German experts call for a different development policy towards Africa

In a concise appeal (in German), senior experts of German developmentcooperation have called for a revision of German development policy towards Africa.

They criticize the belief that the West could develop Africa. The fact that development workers take on too much power would paralyze self-initiative and African ownership. Furthermore they criticize the assumption that redistribution of wealth via increased aid would improve the situation. According to the critics, more money tends to have inverse effects and if distributed via budget aid would additionally increase corruption and bad governance.

The authors call for:

• Decentralization of German aid to country embassies and the liquidation of the current multiple aid structure with various government agencies responsible for development cooperation
• Strong orientation towards non-state actors
• Concentration on education, micro-finance and work-intensive infrastructure improvements

The appeal, which was signed by former German ambassadors, high-ranking politicians and scientists, provoked harsh criticism (in German) by Germany’s development community. They accuse the critics of painting a cut and dried picture of a rather complex environment that ignores the importance of good governance and the role of the state as well as international trade structures.

Willing to kick-off a comprehensive discussion on German aid, the authors of the appeal agreed to further elaborate responses on the criticized issues in a second paper.

See the Euforic newsfeed on German Development Cooperation

 

CONCORD: Manifesto for the 2009 European Parliament Elections

In June 2009, European citizens will elect their representatives to the European Parliament for the 2009-2014 term.

In a recent Manifesto, Concord calls on the future parliamentarians to take close regard to essential EU development policy objectives namely 1) sustainable development, 2) more and better aid and 3) democratic accountability.

1) In reference to the objective of sustainable development CONCORD urges the Parliament to push forward key targets of climate justice, which means to effectively slow down climate change while also helping developing countries to cover cost of adaptation. Furthermore commitments regarding gender equality need to be implemented and covered financially. Other issues broad to attention are a responsible Economic and Trade Policy, a responsible Food and Agricultural Policy, a Decent Work Agenda, sustainable Finance for Development, issues regarding migration as well as social and human development.

2) Concerning the target of more and better aid CONCORD urges the MEPs to ensure that EU aid targets are met (see Concords Aid Report: “No time to waste“). Furthermore commitments to democratic ownership, accountability and transparency should be strengthened as well as the respect for human and social rights which are absent in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.

3) In the light of the policy goal of democratic accountability EU Parliamentarians should ensure the close participation of civil society in EU decision-making. Additionally CONCORD calls on the Parliament to issue a report on Development Education which is seen as essential to a strong, informed and actively engaged citizenry. Regarding future institutional reforms, as enshrined in the Lisbon Treaty, Parliamentarians should ensure that the post of an Commissioner for Development will not be sacrificed and remains an crucial voice in the College of the EU Commission.

See the Euforic newsfeed on Civil Society; and the Concord newsfeed

 

The African Union in Global Organizations

This book provides an overview of the African Union including its OAU legacy, its institutional

framework and policy objectives. It probably targets beginning students of the African Union since it is far to superficial to give an satisfying assessment of the organization.

What I found a bit irritating is the lack of criticism regarding the African Union’s progress.

No word about the missing pressure on Zimbabwe, nothing about the prevalent top-down policy approach or the backlash of the Union Government discussions.

I got the impression that the authors closely studied AU official documents but did not have real insights in the current situation of the African Union. This goes along with a dominant citation of Western sources (i.e. the World Bank) or American authors while the work of African scientists regarding the Union is almost missing

 

Reforming the EU’s Aid Architecture and Management

According to a recent paper by the German Development Institute , the European Commission should not anymore be the main focus of reform in the EU aid architecture. Sven Grimm proposes to look more on the whole system, meaning not only aid administered by the Commission but to assess the entire EU aid system which includes the member states and the Commission. Grimm argues that the Commission went through an intense reform process but that the system as a whole still needs reform.

“…the bucket of EC aid appears to have been fixed and is no longer leaking profusely. However, if one looks at the overall system of EU external relations with developing countries, there is not just one bucket (the Commission), but at least 27 more (the member states). And the question to be asked is: Given this line of buckets – all shaped differently, with different size and made of different material – can the EU deliver effectively the way it is organized at the moment?”

According to the author, challenges ahead which will require close coordination with the EC aid system include the shift to partner country level ownership as demanded by the Paris Declaration, the future EC aid budget negotiations, the division of labour between the EU 27 +1 as well as the yet unknown consequences of the Lisbon treaty reforms regarding EU development policy.

by Martin Behrens

See the Euforic newsfeed on EU cooperation.

See also the Whither EC Aid Project on the future of EU Development Cooperation.

 

Development effectiveness versis aid effectiveness

With a few weeks to go until the Accra Forum, discussions on the effectiveness of aid are close to the peak. However as a new paper by OEFSE (pdf in German) observes, they tend revolve around issues of technical-operative implementation of development programs rather than more fundamental issues like the usefulness of development policy, structural pre-conditions of North-South relations or new challenges for international cooperation.

The paper by Clemens Six discusses the UNDP concept of Development Effectiveness which

“reflects the extent to which an institution or intervention has brought about targeted change in a country or the life of the individual beneficiary. Development effectiveness is influenced by various factors, beginning with the quality of project design and ending with the relevance and sustainability of desired results” [UNDP 2001]

According to the author, the concept is much broader with Aid Effectiveness actually being just one aspect of a more complex framework. Looking on the diverse definitions of development and effectiveness, the paper challenges the reader to reflect on mainstream concepts and to take other issues like the ‘Right to Development’, ‘Commitment to Development’ and micro-level effectiveness and empowerment into consideration.

by Martin Behrens

See Euforic newsfeed on Aid Effectiveness or more news from ÖFSE.