social protection for inclusive development - European Report on ...

The 2010 <strong>European</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on Development
Foreword
FOREWORD
1.4 billion people, nearly three times the population of the <strong>European</strong> Union, are living in extreme poverty.
This remains the most pressing global challenge of our times and increases the imperative to act. Development
is the ultimate human interest story.
The international <strong>development</strong> landscape is changing rapidly. New players are emerging and co-operation
between developing countries is on the rise. Development is also increasingly being pursued in concert with
other global challenges, such as climate change, migration, security and access to energy. Global economic
instability, illustrated by the recent triple food-oil-financial/economic crisis, has slowed growth and increased
poverty in a number of countries. It has also shed light on the structural vulnerability of many developing
countries and their increasing heterogeneity. Finally, critical voices are growing as regards the role, impact and
governance of aid in the context of tight budget constraints and increased public scrutiny in donor countries.
Then, there is the looming 2015 deadline <strong>for</strong> achieving the Millennium Development Goals. As announced in
September 2010 in New York, the EU remains highly committed to this front over the coming years.
Development lies primarily on the responsibility of each country to mobilise its own human, natural and
economic resources and to put them at the service of virtuous policies. Despite relatively robust economic
growth in much of Africa in recent years, poverty is still a major structural challenge there, as is the enormous
vulnerability of households and entire societies to economic and natural shocks. Eradicating poverty and
establishing effective ‘shock absorbers’ to cushion the blows must be embedded in national <strong>development</strong>
strategies as well as in the dialogue and co-operation with external partners.
That is why this second edition of the <strong>European</strong> <strong>Report</strong> on Development, elaborated under the lead of the
<strong>European</strong> University Institute in the context of the “Mobilising <strong>European</strong> Research <strong>for</strong> Development Policies”
initiative 1 , is so welcome and timely. Through empirical evidence, enhanced collaboration between researchers
and policy makers and innovative thinking, it puts <strong>for</strong>ward a convincing case <strong>for</strong> the role that <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong>
can play in tackling poverty, reducing the impact of shocks and promoting sustainable growth and <strong>inclusive</strong>
<strong>development</strong> in the long run.
The report’s conclusion that the profile and place of <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong> in <strong>development</strong> policy should be upgraded
is a valuable one, and one that African countries, EU Member States, other donors and international organisations
should pay close attention to. African leaders have recently reaffirmed their political commitment to <strong>social</strong> policy
and <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong> by adopting the Khartoum Declaration on Social Policy Action towards Social Inclusion
(November 2010). And <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong> is increasingly on the political agenda of the international community,
as demonstrated by the recent UN and G20 gatherings.
As <strong>European</strong>s, we are familiar with the power of <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong> and intra-<strong>European</strong> solidarity to cushion
blows and help those affected stand on their feet again. With its diversity of <strong>social</strong> models and the valuable
transition experience of the new Member States, Europe is well placed to support home-grown <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong>
initiatives in Africa.
Today, we <strong>European</strong>s take <strong>social</strong> <strong>protection</strong> almost <strong>for</strong> granted, Africans deserve to be granted the opportunity
to benefit from it, too.
Fokion Fotiadis
Josep Borrell Fontelles
Director General of the <strong>European</strong> Commission <strong>for</strong> Development
and Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific States
President of the <strong>European</strong>
University Institute
1
The ERD is supported by the <strong>European</strong> Commission and seven Member States, namely: Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain,
Sweden and the United Kingdom.
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