By Martin Banks - 4th November 2010
The EU has the potential to support country-led social protection initiatives
EU commission
A draft report says that levels of deprivation in sub-Saharan Africa remain high despite "some progress" towards meeting the millennium development goals (MDGs) which aim to cut global poverty.
The report, co-produced by the commission and presented on Thursday, says that current deprivation on the continent levels "affects the speed with which poverty can be reduced in a sustainable way".
It says that worldwide poverty has declined, and in sub-Saharan Africa "extreme" poverty - defined as those earning less than about €0.90 a day, dropped from 58 per cent in 1990 to 51 per cent in 2005.
At the same time, though, the number of poor in Africa rose to 388 million from 296 million in 1990, due to a corresponding larger increase in population growth rates.
The draft says health and education levels in Africa are "still showing widespread deprivation, affecting the opportunities for the poor into the future".
It says a "new generation" of illiterates has recently joined the labour force, adding that 21 per cent of those aged 15 to 24 is illiterate.
"At current rates, in 10 years time this may not be considerably better as the net enrolment rate in private education is still only 73 per cent," it adds.
The report also calls for an EU-wide "mapping" initiative to "showcase the diversity" of EU expertise in helping developing regions of the world.
It said such a project could also "reveal the scope for improvement by highlighting gaps, overlaps and potential contradictions".
It adds, "In other words, to properly reflect on what the EU should do in social protection, it should find out what it already does."
A key to this, it says, is identifying the relevant actors in member states in order to establish an EU-wide network of "social protection and development" experts and policymakers.
The EU is the world's biggest donor on humanitarian aid but some have questioned whether it is spend well.
The "2010 European report on development" seeks to outline some of the lessons which it says could be learned in addressing development aid issues.
It says that as the largest donor in Africa, the EU "has the potential to support country-led social protection initiatives".
The report was unveiled at a one-day conference in Brussels attended by a range of policymakers and experts.
The aim was to generate comments from a wide range of stakeholders. The official launch of the final version will take place on 7 December in Brussels during the European Development Days event.
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