James

"On paper #GlobalGateway looks like a success story, but as partner countries, we face the risk of becoming mere suppliers of raw materials and resources, rather than active participants in the global value chain."

- Kaisha Atakhanova, Director of Regional Programs ARGO

🔴 Starting soon | What are the real implications of the #GlobalGateway strategy❓

Today we'll discuss w/ civil society, affected communities & policymakers the impacts of #energy, mining, #climate & infrastructure projects on the ground.

Join via Zoom: bit.ly/4o5Uryp

📣 Hikma Bachegour gave us a clear message:

The current EU approach tends to replicate a green neocolonialism approach. The local communities need projects that protect water, that create jobs, also for women. They need projects that assure technology transfer and capacity building.

The EU’s Global Gateway: a civil society perspective. 8 October 2025 9.00 - 11.00 CEST, Press Club Brussels Europe. This event will be livestreamed. Registration open until Monday 8 October 23.59 CEST. Spekers: • Frank Vanaerschot, Counter Balance • Kaisha Atakhanova, ARGO, Kazakhstan • Hikma Bachegour, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University • Veronica Fadzai Zano, Oxfam Southern Africa (online) • Udo Bullmann MEP, Socialists and Democrats (online) • Magnus Guldberg, Permanent Representation of Denmark to the European Union, Embassy Secretary & Chair of the Working Party on Global Gateway • Jean Saldanha, European Network on Debt and Development - Eurodad. Moderated by Shada Islam (Commentator on EU Affairs).

🔴 Starting soon | What are the real implications of the #GlobalGateway strategy❓

Today we'll discuss w/ civil society, affected communities & policymakers the impacts of #energy, mining, #climate & infrastructure projects on the ground.

Join via Zoom: bit.ly/4o5Uryp

"Local people don't receive much information. Impact assessments are very weak. This project is huge in scale, but space for participation is very small."

– Kaisha Atakhanova, ARGO

#GlobalGateway

“Civil society can serve as a vital bridge to local communities.”

🎤 Yesterday, CONCORD’s @justajaimie.bsky.social joined a #GlobalGateway panel at the 2nd Conference on Export & Development Finance Enhanced Coordination, highlighting the need to involve CSOs in #TeamNationals’ project origination.

Understanding the EU’s Global Gateway: Why Civil Society Must Pay Attention - CONCORD When the European Union launched its Global Gateway in 2021, it presented the initiative as Europe’s bold answer to today’s shifting geopolitical landscape.

How much do you know about the EU’s #GlobalGateway strategy? 🌍

If you missed the CONCORD & @forusinternational.bsky.social webinar last August, this article lays it all out: what it is and why it matters for civil society 👇

concordeurope.org/2025/09/16/u...

The EU’s Global Gateway: a civil society perspective. The European Commission's second Global Gateway Forum promises to be a carefully stage-managed success story. This panel will provide an alternative to the official narrative, spotlighting the real implications of the strategy and the impacts of energy, mining, climate and infrastructure projects on the ground. The event will feature voices from the European Parliament and civil society in the Global South. 8 October. 9.00-11.00 CEST at the Press Club Brussels Europe. This event will be live streamed.

❓What are the real implications of the #GlobalGateway?

Join @concord-europe.bsky.social, @actionaideu.bsky.social, Counter Balance and us on 8 October as we'll discuss the impacts of #energy, mining, #climate & infrastructure projects on the ground.

Register here: www.eurodad.org/eu_global_ga...

@femnet.bsky.social @ecdpm.org

EU Member States are slashing their aid budgets and this is a threat to public services and Human Rights in low-income countries.

📢 Ask European governments to increase, improve, and democratise aid!

✍️ Sign the petition: www.eurodad.org/aid_petition and read the 3 key demands ⤵️

AGREE!

"Countries in the Global South deserve an alternative, one that will allow foreign aid to be governed in an accountable, transparent and inclusive way." OpEd by Matt Simonds (Senior Policy and Advocacy Officer, Eurodad) and Vitalice Meja (Executive Director, Reality of Aid Africa).

📄 Today All Africa published “A broken promise - why foreign #aid needs a democratic reset” an OpEd by Vitalice Meja and Matthew Simonds.

Read it here ➡️ allafrica.com/stories/2025...

#WBGMeetings #IMFMeetings #SMCSO25 #FfD4

🎤 This week CONCORD’s @justajaimie.bsky.social joined a panel on #GlobalGateway at @partosnl.bsky.social.

Key issues related to the EU strategy were highlighted: calling for a focus on human development and tackling inequalities, transparency in funding processes, and civil society involvement.

"There are many threats to our democracy — NGOs are not one of them." @wwfeu.bsky.social

NGOs follow science.
Companies follow profit.

Diversity of views in legislative process is essential for democracy. NGO voices must be supported.

Right-wing/conservative attempts to limit NGO access to funds in the EU LIFE program are shameful!
🔴https://www.europarl.europa.eu/plenary/en/home.html

Conflict of interest questions for MEP spearheading clampdown on NGOs As MEPs debate cutting NGOs' funding, fears of an advocacy clampdown are growing. But German centre-right MEP Monika Hohlmeier's attack on NGOs receiving financing from the EU's LIFE programme — despi...

Yesterday in the 🇪🇺Parliament, EPP MEP Hohlmeier campaigned against NGO funding from the EU - and faced critical questions on her own conflict of interest.

🥜Guess what: Financial resources NGOs get through LIFE are peanuts compared to those of industry lobby groups

euobserver.com/EU%20Politic...

The @ec.europa.eu says EU green funds can’t be used for advocacy or lobbying by environmental NGOs. This is hypocritical!

"Corporate lobbyists are the real democratic problem, yet it is the influence of grassroots movements that the right-wing wants to limit", @jonassjostedt.bsky.social says.

And a rare, fruitful Access to Information request, showing how hard the EU's humanitarian aid department tried to resist their development colleagues' approach to implementing last year's cuts to the EU development budget.

www.devex.com/news/reveale...

CONCORD is on Bluesky!

Welcome to CONCORD's Bluesky profile! As the New Year kicks off, we're taking our vision of equal, just, inclusive societies in a sustainable world to a new platform. Keep an eye out for updates!

Find our members on Bluesky in our Starter Pack & follow them to stay in the loop: go.bsky.app/8wb4Vkf

🛠️ still getting set up @concord-europe.bsky.social

A graphic featuring the text "All women and girls deserve a life free from violence" in bold red and orange letters, layered on a yellow background with repeated faded text in the background saying the same message. A small icon of the European Union flag is in the bottom right corner.

Women’s.
Rights.
Are.
Not.
Negotiable.

This year, the EU’s first legislation to combat violence against women entered into force, criminalizing physical, psychological, economic, and sexual violence.

We will continue to do everything possible to protect victims and punish offenders.