EPD Projects
EPD projects are multilayered and multilateral processes which are
based on flexible responses to be efficient and adaptable to the needs and
demands of partners in the selected countries
EPD firstly
sets out to identify a target country by seeking political windows allowing for
new opportunities; pre-existing ties with local actors; the direct demand from
local actors and organisations. The potential avenues for intervention are then
evaluated by EPD. These interventions can take on various formats depending on the
political and institutional context of the country, the nature of the political
processes at stake, the capacity of local actors, their expressed needs and
demands and the work of donors and stakeholders operating on the ground.
In order to
set a realistic scene to the evaluation, EPD conducts consultations with Civil
Society Organisations (CSOs) in the selected country, international donors and
stakeholders both at the local and international level, as well as with experts
and associated organizations from the EPD network. EPD builds links with CSOs
and the international community to foster dialogues and interactions between
the Civil Society and the Political Society . EPD's local action usually include components of capacity development for local organisations;
by creating platforms for the dissemination of impartial information to ensuring
participation and to allow for the
creation of a home-grown constitution, as in the case of Zimbabwe. In Armenia
for example, platforms were put in place to exchange experiences between organizations working in Advocacy field.
Furthermore, EPD interventions usually have a knowledge sharing capacity and a
peer-to-peer exchange to stimulate cooperation and support.
An
essential component of an EPD intervention is dissemination and advocacy in
Brussels and to other European capitals, to open both a window of opportunity
for local actors to influence policy making but also to channel knowledge and
experience from the local to the national to the international decision makers
and stakeholders in Europe.
For overviews of the projects EPD has undertaken in target countries,
please use the column on the left