At our recent Ambrela Development Forum #ADF2025 in Bratislava, the 1st plenary was focused on ‚New Realities in Development Cooperation: The EU and UN Role, Resource (R)evolution and Principles‘. The discussion was chaired and moderated by Floris Faber – EU Representative from ACT Alliance EU. It revealed both the ambition and the uncertainty surrounding the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, and the space it leaves for civil society. 

One of the guest speakers, Erika Gerretsen, the Director for Human Development, Migration, Governance and Peace, International Partnerships Department at the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA) described Global Gateway as a shift from a donor–recipient model to one of mutual interest and partnership. From the ground, Jan Mrkvička, the Director, Relief and Development Department at People in Need Czechia warned that large investments risk repeating past mistakes if local civil society is not involved from the start. Steliana Nedera, the Manager from United Nations Development Programme Regional Hub in Istanbul underlined the same point from a governance angle: open civic space is the foundation of effective institutions. Alexei Jones, the Head of the EU Foreign and Development Policy Team at the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) called Global Gateway part of a wider “trilemma” between interests, values, and partnerships. Read the full blog post on the topic summarized by Floris Faber here. Watch the whole video from this ADF Plenary 1 on New Realities in Development Cooperation here.

This year’s edition of the #ADF 2025 conference was organized by Ambrela platform and funded by strategic partners and donors: CEI, UNDP, Representation of the EC in Slovakia, Canadian and British Embassy in Bratislava, SR and EU under the Program Slovensko. You can find the ADF program, photos and videos from the conference here: https://developmentforum.ambrela.org/