International policy framework

2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development - Sustainable Development Goals (SDG, 2015)

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets and 232 indicators, reflects a global political consensus to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development globally. Based on these indicators, the United Nations (UN) drafts a yearly report describing progress made towards each SDG, worldwide and by region.

The 2030 Agenda is universal, meaning that it addresses all countries at all levels of development, taking into consideration variations in terms of capacities and circumstances. The implementation is run by a new global partnership characterised by mutual accountability, shared responsibility and engagement. The SDGs can be used as a shared agenda between the EU and partner countries but also as an entry point for political and policy dialogue.

The 2030 Agenda balances the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development and calls for a holistic approach. When planning and implementing interventions, attention should be placed on inter-linkages and integrated actions that can create co-benefits and meet multiple objectives in a coherent way. Interventions should be designed to address several SDGs simultaneously to enhance the impact and effectiveness of the resources used. This is also relevant for EU reporting on its contribution to the implementation of the SDGs.

The principle of leaving no one behind is a central commitment of the 2030 Agenda (restated in the 2017 European Consensus on Development). It is a reminder that our development interventions are targeted towards eradicating poverty in all its forms, reducing vulnerabilities and addressing inequalities to promote equal opportunities for all (more information: Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development).

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda on Financing for development (2015)

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda provides a strong foundation to back implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It establishes a new global framework for financing sustainable development through alignment of financing flows and policies with economic, social and environmental priorities. It incorporates an extensive set of policy actions, with over 100 specific measures to operationalise and actively contribute to achievement of the SDGs.

The Addis Agenda shifts the focus away from official development assistance to consider a broader range of actors. It highlights the need to unlock the full potential of all financial flows and the importance of good policies and non-financial means of implementation. To effectively mobilise and align a complex set of financing sources and instruments with a wide-ranging development agenda, a strategic and integrated approach to national planning and financing is needed.

There are a few tools which help support countries in identifying different possible sources of finance, improving the management of these resources and formulating financing policies. Among these, the Development Finance Assessment (UNDP) is a diagnostic exercise to provide a comprehensive view of revenues and flows to finance the SDGs Joint programming processes can provide a useful framework to bring together the wide array of EU and Member State financing instruments to provide coherent and connected support (more information: Addis Ababa Agenda for Action ).

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change (2016)

The Paris Agreement is the result of the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, signed by 195 parties to the Convention, with about 185 countries so far playing an active role in the development of the Agreement.

The Paris Agreement obligates countries to submit increasingly ambitious nationally determined contributions, and to monitor and report on their contribution to mitigating global warming. It aims to keep global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels (more information: The Paris Agreement).

Other important Multilateral Environmental Agreements, notably the Convention on Biological Diversity and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification , establish the commitments of the countries to act together and tackle international environmental problems.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030)

The Sendai Framework was adopted by UN Member States at the 2015 3rd World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai, Japan. It includes seven targets and four priorities for action, which aim to strengthen social and economic resilience to ease the negative effects of climate change and hu man-made hazards (more information: The Sendai Framework).

Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation – Paris (2005), Busan (2011), Nairobi (2016)

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation put forward the principles of ownership, results, inclusiveness, transparency and accountability to deliver tangible results on the development cooperation agenda. The Partnership plays an important role in supporting implementation of the SDGs, to ensure coherence and collaboration among all development stakeholders on cooperation flows and policies. The 2016 meeting in Nairobi reaffirmed these principles while recognising the differentiated commitments and roles of various stakeholders towards shared effectiveness principles.

Development effectiveness emphasises the country level as the focus of attention and recognises a diverse set of factors as contributing to effective development. It is based on the following principles:

• Ownership of development priorities by partner countries receiving support. Partner countries exercise effective leadership over their development policies and strategies, as well as coordinate development efforts. The EU uses partner countries' own national development strategies as the basis of its cooperation. Support is given to partner governments' strategies, national development plan and sector policies. Analysing government policies and systems, as well as evaluating whether government and civil society have the capacity to take on their leadership roles, is crucial.
• Focus on results. Both providers and partner countries manage resources and improve decision-making to deliver mutually agreed-upon results. This principle implies creating a culture that values and measures performance both for adaptive management of development interventions and for accountability to citizens and stakeholders. This principle also creates a shared obligation to work together in monitoring implementation of a country's development strategy and makes delivery central.
• Inclusive partnerships. Inclusive multi-stakeholder partnerships are necessary to realise effective development cooperation and achieve the SDGs, particularly SDG 17 (partnerships). This demands a framework for coordination in which policy dialogue becomes central. The EU country roadmaps for engagement with civil society provide valuable consultation tools with civil society organisations at the country level.
• Transparency and accountability. Providers and partner countries pledge that they will hold each other mutually accountable for development results. Thus, the partner government is accountable to its own citizens through its own mechanisms of accountability. Providers are accountable to their citizens for the use of public money.

The EU Global Strategy on Foreign and Security Policy (2016)

The EU Global Strategy was established in accordance with EU external action objectives to promote peace, ensure the security of its citizens, promote its values and protect its interests in the world (Art. 3 of the TEU). It sets out the EU's core interests and principles for engaging in the wider world and gives the Union a collective sense of direction.

The most important strategic priorities for implementing the EU Global Strategy include security and defence, building resilience and taking an integrated approach to conflicts and crises, addressing the internal-external nexus, and updating existing and preparing new strategies, as well as enhancing public diplomacy (more information here).

The New European Consensus on Development (2017)

The overall framework of EU development policy is the European Consensus on Development, a joint statement agreed upon by the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament. It sets out a shared vision and framework for action for development cooperation for the EU and its Member States.

It represents the response of the EU and its Member States to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), across the three dimensions of sustainable development (economic, social and environmental). It sets out a shared vision and framework for action for development cooperation for the EU and its Member States, which includes supporting all developing countries in their implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It also commits the EU and Member States to report to the UN every four years on progress in implementing the 2030 Agenda through EU external cooperation.

Poverty eradication remains the primary objective of development policy under the new Consensus, as well as integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. It also underlines the links between development and other policies, including peace and security, humanitarian aid, migration, the environment and climate. It highlights the importance of building resilience at all levels through support in regions in situations of fragility and conflict. In addition, it stresses the importance of promoting civil society space and capacity building of CSOs, as well as the need for multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The Consensus takes a comprehensive approach to implementation, drawing on the framework agreed on in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, combining aid with other resources, sound policies and a strengthened approach to policy coherence for development. It reiterates the 2030 Agenda 'leave no one behind' principle as a central commitment (more information: The European consensus for development). 

The consensus promote transparency and accountability: the EU and its Member States have committed to champion transparency, to develop tools to present and use development cooperation data effectively and to progressively publish the full range of development resources.

The Commission external DGs publish to the OECD Common Reporting System, as do all Member countries of the OECD-DAC, and to the International Aid Transparency Initiative - IATI, together with over 1000 other organisations at global level. IATI is a multi-stakeholder platform for development data, centred on IATI Standard, a technical framework for publishing data on development cooperation resources and activities. The Standard ensures that data provided by development partners are machine readable, comparable and aggregable, and can be used to share information, improve coordination and improve accountability. It propose a wide range of fields and vocabularies, including basic activity information, financial information, sector classifications, geolocations, results and background documents. The biannual Aid Transparency Index - ATI assesses the transparency performance of some 50 publishers of development aid.

The European Green Deal (2019)

The European Green Deal was adopted in 2019 as the flagship policy priority of the new Commission. It constitutes an ambitious and comprehensive agenda of economic and social transformation. It aims at EU’s climate neutrality by 2050 and decoupling economic growth from resources use. Important principles such as “do no harm”, leave no-one behind and policy coherence in line with the SDG Agenda are recalled. The Green Deal offers opportunities for a whole-of-the economy response: it lays the ground for the longer term response to protect people and nature through more sustainable and resilient economies and societies. 

The environmental ambition of the Green Deal will not be achieved by Europe acting alone. The drivers of climate change and biodiversity loss are global and are not limited by national borders. The EU can use its influence, expertise and financial resources to mobilise its neighbours and partners to join it on a sustainable path. The EU will continue to lead international efforts and wants to build alliances with the like- minded.

The EU cooperation has a key role to play in supporting the implementation of the external dimension of the Green Deal, both by supporting transformative action in sectors that are key to the transition to climate neutrality and environmental sustainability and by further integrating environment and climate change considerations across all sectors and instruments.

Global Response to COVID-19 (2020)

The global response to COVID-19 will integrate the strategic objectives the EU has set itself as regards the environment and climate, as set out in the European Green Deal, and the Digital Agenda. Ongoing work on these objectives will reinforce efforts to address the short and long-term challenges linked to the pandemic. The current crisis is a reminder that the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement remain crucial to help better equip the world for future systemic shocks. 

Global Gateway (2021)

Global Gateway is the European Union’s offer to partner countries to accelerate their twin green and digital transitions. It aims at developing 360-degree packages to respond to their infrastructure needs and improve their regulatory frameworks. It is anchored in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement.

The Global Gateway strategy started its implementation in 2022 (following the joint communication approved in December 2021 (Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank - Global Gateway) and boosts smart, clean, and secure links in the digital, transport, energy, and climate-relevant sectors, and strengthens education, research, and health networks. It is implemented in a Team Europe approach, to reach scale and create tangible and visible impact on the ground – mainly through Team Europe Initiatives (TEIs).

Team Europe Initiatives are meant to ensure a transformative impact for partner countries, to deliver concrete results in line with their regional or national strategic priorities to foster sustainable development. The design, financing, and implementation of TEIs are open to all EU Member States, their Development Finance Institutions, and other European Financial Institutions, such as EIB and EBRD, following an inclusive approach, to make the best use of European expertise and resources.

The whole process is informal: there is methodological guidance agreed with the MS on the design of the TEIs as well as on financial tracking, monitoring of results and coordinating TEIs, but in a non-binding way.

TEIs are underpinned by the EU’s political and policy priorities; they are financed both from the EU budget — and are therefore guided by NDICI Global Europe regulation, and from the relevant financial resources of the participating EU Member States.

• EU policy framework at regional level