Spotlight On… EUROSTEP

To share information both in and beyond the Social Watch (SW) network on the innovative work of the diverse civil society organizations that are the backbone of SW national coalitions in over 60 countries around the world, this “Spotlight On….” column of our electronic newsletter will showcase profiles of these different groups. This month we will profile EUROSTEP, the organization that will play host to the next meeting of Social Watch`s Coordinating Committee from November 22 to 24 in Brussels, Belgium.

European Solidarity Towards Equal Participation of People (EUROSTEP) was founded in 1990 as an autonomous, non-denominational platform to stimulate the collaboration between European Non-Governmental Development Organizations (NGDOs) working on issues related to peace, justice, equality, and poverty eradication. Today, EUROSTEP has 15 member groups in 12 European countries, which have a presence in over 100 other countries around the globe. EUROSTEP´s members work together to influence Europe´s role in the world, especially regarding efforts to eliminate injustice and poverty, advocating changes in European policy and practice based on the perspectives drawn from their own experiences and that of their partners in development. In addition, EUROSTEP advocates improving the quality and effectiveness of initiatives led by NGDOs in support of people-centered development. According to the EUROSTEP mission statement, “Europe´s responsibility extends beyond its own citizens, to the worldwide community as a whole, both for current generations and for generations to come”, and to fulfil its responsibilities, in the world Europe should promote good governance, global justice, and equity; uphold and respect international law; encourage and enable the growth of civil society; and ensure that its corporations adhere to international law and accountable in the financial, social and environmental spheres.

EUROSTEP has been a Social Watch member since the founding of the network in 1995 in the wake of the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, and since that time has played an active role in everything from drafting texts for the SW Annual Reports, participating in the SW Coordinating Committee, and contributing to SW´s lobbying efforts on a national and international level to improve compliance with anti-poverty, gender equity and development goals. In addition, EUROSTEP is working together with other European SW national coalitions to construct a Social Watch Report specifically for Europe, which is planned for release in late 2009. Beyond its collaborations with SW, EUROSTEP also has a wealth of its own briefings, position papers and other publications which present information on and critical analyses of the structure and impacts of European development cooperation policies.

Along with hosting the Social Watch Coordinating Committee meeting, this month EUROSTEP will also be participating in the European Development Days, a multi-stakeholder forum involving government officials at the regional, national and local levels, civil society, academics, the private sector, and the media to debate development cooperation issues and propose new initiatives. At this event, EUROSTEP, together with Social Watch, aims to stimulate discussion on the topic of how the current economic, food, and fuel crises will impact the capacity of local governments in developing countries to implement anti-poverty strategies. For more information on EUROSTEP´s mission, programs or publications, go to their website at: www.eurostep.org.