CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOP IN MALTA_Published on 11 June 2010 on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Website
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in conjunction with the European Commission, organised a two-day workshop on 9-10 June 2010 for non-governmental organisations, social partners, the private sector and other stakeholders with the aim of assisting them in becoming fully aware of EU structures and programmes in the field of development. The main objective of the workshop was to spread the coverage of all stakeholders in development and to make better use of, and secure greater access to, EU development cooperation.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr Tonio Borg, opened the workshop and underlined the need to better understand how the European Union’s Overseas Development Assistance works and how Maltese non-government organisations can become involved in these programmes. Dr Borg acknowledged and expressed his commitment towards fulfilling Malta’s duties and obligations accruing under the United Nations Millennium Development Goals as well as as a member of the European Union. He stressed that the objective of Malta’s development policy is to fight poverty and social injustice, with the main area under focus being the Horn of Africa. The government looked for a strong partnership with Maltese non-governmental organisations with the objective of implementing Malta’s development policy effectively and in a timely and transparent manner.
The workshop was attended by representatives of SOS Malta, SKOP, Happy Movement Kenya, Signum Fidei Malta, Kopin, St Jean Antide Foundation, Mission Fund, INIZJAMED, UHUM, University of Malta, Malta Employers Association, APS, Missjoni Etijopja and others.
The workshop was conducted by Dr Irene Lorisika, Development Consultant to the European Commission. Dr Lorisika made a number of presentations on the structures of the European Union development cooperation, the sources of information on EC development and programmes, definitions and terminology used for proposals, the assessment process and evaluation criteria, internal assessment rules and project implementation methodology, the creation and functioning of international partnerships, as well as selection and evaluation criteria. During the second part of the workshop, participants interacted together in an exercise on the procedures of selection and answering calls for proposals.
Participants expressed their gratitude both to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission for having organised this workshop, as well as to Dr Lorisika for the professional, highly efficient and effective way the workshop was managed. They expressed their satisfaction in particular for the fact that the workshop greatly assisted them in learning about, and how best to participate in, proposals and tenders issued by the European Union within its Development Programmes.