Brüssel, Bonn, 4 May 2015. Today the European Report on Development 2015 (ERD 2015) was officially launched in Brussels by the European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica. ERD 2015 presents a new framework for implementation of the global post-2015 development agenda, building on the lessons learnt in implementing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The launch of the ERD 2015 is one of the important activities undertaken during the European Year for Development to foster critical thinking and the debate in view of the post 2015 process.

Implementing a transformative agenda that addresses the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development will require the mobilisation and the effective use of all types of resources. The ERD 2015 contributes to the debate by setting out a new conceptual framework for thinking about development finance and its relationship to policy.

Speaking at the launch, Commissioner Mimica said: “The post-2015 agenda is a major priority for the EU. Eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development are two of the most pressing challenges facing the world today. They are also fundamentally interlinked: there can be no poverty eradication without sustainable development, and vice versa. Today’s report is a valuable research-based and independent contribution to our thinking and to the global debate on the post-2015 agenda.”

The ERD 2015 follows on naturally from the previous edition (ERD 2013), which focused on the “what” of the post-2015 agenda, by examining the “how” of implementation for achieving the goals.

A key message emerging from the report is that success will be determined by the way policies and finance are used to implement a transformative post-2015 development agenda, and that a lack of funds will not be the constraining factor in achieving the objectives. Based on existing evidence and specific country experiences, the ERD 2015 shows that finance seldom reaches the intended objectives unless the right policies are in place. To implement a transformative, post-2015 development agenda needs the right combination of finance and policies.

Further information

The ERD 2015 entitled ‘Combining Finance and Policies to Implement a Transformative post-2015 Development Agenda’ is the main output of the ‘Mobilising European Research for Development Policies’ initiative currently supported by the European Commission and four EU Member States: Finland, France, Germany and Luxembourg.

The ERD 2015 is an independent report and was written by a team led by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), in partnership with the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM), the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE), the University of Athens (Department of Economics, Division of International Economics and Development) and the Southern Voice Network.

For more information, including access to the full ERD 2015 report, the ERD 2015 executive summary, background papers and country illustrations please visit ERD new web site at www.erd-report.eu.

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