Event preview: This week in development cooperation

The future of international development cooperation isn’t just hashed out in dusty field offices and ramshackle schools and hospitals, but also at a variety of events, celebrations and other gatherings. Here are some of the most noteworthy for the week starting Jan. 21:

African Union Summit
Jan. 21-28
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Leaders from more than 50 African countries will pore over a variety of proposals, such as declaring July 18 Nelson Mandela Day for Africa and establishing a global court that seeks to deter dictatorship. They will also discuss how to reduce maternal, neonatal and newborn mortality and morbidity in Africa and the proposed special follow-up gathering to the 2001 AU summit on HIV/AIDS to be held in July or August 2013.

World Economic Forum Annual Meeting
Jan. 23-27
Davos-Klosters, Switzerland

The event attracts politicians, nonprofits as well as more than 1,000 business leaders. This year, it will focus on what WEF calls “resilient dynamism.” It features an open forum titled “NGOs as New Models for the 21st Century,” which seeks to answer the questions: To whom should NGOs be accountable? What are their roles and responsibilities? Should NGOs be run like businesses? What are the opportunities for businesses and NGOs to collaborate? What are the drivers to create partnerships?

International Human Rights Funders Group San Francisco Conference
Jan. 24-25
San Francisco, Calif., USA

Open only to members, invited speakers and individuals eligible for membership to IHRFG, the conference will include discussions on so-called inclusive funding and rapid-response grantmaking for advocacy and policy change. Also at the event, the group expects to release key findings of its research on global human rights funding.

EU-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States Summit
Jan. 26-27
Santiago, Chile


European, Latin American and Caribbean leaders are expected to expand an action plan for a stronger relationship between the two regions, to include gender equality and investment. The current action plan, which identifies sustainable development as a priority, was agreed in 2010 in Madrid. European Council President Herman Van Rompuy and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso as well as several European commissioners will represent the EU at the summit.

Elections

• Israel: parliamentary (snap), Jan. 22
• Jordan: parliamentary, Jan. 23
• Czech Republic: presidential (2nd round), Jan. 25

Know of an upcoming event that might be of interest to the international development community? Leave a comment below or email us at news@devex.com.

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