The European Commission (EC) is one of Plan International’s main institutional donors, providing funding for both development and humanitarian projects. In 2014-15, Plan International was implementing 75 projects funded by the EC in 42 countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas, benefiting over 15 million people.
Of these, 25 were newly awarded in 2014-15 – 15 Development and 10 Humanitarian – amounting to over €22m. In terms of sectors, the majority of projects focus on our core areas of child protection, gender and youth economic empowerment, accounting for 32 of the development projects running during the year.
Increasing our impact
In order to increase our effectiveness and extend our reach, we work with partners at all levels, from grassroots organisations to international consortia. In 2014, we led a consortia of Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision in the responses to both the Ebola crisis and the Nepal Earthquake. Working in consortia allows us to harness the particular skills, expertise and local knowledge of each organisation, resulting in more comprehensive projects which reach a greater number of children and communities.
We continued to strengthen the expertise of Plan International staff globally on the proper management of EC-funded projects, running donor compliance workshops for field staff. By doing so, we aim to improve the impact and sustainability of our projects, in line with the EC’s focus on securing maximum value for money.
Global Account Management
Plan International EU Office acts as the organisation’s Global Account Manager for the European Commission’s Development and Humanitarian Aid Directorates General. In this capacity, we ensure greater coordination and collaboration between Plan International’s European and Country Offices when responding to calls for proposals, increasing efficiency and strengthening the quality of proposals submitted. We also facilitate internal learning and information sharing, ensuring continual improvements are made in the management of our EC-funded projects.
By acting as the Global Account Manager, we work to influence the EC’s funding strategies and decisions in line with Plan International’s global priorities. By doing so, we ultimately aim to secure more funding for quality projects as the EC’s partner of choice, increasing our impact and allowing us to reach more children with our interventions.
