On the initiative of the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and the Lisbon-based Instituto de Estudos Estrategicos Internacionais (IEEI) a meeting has been organised on the 2nd of April in Brussels to discuss the future work and internal organisation of the Europe-Africa Research Network EARN. The meeting was attended by over 20 policy research institutes and networks from Africa and Europe.
The EARN initiative is a concrete follow-up of the First Action Plan of the Africa-EU Joint Strategy. It stresses the establishment of a platform for European and African policy research institutes and think tanks to provide independent policy advice on key issues relating to EU-Africa relations and the implementation of the Joint EU-Africa Strategy. In addition EARN also aims to strengthen policy research capacities in Africa on EU-Africa relations.
During the meeting, it was decided to structure EARN into four thematic clusters (working groups) and have in each cluster interim leaders ad co- leader organisations, on an alternating basis between Europe and Africa
1) Peace& Security (leader:Centre for Policy Research and Dialogue (CPRD Addis Ababa); co-leader: European Association of Development and Training Institutes (EADI-Bonn)
2) Governance & Human Rights (leader:Royal Institute of International Affairs/Chatham House (RIIA)-London, co-leader:Centre for International Strategic Studies (CEEI- Maputo)
3) Trade&Regional Integration (leader:European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM-Maastricht) ; co-leader: Nigerian Institute of International Affairs-(NIIA-Lagos)
4) Poverty reduction & Development (leader: Action for Rural Development and Environment (ADRA-Luanda); co-leader Nordic Africa Institute (NAI-Uppsala)
The institutes that will take a lead role in each of the thematic clusters will also compose the interim Steering Commitee of EARN that will guide the work of EARN including the mobilisation of funding.
Overarching EU-Africa relations in the global context will be coordinated by IEEI, ECDPM and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)
The initiators of EARN also have presented the initial results of a mapping exercise of policy research institutes and networks in Europe and Africa.
Further information on the process of EARN will be soon available on the website.
Programme of the meeting - doc
Participants – doc
