Good Governance and Role of Democracy

On 9 January, Riga will host an official ceremony for launching the European Year
for Development 2015 that will be dedicated to development cooperation. One of the
high level panel discussion at the event will feature a debate on good governance
and the role of effective and responsible institutions in sustainable development of
countries, with participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Edgars
Rinkvis, and the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Garibashvili.
Latvias Presidency of the Council of the EU is a pivotal period for the new global
development policy, as in 2015 the international community will have to agree on the
new global development framework. Latvia is set out to highlight the role of
democratic institutions in this agenda. Support for institution building and
fundamental principles of democracy are important priorities for Latvia in
development cooperation with its partner countries Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia,
Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and others. Stability and growth, especially in neighbouring
regions, are also of benefit to Latvia, as this means peace, as well as security for
Latvias people.
Beside the Foreign Minister of Latvia, the participants of the discussion include
Neven Mimica, Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development; Cihan
Sultanolu, Assistant Administrator and Director of the Regional Bureau for Europe
and the Commonwealth of Independent States at the United Nations Development
Programme; Elvira Sarieva, Minister of Education and Science of Kyrgyzstan; and
Tanya Cox, co-chair of the European Task Force of a civil society campaign Beyond
2015.
The opening event for the European Year for Development will be concluded with a
presentation on the shift in development cooperation policy and post 2015
development agenda. One of the most renowned contemporary researchers in the
field of development policy, the Deputy Director for Global Economy and
Development program at the Brookings Institution, Homi Kharas, will discuss these
issues in his Kapuscinski Development Lecture. Please register your interest in
advance at http://kapuscinskilectures.eu/lectures/transition-to-a-developing-world/.
The event will be officially launched by the Prime Minister of Latvia, Laimdota
Straujuma, and the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker.
The event will bring together 250 high-ranking participants: Ministers for
Development from EU Member States, and senior officials from the European
Commission and international organisations etc. The EU and Latvias nongovernmental organisations, project teams and researchers will also be widely
represented at the event.
The participants will exchange views on the significance of the annual theme, and
cooperation among all stakeholders. The activities planned by EU Member States
and NGOs during the European Year for Development will also be presented.
It will be possible to follow livestreaming from the opening event at www.eu2015.lv,
and on the official EYD2015 website at www.europa.eu/eyd2015. Students of the
Social Sciences Faculty of the University of Latvia will provide information via social
media. Using the hashtag #EYD2015 on Twitter, all will have an opportunity to put

questions to the participants. The opening event will feature a high level press
conference, and a media centre will also be in operation. The media accreditation
will be open till 7 January 2015 on the website for Latvias Presidency of the Council
of the EU.
The aim of the Year for Development is to raise awareness among the general public
on the development cooperation policy of the EU and Latvia, and its results, as well
as explaining its significance and benefits to all stakeholders. The launching of the
European Year for Development is hosted by Latvia as the country presiding over
the Council of the EU. The event is organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the
Republic of Latvia in association with the European Commission.