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Noteworthy on the Web
February 2002 Pooling of Technical Assistance The pooling of funds for technical assistance (TA) in the context of sector-wide approaches is one response to the increasing criticisms of development cooperation. This issue of Capacity.org presents the results of a study on the pooling of funds to finance technical assistance. Development Effectiveness: Review of Evaluative Evidence This UNDP report (November 2001) consists of an in-depth analysis of UNDP programmes and projects and pays particular attention to issues of effective upstream assistance and national ownership. January 2002 Ignoring the experts - Poor people's exclusion from poverty reduction strategies This Christian Aid policy briefing focuses on national Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSPs) in developing countries. These are flagship examples of policy processes that, in theory, have people's participation and poverty reduction at their heart. Although PRSPs are national processes, they sit at the interface of national and international governance issues, making the need for popular participation all the more pertinent. Two years on from their launch, this report provides a critical view of how far PRSPs have facilitated real, empowering and policy-changing participation by the people affected by these policies. It is hoped that it will contribute to the review of PRSPs that the World Bank and IMF will be conducting at the end of 2001. The quality of aid: Towards an agenda for more effective international development co-operation This report brings together the main findings and recommendations from three case studies on the quality of British and European Community (EC) aid to India, Ethiopia and Mozambique. Christian Aid conducted the studies in close collaboration with partner organisations, in the course of 1998 and 1999. The aim of the synthesis report is threefold:
The individual case studies for India, Ethiopia, and Mozambique are also available. Poverty Reduction Strategies – What have we learned? At the World Summit for Social Development in 1995, heads of state and government from 180 countries committed themselves to "formulating or strengthening national poverty eradication plans to address the structural causes of poverty". In response to this challenge, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with support from the Government of Norway and other bilateral donors, launched the Poverty Strategies Initiative (PSI) programme in 1996. Its goal was to assist countries in analysing the extent and determinants of poverty and in formulating national policies and strategies aimed at reducing poverty. During 2000, UNDP conducted an in-depth evaluation of its Poverty Strategies Initiative, examining its impact in 18 countries. The results of the evaluation were presented to the conference in a book entitled Choices for the Poor: Lessons from national poverty strategies, which distilled a number of findings about the formulation and implementation of poverty reduction strategies thus far. The Conference was jointly organised by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNDP, the Christian Michelsen Institute (CMI) and the Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP). It not only disseminated lessons learned from the experience of the UNDP Poverty Strategies Initiative, but channeled these into a broader discussion of the new framework of national Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. The UNDP Support For Poverty Reduction Strategies - The PRSP Countries: Interim Report - September 2001 is also available. The Development Record and the Effectiveness of Foreign Aid. U.S Agency for International Development Bureau for Policy and Program Coordination Staff Discussion Paper No. 1 June 1998. This paper challenges the critics of foreign aid who argue that there has been little or no progress in the developing world, and that aid has not only been wasted but has retarded economic development in the countries that receive it. Looking toward the future, these critics see only dim prospects for successful development, and little or no role at all for foreign aid. It examines the extent of progress (and lack of progress) in development, paying particular attention to the sorts of criticisms cited above. It demonstrates that these critiques are largely without empirical foundation. Development performance on the whole has been positive, with much more success than failure, and much more progress than stagnation or decline. Prospects for further success are good. Development progress does not by itself demonstrate the effectiveness of foreign aid. There is still the hypothetical possibility that while much progress has been made, foreign aid had little or nothing to do with it. More extensive analysis, including case studies, is needed to isolate the role of foreign aid. Net official development assistance flows in 2000 This presentation of data, prepared by the OECD-DAC, shows net official development assistance flows in 2000. Aid from DAC donors in 2000 as a percentage of GNP A graph showing Aid from DAC donors in 2000 as a percentage of GNP, prepared by "Development Initiatives". The point is made that aid from donor countries has fallen back to lowest ever level as a proportion of OECD wealth. Aid Abroad Is Business Back Home An article from the Washington Post highlighted on the Global Policy web-site which reveals that much of US development aid benefits US citizens and the US "development business," rather than those most in need. Strengthening Aid Effectiveness consultation In an earlier editorial, we highlighted CIDAs public consultation process on a policy document entitled: Strengthening Aid Effectiveness: New Approaches to Canada's International Assistance Program. To hear from as many Canadians as possible, the Minister and CIDA did a cross-country round of consultations from September 4 to 20, 2001. In addition, the Agency held an on-line consultation for all those who could not attend the sessions. More than 1,000 Canadians attended the sessions, and about 6,000 visited the on-line consultation Web site. This process has now been completed and the feedback received both from consultations around the country as well as over the Internet can now be reviewed on this web page. Citizenship, Participation and Accountability: A Perspective Exclusion of the poor and the marginalised from the development process has given rise to the concerns for active citizenship, responsible participation of people and accountability in the development process. Such concerns seek alternate forms of development, which foster more inclusive and deliberate forms of citizen engagement. Development Research Centre (DRC) on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability aims to re-cast such concerns on inclusion, participation and accountability in a rights-based and citizenship-centered mould both in theory and practice. This article, briefly highlights the background of DRC on Citizenship, Participation and Accountability, presents PRIA's perspective on these themes. The article is linked to the DRC web page where more information on the initiative can be obtained. ICT capacity development issues There are well known rules of engagement when working with communities. If ICT champions wish to see sustainable programmes and projects, they would do well to consider standard capacity building guidelines. Building the capacity of a community or local organisation is much more than ensuring it has resources and inputs. 'Capacity Building' has become almost a specialisation in its own right among development actors and there is now a recognisable process to capacity building. Much of the literature relevant to capacity building of communities suggests that projects should start the planning process by discussing the values and aims (goal) of the community, not with an inventory of existing and proposed resources. Strengthening Demand: A Framework for Financing Sustainable Development A crisis exists in development finance – one in which steady erosion in official development assistance (ODA), combined with declining effectiveness and legitimacy of domestic revenue- raising efforts have sharply reduced support for programmes of capacity building, poverty eradication, and environmental conservation. While non-concessional financial flows – commercial credit and direct investment – are growing, these continue to focus on large-scale industry and infrastructure projects, which are inadequate vehicles for advancing sustainable development. Small and medium-scale development finance, which holds the potential to create large numbers of sustainable livelihoods, is typically considered by commercial creditors to be too costly a resource to provide. The result is a growing deficit in support for sustainable development, even as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) approaches. These trends reflect poorly on the global commitment to the goals of Agenda 21, and beg the question of how commitment can be renewed. This summary article provides an overview of issues taken up in a more elaborate report. Archives
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