“How do we ensure that these future strategies actually contribute to poverty eradication, and pay attention to the needs of the local communities, so that policy decisions that are passed at the international level also translate to concrete actions at the local level?”

With this question Lucy Esipila, Secretary-General of Caritas Africa, framed her opening remarks at an event which sought to explore how the European Union’s (EU) external engagement initiative, the Global Gateway, contributes to the vision of a partnership of equals between Africa and Europe and how it regards the involvement of local communities. The Global Gateway is an investment package of considerable size intended to be “the EU’s contribution to narrowing the global investment gap worldwide”. The financial instrument gathers various funds in order to “boost smart, clean and secure links in digital, energy and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world.”

The event titled “Africa-EU partnership of equals and locally-led development: how can we get there?” was held at the European Parliament on 7 March 2023 and was co-hosted by Members of the European Parliament (MEP) Saskia Bricmont and Carlos Zorrinho, alongside the Brussels Office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) and other faith-based and religious actors, including ACT Alliance EU, Africa Europe Faith Justice Network (AEFJN), Caritas Europa, Coopération Internationale pour le Développement et la Solidarité (CIDSE), the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the EU (COMECE), Don Bosco International, European Christian Organisations for Relief and Development (EU-CORD), and World Vision’s European representation (EUREP).

The need to ensure policy coherence among thematic areas of the partnership and between local and regional levels, as mentioned by Ms. Esipila, was also highlighted by Ms. Bricmont in her opening remarks, with particular emphasis on coherence with international frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this regard, other panelists emphasized the need to involve faith-based and religious local actors more given their position and role within local communities on the ground. Their nuanced acquaintance with the reality of their community makes their point of view and involvement crucial for achieving this coherence in a long-lasting and meaningful way. In response to this, Chiara Adamo, from the European Commission’s Directorate General for International Partnerships (INTPA) mentioned the need for efforts to further involve civil society in the partnership and Global Gateway initiatives. 

While the conversation among panelists, alongside input from the audience, covered many topics relevant to the central question of locally-led development, there was particular focus placed on food systems. One of the panelists, Claire Améyo Quenum, from the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) and based in Togo, elaborated on how food systems are linked with at least three of the thematic focuses identified in the partnership—education, health, and infrastructure. Panelist Masaidio Kalenga from the Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education in Uganda, mentioned that “many times all the development projects focus on cities, towns, but we forget that we also have rural people who also have a lot to contribute to the well-being of humanity. It shouldn't be about enriching a few individuals and forgetting the mass of the community which are the majority.” 

A final consideration strongly featured in the dialogue was on the need to continuously and seriously reflect on the broader systems and context in which the partnership and the Global Gateway operate. Rather than avoiding the complexity and sensitivity of the topic, addressing these considerations is inevitable if the goals set out in policy initiatives are to comprehensively cater to the wellbeing of all. In his opening remarks, Father Manuel Barrios Prieto, Secretary General of COMECE asked, “which production, consumption and development models will it support? One of the key insights from our previous exchanges was the need for a fundamental change to more just, inclusive, and sustainable, economic, trade, and local food systems. Such trade also requires shifting from an industrial and extractive model towards a more local, just, and sustainable one.” 

Among the audience, Rachel Bayani, Representative of the Brussels office of the BIC, added that “the current industrial model has in some ways brought humanity forward, but it also has many limitations. Where is there room to have deeper conversations and to think seriously about whether we are replicating things that simply don’t work for anyone, especially not for some regions of the world?”.

For further information, a document with key takeaways from the event can be found here (click to access), and the full recording of the event is available on this link.