The third European Report on Development (ERD) – drawn up by three European think tanks, the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and the German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) – focuses on the use of scarce resources for inclusive and sustainable growth in the spheres of water, energy and land.

Population growth, economic growth and rising incomes are increasing and changing the demand for food, energy and water. Despite declining income poverty in many developing countries, around 1 billion people are still undernourished, 0.9 billion do not have access to clean water, and 1.5 billion do not have access to electricity. It is estimated that, compared with present levels, the demand for energy and water will grow by 40 per cent by 2030, the demand for food by 50 per cent. How can the current scandalous undersupply be overcome quickly, and how can the growing demand be satisfied sustainably in the future?

Just in time for the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development held in June 2012, the third European Report on Development calls on the international community for a fundamental change to its concepts for the use of water, energy and land with a view to supporting broad-based and sustainable growth in the poorest developing countries. This radical change is needed if the growing demand for water, food and energy is to be met without ecological limits or tipping-points being exceeded in the process. The most important factor in this is the need to take account of the interactions between these three spheres – the nexus – and not to pursue one-sided solutions that have adverse effects in other spheres.

What functions must policy and public administration perform if water, renewable energies and land are to be used sustainably by and for everyone? What institutional changes are needed if the rights of the poor are to be considered and integrated approaches adopted in all three spheres? What is the private sector’s role? What responsibility must the European Union and its Member States assume? With what should they align their trade, agricultural and development policies? These and other questions were discussed by the panellists after a brief presentation of the most important aspects of the third European Report on Development.

Programme

• Welcome: Marzenna Guz-Vetter, EU-Representation in Germany
• Introduction of ERD: Scholz, ImmeImme Scholz, Deputy Director, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) & Niels Keijzer, Policy Officer, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)

Panel Discussion:

• Imme Scholz, Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
• Niels Keijzer, European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM)
• Kevin McCarthy, European Commission, Directorate-General EuropeAid Development and Co-operation (DG DevCo)
• Manfred Konukiewitz, Deputy Director General, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
• Sascha Müller-Kraenner, Executive Director, The Nature Conservancy in Europe.