Abbreviation ECDPM Type Think Tank | Formation 1986 | |
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Motto Linking policy and practice in international cooperation Headquarters Onze Lieve Vrouweplein 21, Maastricht 6211 HE Location Maastricht, Netherlands (Head Office), Belgium, Brussels Office | ||
The European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) is an independent foundation which was established in 1986 in order to monitor and support development cooperation between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries. ECDPM style's itself as a “think and do tank”. Its stated main goal is to broker effective partnerships between the European Union and the developing world, especially Africa. It aims to promote inclusive forms of development and cooperates with public and private sector organisations to better manage international relations. It also supports the reform of policies and institutions in both Europe and the developing world.
Contents
The ECDPM deals with the international policies that govern development cooperation between the ACP countries and the EU member states. The most recent and most significant of these policies is the Cotonou Agreement, signed in June 2000 by 77 ACP countries and the EU. The Cotonou Agreement has been considered a landmark in EU-ACP relations due to its new political dimension and the integration of non-state actors into development cooperation.
The vast increase in the amount of actors involved in the debate about and the negotiations of ACP-EU development policy constitutes a major challenge. The need to provide information and facilitate interaction between all stakeholders is one of the main objectives of the ECDPM.
The ECDPM has its main office in Maastricht, Netherlands which was recently renovated and opened by Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands. ECDPM is governed by a board drawn from both Europe, and also Africa and the Caribbean The Current Chairman of the Board is P.I Gomez Ambassador of Guyana to the ACP.
Aims and objectives
ECDPM aims to provide development stakeholders with information and resources necessary to better understand EU-ACP development cooperation. To this end ECDPM engages in:
The long-term strategic objectives of the Centre are:
Thematic programmes
ECDPM is a matrix organisation with staff working across programmes. Each programme is however led by a Head of Programme or Programme Manager. As of 2013 there were five programmes in ECDPM:
Support programmes
Funding
The Centre receives strategic and financial support from the foreign ministries of the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg and Belgium as well as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and the Instituto Português de Apoio oa Desenvolvimento in Portugal. It receives programme support from the Department for International Development of the UK.