This is the last week we will be counting down to the Nobel Prize Ceremony on the 10th of December with the most interesting terms of the laureates’ scientific field. Last week, we learned about Narratives. In this week of the countdown, we will look at international dependency and more specifically the term International cooperation as the laureate Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali won the Nobel Peace Prize 2019.
Cooperation is the act of multiple people working towards a common goal. It is how civilisation evolves. People working towards a common goal is how we develop new ideas and solutions. The late French foreign minister Robert Schuman stated that cooperation would be the only way forward for Europe after World War II, “Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity”. If the European governments could work together and hereby merge their economic interest, the standards of living would be raised and Europe could be a step closer to be full cooperation.
Cooperation is therefore mutual understanding. It is about learning from each other and making sure to behave and work in harmony. Understanding needs and wants, helps create a mutual relationship and can hereby benefit both parties. If we look around the world, we have cooperation taking place everywhere. In Denmark, for instance there is Danida, a part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, that helps development all over the world. However, they cannot do this alone. That is why they collaborate in international cooperation with institutions such as the World Resources Institute (WRI), International Finance Corporation (IFC) and C40 Cities.
In one of the biggest international cooperation, the European Union, there is room to look outside its own region and cooperate with others. That is why in the European Commission, they even have a Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO). The Commission states, “DG DEVCO is responsible for formulating European Union development policy and thematic policies in order to reduce poverty in the world, to ensure sustainable economic, social and environmental development and to promote democracy, the rule of law, good governance and the respect of human rights, notably through external aid”.
In international cooperation, it is also important not to promise the world as Schuman mentioned. Europe was not put back together in one day and this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate can confirm that. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali is helping mend the war between his country and Eritrea. For Abiy, international relations will be his everyday life as Prime Minister as he is also engaged in other peace and reconciliations in East and Northeast Africa. This international cooperation that Abiy have shown is why he has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. It is an acknowledgement for previous work but also a call to action to continue his ambitions of peace in the region.
Next week, we will prepare a summary of all the specific terms over these last weeks to get you ready for the Ceremony. In the meantime, you can check out the term, International cooperation, on IATE and learn more about international cooperation in our sources.
Sources:
The Nobel Peace Prize for 2019. The Nobel Prize. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2019/press-release/ (Accessed 28th of November)
Cooperation. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cooperation (Accessed 28th of November)
Cooperation. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperation (Accessed 28th of November)
International Cooperation and Development. The European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/home_en (Accessed 28th of November)
International cooperation. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. https://um.dk/en/danida-en/sustainable%20growth/partnerships/international-cooperation/ (Accessed 28th of November)
Why I nominated Abiy Ahmed for the Nobel Peace Prize. Al Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/nominated-abiy-ahmed-nobel-peace-prize-191013072339962.html (Accessed 28th of November)
International Cooperation, News. The European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/research/iscp/index.cfm?pg=news (Accessed 28th of November)
Written by Mads Rise
Communication Trainee at the Terminology Coordination Unit of the European Parliament in Luxembourg. Holds a BA in English and IT-based Marketing and Communication from the University of Southern Denmark. Mads finished his BA with a thesis on Search Engine Optimisation and E-commerce. He has hands-on experience in web communication, SEO, administration and logistics.