Coherence of development policies

This enables it to contribute to the coherence of all Luxembourg’s actions in developing countries and to evaluate its effective contribution to sustainable development.

In terms of external policies in a development cooperation context, Luxembourg has developed several tools to ensure it adopts a coherent policy in support of sustainable growth within the context of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The 3D approach (diplomacy, development and defence) implemented in the context of Luxembourg’s foreign policy, as well as the governmental strategy of taking a practical and holistic approach to social, security, climate and migration issues, as set out in the coalition agreement, constitute the main reference framework for ensuring coherence between national and foreign policies. The “Development – Climate – Energy” Indicative Cooperation Programme (DCE ICP, 2021-2025) between Cabo Verde and Luxembourg marks the first opportunity for the implementation of an approach by Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation that involves all Luxembourg actors and sources of financing likely to be able to contribute to the sustainable development of Cabo Verde. Senegal, following the example of Cabo Verde, is the second Luxembourg’s Development Cooperation partner country in which a holistic approach has been implemented: in July 2023, the two countries signed ICP V (2024-2030), which includes the interventions of all Luxembourg stakeholders in the service of Senegal’s sustainable development.

All development cooperation actions feature a multi-stakeholder approach in order to increase their effectiveness. This approach fosters dynamic and diverse partnerships with international, national and local NGOs and also seeks to promote increased collaboration with private sector and research actors (including through public-private partnerships that can mobilise additional resources), in particular within its partner countries. The state of progress regarding development policy coherence is also closely monitored by the development Cercle des ONGD de Coopération.

Nationally, the Interministerial Committee for Development Cooperation (ICDC) is responsible for interministerial coordination on development cooperation and the coherence of development policies. The Committee meets at least six times a year.

Internationally, as part of its monitoring and review mechanisms, the United Nations “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” encourages Member States to conduct regular and inclusive reviews of progress at national and sub-national levels (“Voluntary National Review/VNR”). These national reviews serve as the basis for regular reviews by the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), convened under the auspices of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Luxembourg has already carried out two voluntary national reviews (2017, 2022).

In order to strengthen policy coherence, Luxembourg is also supported by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which makes recommendations for the adjustment of Luxembourg’s mechanisms to make them even more effective and efficient. Thus, under the joint aegis of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Luxembourg has undertaken, together with the OECD, an institutional analysis process on policy coherence for sustainable development. The aim is to strengthen existing institutional mechanisms for policy coherence in order to achieve sustainable development objectives, both nationally and internationally. In this context, between 2021 and 2023 Luxembourg carried out the project entitled “Strengthening existing institutional mechanisms and capacities for policy coherence in Luxembourg to deliver on the SDGs at home and abroad”. Three workshops were held, in which members of the Interdepartmental Commission on Sustainable Development (ICSD) and the ICDC, as well as representatives of civil society, participated. These joint interactive sessions provided an opportunity to analyse and discuss the existing mechanisms in Luxembourg in terms of policy coherence, to share examples of good practice from both Luxembourg and other OECD member countries and to identify possible avenues for building capacity in this area. The results of the project were presented at a joint session of ICDC and the ICSD in early 2023.