ABOUT US

The Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation (AKÜ) represents Estonian civil society organisations working in development cooperation, humanitarian aid and related fields, both in Estonia and in partner countries.

AKÜ advocates for policies that support effective development cooperation, working closely with policymakers to shape strategies, regulations and legislation. All of AKÜ's activities are guided by the Code of Ethics for Estonian Nonprofit Organisations.

As an umbrella organisation, AKÜ brings together and empowers its members, supports their development, represents their shared interests and helps strengthen their capacity to create meaningful and lasting impact, both in Estonia and in development cooperation partner countries.

AKÜ also works to raise public awareness of development cooperation and humanitarian aid, helping people in Estonia understand why these issues matter and how global developments are connected to their everyday lives. Through public opinion surveys and awareness-raising initiatives, AKÜ highlights the importance of international cooperation and the ways in which global challenges and developments affect Estonia.

At the European level, AKÜ works alongside partners from other EU Member States through the European development cooperation network CONCORD and the European network on debt and development Eurodad. AKÜ also contributes to discussions on sustainable development through the European Sustainable Development Network (ESDN). On the international level, AKÜ is a member of the Forus network and has also been granted consultative status with the United Nations, enabling us and our member organisations to participate in global discussions and information exchang

Through these networks, AKÜ regularly has opportunities to engage with representatives of key international institutions, including the European Commission, the European Parliament, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. This allows AKÜ to bring Estonian perspectives into European and global discussions and contribute to shaping policies at different levels.

At the heart of AKÜ's advocacy work is the aim of making development cooperation policies more effective and coherent. AKÜ contributes its expertise to policymaking processes, offers recommendations and provides constructive criticism when needed.

A key priority is policy coherence, ensuring that policies and legislation adopted in Estonia and the European Union are aligned with international commitments and do not undermine sustainable development elsewhere. For example, EU legislation should not negatively affect the economies or natural environments of developing countries. Similarly, Estonia must consider the wider global impact of its political decisions and how they affect people beyond its borders.

Alongside its advocacy work, AKÜ focuses on two other important areas:

• Strengthening member organisations capacity: AKÜ supports its members through training, capacity-building activities and opportunities to participate in international events. Where possible, we also help members find project funding and travel grants to help expand their activities and reach.

• Raising public awareness: AKÜ conducts and compiles research on development cooperation and related issues, using the findings to inform public discussions and highlight how global challenges and developments are connected to everyday life in Estonia.