiative  with  the  government  of  Kenya,  ‘Go  Blue108’,  contributes  to  unlocking 
potential sea-land opportunities in coastal urban centres by promoting sustainable economic growth, 
sea-land  development  and  maritime  law  enforcement.  In  a  large  regional  effort,  the  EU  Pacific-
European Union Marine Partnership in the Pacific109 has started to support sustainable management 
and  development  of  fisheries  for  food  security  and  economic  growth,  while  addressing  climate 
change  resilience  and  conservation  of  marine  biodiversity.  In  Africa,  Latin  America  and  the 
Caribbean, the EU supported the Atlantic Ocean Tropical Tuna Tagging Programme110 (2015-2020) to 
improve knowledge on tropical tunas, facilitating the adoption of adequate management measures 
around  the  Atlantic.    In  2018,  the  Clean  Oceans  Initiative111 launched  by  the  EIB,  KfW  and  AFD 
committed  to  mobilise  €2  billion  of  investments  to  reduce  plastic  waste,  especially  in  Asian  and 
African cities.  

Under the Joint Programming Document of Comoros (2015-2020) the EU supports political stability, 
economic  growth  and  human  development.  European  partners  also  focus  on  environmental 
protection,  biodiversity  and  adaptation  to  climate  change.  France  provides  support  for  the 
preservation  and  enhancement  of  biodiversity,  including  the  development  of  the  Mohéli  Marine 
Park, the richest marine sector on the Comoros Islands.   

Denmark  has  included  SDG  14  under  its  focus  on  transition  and  growth  economies.  Greece  has 
enhanced  its  development  cooperation  with  developing  countries  in  the  Mediterranean  basin 
focused  on  environmental  issues.  In  2018,  Sweden  adopted  a  policy  for  sustainable  environment, 
climate and oceans, and sustainable use of natural resources, which set aside about €600 million for 
the  period  2018-2022,  focusing  on  normative  development,  development  of  global  policy  and 
methodology and capacity building.  Funded by Germany, France and Sweden, the Blue Action Fund 
is  a  new  financial  partner  to  support  experienced  national  and  international  NGOs  working  to 
conserve and sustainably use the oceans and coastlines in the developing world, protecting marine 
biodiversity  and  improving  local  livelihoods  and  food  security.  Sweden  supports  FAO  in  the 
implementation  of  the  Port  State  Measures  Agreement  on  IUU  fishing  and  complementary 
instruments. Sweden committed €5 million to FAO to assist 26 developing countries and small island 
developing states (SIDS) in improving national policy and legislative frameworks, and build capacity in 
institutions and systems for monitoring, control and surveillance. The United Kingdom has a specific 
focus  on  providing  support  to  overseas  territories  and  Commonwealth  countries  on  ocean 
management, including on marine plastic pollution and sustainable use of oceans. The UK’s Blue Belt 
programme  is  on  course  to  support  marine  protection  of  over  four  million  square  kilometres  of 
marine  environment  across  UK  Overseas  Territories.  Between  2016  and  2020,  the  Programme  is 
providing  up  to  £20  million  to  improve  scientific  understanding  and  to  develop  and  implement 
evidence-based, tailored marine management strategies that are sustainable and long term. The UK 
has also committed £70m to research and innovation to stop plastics from entering the ocean. The 
Commonwealth  Clean  Oceans  Alliance,  jointly  led  by  the  UK  and  Vanuatu  and  comprising  25 
countries, aims to tackle plastic waste pollution.   

108https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/kenya_en/54550/Towards%20a%20Sustainable%20Blue%20Economy%
20in%20Kenya 
109 https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/fiji/50124/signature-historic-pacific-european-union-marine-
partnership-peump_en 
110 http://www.gmri.org/our-work/research/projects/atlantic-ocean-tropical-tuna-tagging-program 
111 https://www.eib.org/attachments/thematic/the_clean_oceans_initiative_en.pdf 

33 

 
 
                                                           
SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably 
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt 
biodiversity loss 

Global trends 

The ‘ecological debt’, caused by overusing and depleting our natural resources, constitutes a major 
threat  to  sustainable  development.  Global  consumption  of  material  resources  more  than  tripled 
between 1970 and 2017, and is projected to further double between 2017 and 2060112. The loss of 
forests occurs mainly in developing countries, but they  and the poor people within them are often 
critically  dependent  upon  natural  resources.  Three  quarters  of  the  people  living  in  poverty  are 
directly  affected  by  land  degradation  globally  while  two  thirds  of  agricultural  lands  in  Africa  are 
impacted.  Global  land  use  changes  result  in  a  loss  of  ecosystem  services  of  an  estimated  value 
between USD 4.3 and USD 20.2 trillion per year (5% to 25% of global GDP).  Deforestation, land and 
forest degradation and land use change amount to a quarter of global emissions113.  

EU policy approach 

Since  2015,  EU  and  Member  States’  have  pursued  a  wide  range  of  policy  approaches.  They  have 
focused  on  implementation  of  the  Global  Strategic  Plan  for  Biodiversity  2011-2020114 and  its  Aichi 
Biodiversity Targets115, which is the policy framework for all Parties to the Convention on Biological 
Diversity116. The EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020117 includes a target on the EU contribution to fight 
global  biodiversity  loss.  They  have  supported  the  Intergovernmental  Science-Policy  Platform  on 
Biodiversity  and  Ecosystem  Services118,  for  which  the  EU  now  has  enhanced  observer  status.  They 
have  increased  support  for  sustainable  land  use,  the  conservation  and  restoration  of  terrestrial 
ecosystems,  nature-based  solutions  and  the  mainstreaming  of  biodiversity  across  sectors.  These 
actions contribute to SDG15, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework on 
Disaster-Risk  Reduction.  They  are  implementating  the  EU  Action  Plan  on  Wildlife  Trafficking119 and 
consolidating action to address  drivers of wildlife and forest crime. They are tackling illegal logging 
and promoting trade  in legal and sustainable forest products, including through the  EU Forest Law 
Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan120 (FLEGT) and the, EU Timber Regulation121. The EU 
is  stepping  up  action  to  address  deforestation  and  forest  degradation  and  promoting  sustainable 
global  supply  chains  of  agricultural  and  forest  commodities.  The  EU  and  Member  States  are 
strengthening land governance and addressing desertification and land degradation, notably through 
the  UN  Convention  to  Combat  Desertification  Strategic  Framework 122  and  FAO’s  voluntary 
guidelines123.  They  are  also  strengthening  global  environmental  governance,  including  promoting 

112 https://www.oecd.org/environment/global-material-resources-outlook-to-2060-9789264307452-en.htm 
113 https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg3/ 
114 https://www.cbd.int/sp/ 
115 https://www.cbd.int/sp/targets/default.shtml 
116 https://www.cbd.int/convention/default.shtml 
117 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/biodiversity/strategy/index_en.ht 
118 https://www.ipbes.net/ 
119 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/cites/trafficking_en.htm 
120 http://www.euflegt.efi.int/flegt-action-plan 
121 http://ec.europa.eu/environment/forests/timber_regulation.htm 
122 https://www.unccd.int/sites/default/files/relevant-links/2018-08/cop21add1_SF_EN.pdf 
123 http://www.fao.org/3/a-i2801e.pdf 

34 

 
 
                                                           
active participation of developing countries and the effective implementation of commitments. The 
EU  and  Member  States  have  also  included  environment  protection  and  climate  change  as  part  of 
their development cooperation strategies and policies. The  EU issued  guidelines  for mainstreaming 
the environment and climate change into EU international cooperation and development124 in 2016. 

Examples of EU and Member States actions 

Biodiversity  for  Life 125 (B4Life)  is  the  EU’s  flagship  initiative  to  support  biodiversity  through 
development  cooperation  over  a  7-year  period  (2014-2020).  B4Life  has  contributed  to  halting 
biodiversity  loss  and  reacted  to  biodiversity  and  ecosystem  crises,  such  as  deforestation,  wildlife 
poaching  and  ecosystem  function  collapse.  It  has  mobilised  an  estimated  €800  million  for  projects 
with biodiversity and ecosystems protection. The EU’s FLEGT initiative works with 15 tropical timber-
exporting countries to halt illegal logging and promote responsible use of the world’s forests.  The EU 
‘Reducing  Emissions  from  Deforestation  and  Forest  Degradation’  Facility126 supports  countries  in 
improving  land-use  governance  as  part  of  their  efforts  to  tackle  deforestation.  The  EU  has  funded 
projects  on  integrating  ecosystems  into  national  accounting  frameworks  in  developing  countries, 
working in cooperation with the World Bank and the UN to promote better decision-making.  

One  of  the  four  jointly  agreed  priorities  of  European  partners  in  the  Joint  Programming  in  Cote 
d’Ivoire  (2017-2020)  is  equitable  spatial  development  and  the  protection  of  the  environment. 
European partners have focused support on the protection of reserves, parks and forest resources.  

Austria has implemented the Sustainable Forest Governance in Georgia Phase II (2015-2018), which 
has  helped  to  develop  an  institutional  model  to  improve  forest  sector  management.  Belgium’s 
Capacities  for  Biodiversity  and  Sustainable  Development  (2014-2018)  programme  works  to 
strengthen capacity in the South to support biodiversity and poverty reduction, through study grants, 
workshops and projects in Benin, Burundi, D.R. Congo, Peru and Vietnam.  Since 2016, Luxembourg 
has  provided  technical  assistance  to  promote  investment  in  forestry  projects  in  tropical  forests  in 
Central  America,  in  order  to  restore  secondary  or  degraded  forest  areas  and  make  them 
economically,  ecologically  and  socially  viable.  A  new  public-private  fund,  the  Forestry  and  Climate 
Change  Fund,  was  launched  in  2017  to  invest  in  these  projects.    The  UK’s  Forest  Governance, 
Markets  and  Climate  10-year  programme,  established  in  2011,  has  tackled  illegal  logging  and 
underlying corruption and governance issues including in Indonesia, Liberia, Ghana, the Congo Basin, 
Guyana and Vietnam.  To build technical knowledge, in 2017, Greece supplied the Georgian Ministry 
of the Environment and Protection of Natural Resources with specialized books and reports on forest 
management, climate change and desertification. The Czech Republic contributes to the protection 
of  biodiversity  and  ecosystems,  in  particular  soil  and  forest  rehabilitation,  through  the  transfer  of 
know-how and agricultural technologies for the sustainable use of ecosystems in crop and livestock 
production. 

124 https://europa.eu/capacity4dev/public-environment-climate/minisite/tools-and-methods/new-guidelines-
integrating-environment-and-climate-change-eu-internationa 
125 https://publications.europa.eu/de/publication-detail/-/publication/2e26b18c-82a4-4275-b23f-
bc1c601e2853 
126 http://www.euredd.efi.int/ 

35 

 
 
 
                                                           
Figure 14: EU and MS support to OECD biodiversity marker, €bn constant 2016 

9

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0
2017

Biodiversity, significant
objective

Biodiversity, principal
objective

All donors, biodiversity
significant

All donors, biodiversity
principal

2014

2015

2016

Source: OECD CSR data 

SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to 
justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions 

Global trends 

Goal 16 covers a wide range of issues around peace, justice and inclusion, which are both enabling 
factors  and  outcomes  of  sustainable  development.    Many  countries  still  face  protracted  armed 
conflict and violence and billions of people continue to suffer from weak institutions, lack of access 
to  justice,  and  the  suppression  of  fundamental  freedoms127.  In  2016,  more  countries  experienced 
violent  conflicts  than  at  any  time  in  nearly  30  years128.  2  billion  people  live  in  countries  where 
development outcomes  are  impacted by fragility, conflict  and violence. Advances in promoting the 
rule of law and access to justice are uneven. Equally, whilst  institutions upholding human rights  at 
the national level have been strengthened, over 300 human rights defenders, journalists and trade 
unionists were killed in 2017 alone129. 

EU policy approach 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  have  prioritised  implementation  of  peace,  justice  and  strong 
institutions  goals  in  their  external  action  and  as  preconditions  for  sustainable  development  and 
stability.  This  includes  work  to  better  link  development  cooperation,  humanitarian,  peace  and 
security actions. The EU pays special attention to improving prison conditions and the promotion of 
access  to  justice  for  all,  particularly  for  women,  children  and  vulnerable  groups.  The  EU  and  its 
Member  States  strengthened  their  engagement  in  fragile  and  conflict-affected  settings.  They  have 
worked in a more coherent way, implementing the EU integrated approach to external conflicts and 
crises,  which  also  factors  in  environmental  and  climate  change.  By  2018,  1.420.000  people  had 
benefited from EU programmes of post-conflict peace building and conflict prevention. The EU also 

127 https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/report/2018/TheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsReport2018-EN.pdf 
128 https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Dupuy%2C%20Rustad-
%20Trends%20in%20Armed%20Conflict%2C%201946–2017%2C%20Conflict%20Trends%205-2018.pdf 
129 https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/sites/default/files/annual_report_digital.pdf 

36 

 
 
 
 
                                                           
improved support to Security Sector Reform130 (SSR), with more focus on joined-up efforts between 
EU institutions and Member States, partner countries, international institutions and others.  

Respect  for  the  rule  of  law  and  the  universality  and  indivisibility of  human  rights  and  fundamental 
freedoms inspire EU actions across its external relations. The EU helps partner countries to establish 
and strengthen accountable, transparent institutions and independent, impartial judicial systems, to 
foster  inclusive  and  evidence-based  decision-making,  to  strengthen  monitoring  and  evaluation  of 
policies and legislation, to ensure credible and inclusive elections and to support initiatives to tackle 
corruption.  ODA  spending  on  SDG  16  has  increased  since  2014.  In  2017,  support  from  the  EU  and 
Member States to participatory development and good governance totalled €28.4 billion. 

Figure 15: EU support to participatory development and good governance (€ millions) 

45.000

40.000

35.000

30.000

25.000

20.000

15.000

10.000

5.000

0
2017

2014

2015

2016

EU and MS, principal objective

EU and MS, significant objective

All donors, principal

All donors, significant

Source: OECD/DAC Creditor Reporting System 

The EU reaffirms its commitment to democracy through regular political dialogues, partnerships with 
regional  and  international  organisations,  and  cooperation  programmes  supporting  parliaments, 
political parties, civil society and democratic governance.  The EU Action Plan on Human Rights and 
Democracy131 (2015-2019)  sets  out  the  EU  and  Member  States  actions  to  promote  democratic 
governance. By 2018, the EU had supported 8600 journalists, media actors and other human rights 
defenders  in  promoting  civil,  political,  economic,  social  and  cultural  rights.  A  new  Action  Plan  is  in 
preparation. Election observation is an important part of EU support, with more attention now given 
to long-term impact of missions and the democratisation processes of partner countries.  

Examples of EU and Member States actions  

In 2018, the Common Security and Defence Policy132 missions and operations contributed to the EU’s 
global role in international peace and security and addressed major ongoing crises in Africa and the 
Neighbourhood. They also countered piracy off the Horn of Africa; and countered human smuggling 

130 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/policies/fragility-and-crisis-management/links-between-security-and-
development/security-sector_en 
131 https://eeas.europa.eu/sites/eeas/files/eu_action_plan_on_human_rights_and_democracy_en_2.pd 
132 https://eeas.europa.eu/topics/common-security-and-defence-policy-csdp_en 

37 

 
 
 
                                                           
in  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  The  EU  accompanied  peaceful  political  transitions  in  Kenya  and  the 
Republic of The Gambia, and supported the Colombian Peace Process. In 2018, the EU rolled out a 
new  Common  Foreign  and  Security  Policy  instrument,  in  support  of  Mali's  plan  for  integrated 
security, helping regional governors to develop stabilisation plans, integrating security concerns with 
broader  governance  and  sustainable  development.  The  EU  Security  Sector  Governance  Facility133, 
launched 
legitimacy,  good  governance, 
sustainability,  ownership  and  holistic  approaches  as  central  to  SSR  processes,  including  in  The 
Gambia  and  Mali.  EU  budget  support’s  ‘state  and  resilience  building  contracts’  have  supported  25 
countries in fragile situations, by assisting transition processes, building state capacity for governance 
and  service  delivery  and  improving  resilience.  The  EU  also  supported  partner countries  in  the  EU’s 
neighbourhood,  including  Tunisia,  Lebanon,  Jordan,  Georgia,  and  Ukraine,  to  modernise  their 
security services. 

in  2018,  provides  technical  expertise  to  promote 

In the Sahel, the EU and Member States have supported regional security cooperation in Niger and 
Mali  to  address  terrorism,  organised  crime  and  irregular  migration  and  to  strengthen  police 
capabilities. The Alliance Sahel134 launched in 2017 improved coordination and increased efficiency to 
respond to development and security challenges of the region, focusing on rural development, jobs 
for youth, energy infrastructure, governance and security.   

In 2018, France developed a new strategy on prevention, resilience and sustainable peace, focused 
on  democratic  governance  as  a  mean  to  establish  effective  and  legitimate  institutions.  France  has 
promoted social inclusion and local governance in the Lake Chad region, including improving access 
to  rights  for  the  most  vulnerable  people,  particularly  girls  and  women.  Croatia  has  provided 
psychosocial support for war-affected populations, with an emphasis on children and war veterans. 
Since 2015, Croatia has exchanged psychiatrists and psychologists with Ukraine in rehabilitating war 
veterans  and  providing  psycho-social  support  to  war-affected  children.  Croatia  has  also  enabled 
cooperation  between  Croatian  war  veterans  and  their  counterparts  in  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina, 
fostering social reintegration, including through skills development and employment schemes, thus 
benefitting  veterans’  families  and  the  wider  community.  Croatia  also  cooperates  with  Colombia  in 
post-conflict  psycho-social  services,  in  finding  missing  persons  and  in  forensic  identification,  which 
are  crucial  in  bringing  sustainable  peace.  The  Netherlands  is  currently  developing  a  ‘Preventing 
Violent  Extremism-sensitivity  toolkit’,  to  maximize  the  relevance  to  the  prevention  of  violent 
extremism of Dutch development cooperation. The aim is to better target interventions to address 
root causes of violent extremism. 

One of  the  key  priorities  for European  partners  in  the  Joint  Cooperation  Strategy  in  Ghana  (2017-
2020) is accountability, anti-corruption and rule of law. European partners are supporting initiatives 
to  tackle  corruption  and  to  achieve  better  accountability,  focusing  on  reinforcement of  the  rule  of 
law  and  related  institutions;  strengthening  transparency  and  accountability  through  support  to 
oversight functions; and reducing corruption through improved detection and application of punitive 
measures.  The  EU  contributed  to  the  Nepal  Peace  Trust  Fund135 both  at  institutional  level  -  on 

133 https://issat.dcaf.ch/Learn/SSR-in-Practice/Countries-Regions/EU/Delivering-the-European-Union-Security-
Sector-Governance-Facility 
134 https://www.alliance-sahel.org/en/ 
135 http://www.nptf.gov.np/ 

38 

 
 
                                                           
elections, law and justice, national, national monitoring mechanisms of the peace process and local 
reconciliation  –  and  at  community  level,  in  particular  to  improve  the  living  conditions  of  the  most 
vulnerable communities. Over the period 2014-2017, this initiative reached over 500 000 individuals, 
mainly conflict affected and internally displaced persons.  

The Czech Republic has supported democracy and human rights, using its own experience of social 
transition  and  democratization,  through  the  ‘TRANS’  programme,  based  on  partnership  with  civil 
society, local administrations, media and academia. Projects have been implemented, among other 
countries, in Armenia, Myanmar, Belarus, Georgia, Cuba, Moldova and Ukraine. A joint  Portuguese 
project  with  the  EU,  “Promoting  the  Rule  of  Law  and  improved  Public  Services”,  covering  all 
Portuguese-speaking African countries and Timor-Leste, focuses on the prevention and fight against 
corruption, money laundering and organized crime,  particularly drug trafficking, including spill-over 
effects  in  partner  countries.  Since  2005,  Slovenia  has  contributed,  including  through  multilateral 
platforms,  to  the  education  of  children's  rights  to  more  than  200,000  children  in  26  countries  in 
Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and Africa. For instance, in 2017, Slovenia implemented 
a  pilot  project  on  school  and  peer  mediation  in  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina  to  foster  a  positive  social 
environment,  constructive  dialogue  and  dispute  resolution.  Poland  launched  the  largest  firefighter 
training  program  in  Kenya,  opened  the  Fire  Brigade  Training  Center  in  the  suburbs  of  Nairobi  and 
contributed to the creation of the fire brigades and units in cities and regions. In 2018, Malta offered 
tailored training to fire fighters from Ghana and from Palestine, including firefighting and search and 
rescue, especially for road traffic  accidents.  The  Slovak  Republic  cooperates with Israel in the EU's 
Eastern Partnership countries to provide training for the state administration and non-governmental 
sectors,  for  example  in  gender  equality.  Building  effective,  accountable  and  inclusive  institutions, 
including local governance, is a key element of Poland’s assistance to Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, 
including sharing experience of its own recent reform processes. Poland has prioritized the fight with 
illegal financial flows and has supported the Ukraine on combating money laundering and financing 
of terrorism. The Netherlands helped marginalised people to generate an income and gain access to 
basic  services;  in  2016  nearly  80,000  people  benefitted  in  fragile  and  conflict-affected  areas.  The 
Netherlands also empowers CSOs’ lobby and advocacy role  in developing countries to support the 
most  marginalised  groups.  Bulgaria  financed  projects  to  strengthen  the  capacity  of  the  respective 
Offices of the Ombudsman and supported projects to improve access to social services and education 
for children and children with disabilities in countries including Georgia and Armenia. 

SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for 
sustainable development 

Global trends  

There is still considerable scope to increase the resources available to developing countries from all 
sources. For LDCs, median tax revenue in 2016 was 13.3 per cent of GDP, a marginal increase from 
10%  in  2000136. After  two  consecutive  years  of  decline,  the  World  Bank  estimates  The  World  Bank 
estimates that remittance flows to developing countries are projected to reach $596 billion in 2017, 

136 https://developmentfinance.un.org/domestic-revenue-mobilization-and-taxation 

39 

 
 
 
                                                           
up from $573.6 billion in 2016137. Total FDI to developing countries amounted to approximately $653 
billion in gross  terms in 2017, with FDI to LDCs estimated at $32.6  billion (or around 2 per cent of 
total  global  FDI  flows).  However,  FDI  remains  heavily  concentrated  in  a  few  countries  and  in  the 
extractive  industries138.  More  work  is  needed  to  direct  more  investment  to  the  poorest  countries 
where needs are greatest and to sustainable sectors. Total net annual global ODA rose from $131.0 
billion in 2015 to $153.0 billion in 2018139. More effort is still required for the global community to 
move  towards  the  0.7%  target.  Four  of  the  OECD-DAC  member  countries  that  reached  the  0.7% 
target in 2018 were EU Member States.   

EU and Member States policy approach and examples of actions 

The EU and Member States support for implementation of SDG 17 is part of their broader approach 
to partnership and means of implementation, as set out in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, the 2030 
Agenda  and  the  Paris  Agreement.  The  EU  and  Member  States  continued  to  make  efforts  towards 
meeting  their  commitments  on  Official  Development  Assistance,  including  for  LDCs,  increased  the 
effectiveness  of  their  development  cooperation, 
joint  programming,  and 
developed innovative channels for cooperation. Denmark has established an SDG Fund that aims to 
mobilize finance from private investors, such as Danish pension funds, by using public sector funds. 
These go toward projects that contribute to growth and employment in developing countries while 
generating return for the private investors. Portugal partnered with the African Development Bank 
to  establish  a  “Development  Finance  Compact  for  the  Lusophone  Countries  of  Africa”,  that  will 
provide for risk mitigation and technical assistance, coupled with €400 million of guarantees from the 
Portuguese  State  Budget  for  2019  to  allocate  in  projects  in  the  countries  involved.  Lithuania  has 
chosen  SDG  17  as  one  of  its  thematic  development  cooperation  priorities,  bringing  together 
Lithuanian institutions with partner countries to promote transfer of experience.  

including  through 

Finance 

The EU and Member States provide support for partner countries to mobilise and make best use of 
all financial resources available to them including domestic resources, ODA and other international 
public finance, private finance and lending and remittances.  

a.  Mobilising domestic resources 

The EU and its Member States have significantly scaled up support for domestic revenue mobilisation 
(DRM)  in  developing  countries,  increasing  commitments  from  €112.7  million  in  2015  to  €197.9 
million in 2016. The European Commission adopted the ‘Collect More, Spend Better140’ approach in 
2015, which supports developing countries in: i) improved DRM ii) more effective and efficient public 
expenditure  and  iii)  debt  management.  Budget  support  programmes  also  promoted  governance, 
public financial management and DRM in partner countries. The EU and its Member States support 
work on exchange of information for tax purposes, anti-corruption, tax avoidance and illicit flows.  

Poland  has  prioritized  the  fight  with  illegal  financial  flows  and  has,  for  example,  supported  the 
Ukrainian  system  of  public  finances since  2015,  with  a  focus  on  combating  money  laundering  and 

137 http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.CD.DT 
138 https://developmentfinance.un.org/investment-trends 
139 https://data.oecd.org/oda/net-oda.htm 
140 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/swd-collect-more-spend-better.pdf 

40 

 
 
                                                           
financing of terrorism. Spain has programmes of assistance in DRM in more than 10 countries in Latin 
America and the Caribbean and has set up twinning programmes of training and technical assistance. 
Belgium  provides  Burundi’s  Revenue  institution  with  an  institutional  strengthening  programme, 
complementing  the  EU’s  budget  support.  Finland's  implements  of  DRM  objectives  through 
international policy influence, regional and country level activities (in Namibia, Mozambique, Zambia, 
Somalia and Afghanistan), CSO activities and research. Finland is supporting the Tanzanian Revenue 
Authority’s  5-year  plan  for  tax  modernisation.  In  2018,  Sweden  organised  the  Stockholm  Tax 
Conference on capacity building for taxation, to promote more efficient DRM globally. In 2018, the 
Central  Bank  of  Malta  trained  officers  from  The  Gambia  Central  Bank.  In  Madagascar,  Germany 
supports  three  regions  with  training  for  100  local  authorities  and  the  update  of  tax  registers. 
Revenues collected have risen by 60 % on average. 

b.  ODA / other public finance 

The  EU  is  the  world's  largest  provider  of  ODA,  accounting  for  over  half  of  total  ODA  provided  to 
developing  countries141.  The  EU’s  collective  ODA  was  €74.4  billion  in  2018.  The  EU  collectively 
increased its ODA to LDCs in absolute terms to 0.12% of collective GNI, though more work is needed 
to reach the target of 0.15-0.20% of ODA/GNI in the short term and 0.20% by 2030. The EU and its 
Member States are collectively the largest provider of public climate finance. The EU is committed to 
promoting  the  mobilisation  of  the  full  spectrum  of  international  public  finance  for  development. 
They  support  the  effective  use  of  south-south  cooperation  as  a  useful  additional  source  of 
investment  in  developing  countries.  They  are  actively  engaged  in  the  development,  under  the 
auspices  of  an  international  task  force,  of  the  measure  of  total  official  support  for  sustainable 
development.  They  have  also  established 
to  support 
implementation of the SDGs. In 2017, France generated over €1 billion for international development 
through charging mechanisms on air tickets and on financial services transactions.  

financing  mechanisms 

innovative 

c.  Private finance and investment 

This document, under other SDGs, shows the multiple ways in which the EU and Member States are 
working to mobilise private  finance  and investment for sustainable development  including through 
the use of ODA, for instance through blending, guarantees, creating better operating environments 
for business and reducing the risk of investment.   

d.  Debt 

The debt burden for developing countries is rising. The EU is at the forefront of debt relief through its 
contribution  to  the  World  Bank's  Debt  Relief  Trust  Fund142,  which  funds  the  Highly  Indebted  Poor 
Countries initiative143. The EU’s collective financing up to August 2016 is equal to 41 % of the overall 
total contribution in that period. As an example of specific actions, Poland has agreed a debt swap 
with Mongolia and Cambodia in 2017, which supported higher education and renovation works.   

141 https://data.oecd.org/oda/net-oda.htm 
142 http://fiftrustee.worldbank.org/Pages/drtf.aspx 
143 http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/debt/brief/hipc 

41 

 
 
                                                           
e.  Remittances 

Remittances  are  an  important  source  of  development  finance  and  in  absolute  terms  much  larger 
than  ODA  flows.  The  EU  and  Member  States  are  actively  working  to  increase  the  impact  of 
remittances  in  developing  countries  and  remittance  costs  are  decreasing  as  a  result.  ‘Money  from 
Sweden’ is an online service that compares fees and exchange rates for money transfers abroad. The 
Portuguese Central Bank monitors information about private transfers made through resident banks 
and money transfer operators. Spain is working to facilitate remittance payments and reduce costs.  

Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) 

Figure 16: ODA for science, technology and innovation, 2007-2016 (€ millions, %) 

Source: OECD/DAC Creditor Reporting System 

The  EU  and  its  Member  States  are  the  main  provider  of  ODA  for  STI  to  developing  countries, 
spending €1.84 billion in 2017, 80% of the global total. As specific examples, to increase cooperation 
with developing countries on STI, the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean 
Area144 was set up to foster innovative solutions for sustainable food systems and integrated water 
management.  In  2017,  the  EU  launched  the  EU-CELAC  policy  advice  mechanism145 in  research  and 
innovation  to  help  Latin  American  and  Caribbean  countries  achieve  the  SDGs.  The  policy  dialogue 
facility E-READI146 promotes EU-ASEAN collaboration in support of STI. In promoting STI, the EU and 
Member  States  take  account  of  the  work  of  the  Technology  Facilitation  Mechanism 147,  the 
Technology Bank for Least Developed Countries and other relevant organisations.  

Capacity building for sustainable development 

Capacity building is an important element of almost all development cooperation. Since 2015, the EU 
and  its  Member  States  have  enhanced  their  efforts  to  support  developing  country  capacity  to 
formulate  and 
inclusive  national  sustainable  development  policies  and  results 
frameworks, as well as to increase accountability and responsiveness to citizens. From 2019, the EU 

implement 

144 http://ec.europa.eu/research/environment/index.cfm?pg=prima 
145 https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/13042/EU-CELAC%20relations 
146 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/annex1-eu-asean-dialogue-instrument-e-readi-
20141126_en.pdf 
147 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/tfm 

42 

 
 
                                                           
will establish dialogues based on the SDGs with partner countries to assess progress against the SDGs 
and  discuss  cooperation  to  meet  priority  needs.  From  2015,  Romania,  with  UNDP,  developed  a 
Mobility Fund to respond in a quick and relevant manner to beneficiaries’ needs in implementing the 
SDGs.  The  instrument  has  supported  experience-sharing  missions  in  areas  where  Romania offers a 
competitive advantage such as food safety, integrity and anti-corruption and electoral management. 
Funded  by  the  EU  within  the  framework  of  the  EU  Emergency  Trust  Fund  for  Africa,  Italy  aims  to 
support 24 Libyan municipalities in providing basic services, through rehabilitation work, provision of 
equipment and capacity building, with a focus on education, health, water and sanitation, in the face 
of  migration  and  displacement  flows.  The  Czech  -  UNDP  Partnership  for  Sustainable  Development 
Goals brings Czech expertise to partner countries, including in Georgia and the Republic of Moldova. 
Its main component is a Challenge fund generating innovative solutions for SDGs. In 2015, the Greek 
Police  trained  Ukrainian  officers  on  drug  trafficking  and  Sudanese  officers  on  management  of 
evidence, 
improve  border 
protection.   Luxembourg’s  CARES  project,  developed  with  Senegal  and  John  Hopkins  University, 
focuses on strengthening the  capacity of health care systems, in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, in the 
clinical and community management of infectious diseases, by improving access  to diagnostics and 
treatment  of  HIV,  hepatitis  virus  B  (HBV)  and  papillomavirus  (HPV),  all  three  of  which  constitute 
serious public health problems in West Africa.  

trafficking  and  money 

laundering  and 

to  combat 

illegal 

Trade  

The EU  firmly  believes  in the  central  role  that  the multilateral  trading  system, with the  WTO  at  its 
core,  has  for  sustainable  development.  The  EU’s  trade  agreements  with  developing  countries, 
including  Economic  Partnership  Agreements148 (EPAs)  with  ACP  countries,  and  unilateral  trade 
preference  regimes  (Generalised  Scheme  of Preferences,  GSP)  for vulnerable developing  countries, 
including  LDCs,  support  partner  countries’  efforts  to  generate  inclusive  growth  through  trade.  The 
trade  policy  also  promotes  decent  work  and  environmental  protection  through  Trade  and 
Sustainable Development chapters in the EU’s trade agreements and through the GSP, including the 
Special Incentive Arrangement for Sustainable Development and Good Governance (GSP+). EU trade 
preference  schemes  to  vulnerable  developing  countries,  particularly  to  LDCs,  are  the  most 
comprehensive, accessible and valuable schemes in the world. In 2017, the EU imported goods worth 
€68  billion  from  the  beneficiaries  of  the  three  arrangements  of  the  Generalised  Scheme  of 
Preferences.  The  EU  is  the  main  export  market  for  goods  from  LDCs.  The  EU  has  concluded  nine 
Economic  Partnership  Agreements  involving  50  countries  from  the  Africa,  Pacific  and  Caribbean 
regions. The Agreements aim to use trade to promote sustainable development.   

Aid for trade can help tackle the important supply-side constraints in developing and least developed 
countries that limit them from fully taking advantage of the EU’s trade agreements and preference 
schemes.  The EU and its Member States are the largest provider of Aid for Trade149 (AfT) globally – 
providing €17.6 billion between 2010 and 2016. The EU Aid for Trade Progress Report 2018150 shows 
that 2016 EU AfT commitments reached an all-time high of €13.5 billion. Africa continued to receive 

148 https://myintracomm-
collab.ec.europa.eu/networks/DEVCOSDG/Shared%20Documents/ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-
regions/development/economic-partnerships/ 
149 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sectors/economic-growth/trade_en 
150 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/eu-aftreport-2018-final.pdf 

43 

 
 
                                                           
the  largest  share  (42%)  in  2016,  followed  by  Asia  (22%),  America  (12%)  and  Europe  (11%).  AfT 
commitments to LDCs amounted to 22% of EU AfT, again an all-time high. The new AfT strategy puts 
a  stronger  focus  on  social  and  environmental  dimensions  of  sustainability,  together  with  inclusive 
economic  growth.  The  German  Alliance  for  Trade  Facilitation  and  the  Global  Alliance  on  Trade 
Facilitation  work  as  exchange  and  collaboration  platforms  to  bundle  expertise  from  various 
stakeholders to promote trade facilitation reforms. The two initiatives have supported more than 10 
countries  to  implement  the  WTO  Trade  Facilitation  Agreement.  Spain  has  developed  a  number  of 
specific financial trade-oriented tools and provides capacity building support in trade facilitation. 

Data and monitoring 

The  EU  and  Member  States  support  to  statistical  capacity  building  represents  just  over  50%  of  all 
donors’  disbursements  to  this  area.  Total  donor  support  to  statistical  capacity  is  only  a  very  small 
element  of  the  total  volume  of  ODA  flows,  since  support  to  statistical  systems  in  developing 
countries  is  generally  integrated  in  specific  programmes  and  is  not  separately  reported.  60%  of 
support  to  statistical  capacity  building  targets  African  countries.  The  EU  also  provides  twinning 
projects  on  statistics  to  countries  including  Armenia  and  Jordan.  In  Vietnam,  support  to  improve 
energy  data  and  statistics  has  been  mobilised  through  the  EU  Technical  Assistance  Facility  for 
Sustainable  Energy151.  Germany  and  the  UK  separately  have  established  initiatives  to  support 
developing  countries  to  improve  the  dissemination  and  use  of  SDG  indicators  at  a  national  and 
international level. 

151 https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/leaflet-taf-2015_en.pdf 

44