The Alliance between the South-Korean CSO People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD) and Eurodad was set up in January 2012 with the aim of strengthening cooperation between civil society in the EU and in the Republic of Korea. Through experience-sharing and mutual learning, the Alliance enhances their capacities to engage in policy dialogues and to coordinates joint advocacy towards a more sustainable global finance. This project is implemented with the financial support of the European Commission.
Through this alliance, PSPD and Eurodad are opening an important channel for knowledge and experience sharing, and joint advocacy towards more sustainable global finance.
An opportunity: Korean and European CSOs building an alliance
Global power balances are changing. Emerging economies are gaining more and more economic and political importance while traditional powers are declining. The world is facing more and more global challenges that call for a global answer. A global civil society is therefore needed in order to address global policy. However, CSOs have been behind on working together to monitor what our governments do.
While both European and Korean civil society organisations have solid expertise and long-standing track record in policy and advocacy on responsible and sustainable finance for development, so far there have been very few interactions. PSPD and Eurodad aim to challenge decision makers together, at the national, regional and global levels.
Who are we?
PSPD works on institutionalisation of civil participation in democracy, state power and socio-economic reform. Especially, the People’s Economic Committee at PSPD suggests alternatives for sound market order and monitors unfair trading activities. CSOs in the ROK have proliferated since the beginning of the democratisation process in the 1980s and have been an important factor in deepening the democratisation process. The PSPD has also developed in-depth analysis and expertise on the issues of financial institutions and sustainable development.
Eurodad is a CSO network conducting research and advocacy on development finance. Together with its members, Eurodad pushes for finance to be conducive to development. Responsible finance standards is at core of everything we do. Therefore, in 2011, Eurodad published a Responsible Finance Charter which sets out standards that would make loans and investments fit for development.
What will we do?
- Strengthen networking among ROK CSOs and between them and EU CSOs by improving their exchanges and communications, their capacity to reach out to NGOs working on climate finance and human rights, and by deepening their relations with research institutions;
- Improve knowledge of EU and ROK CSOs on responsible lending and sustainable finance by sharing information and analysis on relevant national and international policy processes, and conducting joint seminars and researches;
- Enhance the capacities of ROK CSOs to advocate national decision-makers and engage in global advocacy within policy processes addressing the issues of responsible finance for sustainable development. This will be done by sharing effective advocacy strategies tested by European NGOs and by supporting access of ROK in EU and global CSO advocacy efforts. Among our targets are the G20, International Financial Institutions, EU institutions, the government of the Republic of Korea and decision makers in other newly industrialized countries and emerging economies.
How?
PSPD and Eurodad alliance is consolidated through this website that allows us to disseminate and communicate our goals globally in order to find organisations and individuals interested in enriching even more our dialogue, intelligence exchange and common knowledge development.
An online Resource Bank with key resources on effective advocacy and awareness-raising on responsible and sustainable finance will also increase experience-sharing.
In addition, Eurodad and PSPD are signed up to various list-serve to facilitate information exchange and communications between Eurodad members, other European CSO allies, PSPD and other relevant CSOs in the ROK.
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DISCLAIMER
“This publication has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.”
