May 2003

1. New DOCON Directory of Consulting Companies
2. World Economic Outlook: growth and institutions
3. Iraq's Reconstruction and the Role of the United Nations
4. EC reinforces co-operation with the Mediterranean area
5. SARS-NEWS is an informal news network about SARS
6. World Bank Urges International Action to prevent Civil Wars
7. VI Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise in Guatemala
8. CGAP Donor Information Resource Centre
9. Handbook for Value Chain Research
10. Writing Guide for Change
11. Guidelines for Enhancing Good Economic and Corporate Governance in Africa
12. IDB paper on "Financing Microfinance"
13. ADB Handbook on Poverty and Social Analysis
14. EURODAD papers: Is the IMF Pro-poor?
15. Network Site for Central and Eastern European studies
16. WEED re-launches Website on Corporate Accountability
17. New "European MicroFinance Network"
18. Eldis/HSRC Health Systems Resource Guide
19. World Bank Convenes a Knowledge Forum
20. Security-Sector-Reform in the Internet
21. Master Program "Regional Policies and Development in Europe" 22. Urban and City Management Programme Distance Learning Course

1. New DOCON Directory of Consulting Companies

This unique Directory lists consulting firms active in international development cooperation, sorted by country of origin or registration. Here you can find consultants, consortium partners or employers. This information is compiled from public short-list of the World Bank, the ADB, the EuropeAid Coordination Office, consulting associations and other public sources. It starts with companies based in EU Member States and other OECD countries. Accession countries and the developing world shall follow. Please contribute by using the free add feature.
http://www.weitzenegger.de/co/index.html

2. World Economic Outlook: growth and institutions

This issue of the IMF's six-monthly report looks at the economic forecast for 2003 and analysis of the role of institutions on growth. Many countries acknowledge that structural reforms will enhance long-run growth, but at the same time legitimately point to the transition costs of implementing them. Economic analysis alone cannot resolve the question of whether the long-run gains are worth the transition costs for any particular reform in any particular country. But one can attempt to try to better quantify some of the long-run benefits, and thereby inform the debate.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2003/01/index.htm

3. Iraq's Reconstruction and the Role of the United Nations

Oxfam briefing notes proposing how the international community should assist the people of Iraq in establishing their own administration after the war. Proposals are based on Oxfam's experience and lessons from Kosovo, Bosnia, East Timor and Afghanistan as well as the first Gulf war. The authors argue that successful reconstruction will depend on two factors: * UN leadership: the UN must be given a clear leadership mandate for the immediate aftermath of the war. The UN should establish an Iraqi transitional authority early on. The UN should then play a strong role in supporting national reconciliation, the re-establishment of a national civil administration, and protection of civilians. * Reconstruction: it is the responsibility of the US, UK, Australia and their allies to meet the costs of direct war damage. However, successful reconstruction will depend on local ownership and leadership by Iraqis, alongside long-term support, including aid and debt relief, from the international community led by the UN. Effort will be needed in economic and social reconstruction, support for civilian protection, gender equality, and civil society.
http://www.oxfam.org/eng/pdfs/bn030404_Iraq_reconstruction.pdf

4. EC reinforces co-operation with the Mediterranean area

The European Commission has approved a number of actions to reinforce the EU's regional co-operation with its Mediterranean neighbours in 2003.With a total budget of € 57 million, funded under the MED Regional Programme, the approved activities will encourage co-operation and dialogue between the 27 Euro-Mediterranean Partners in areas such as the Middle East Peace Process, training of public officials, water information systems, the South-South free trade area (Agadir Process), investment, facilities and cultural heritage. http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/med/index_en.htm

5. SARS-NEWS is an informal news network about SARS

SARS-NEWS is an informal news network about SARS - Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome - the deadly disease that is rapidly spreading around the world today. This mailing list provides you UPDATED news about SARS, 2 or 3 times a week, directly to your inbox. It is very important that we monitor this epidemic personally because our health and well-being are at stake. The website contains latest updated news and life-saving information about SARS. To learn more about SARS-NEWS, please visit our new website: http://www.sars-news.net

6. World Bank Urges International Action to prevent Civil Wars

International action to prevent civil wars in poor countries could avert untold suffering, spur poverty reduction, and help to protect people around the world from negative spill-over effects, including drug-trafficking, disease, and terrorism, says a new World Bank study. Contrary to popular opinion, ethnic tensions and ancient political feuds are rarely the primary causes of civil wars. Instead, economic forces such as entrenched poverty and heavy dependenceon natural resource exports are to blame. The study concludes that the international communityhas both compelling reasons and the means to prevent such conflicts. Three sets of actions are needed to prevent civil wars: more and better-targeted aid for countries at risk, increasedtransparency of the revenue derived from natural resources, and better timed post-conflict peacekeeping and aid.
http://econ.worldbank.org/prr/CivilWarPRR/

7. VI Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise in Guatemala

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will hold its VI Inter-American Forum on Microenterprise How to Confront Changes and Manage Risks for Micro and Small Enterprises on September 3 - 5, 2003 in Guatemala. Participants can choose sessions from the following tracks: latest innovations in microfinance and risk management that are increasing the flow of risk capital; current business development services strategies that are promoting entrepreneurship, the development of clusters and outsourcing; enabling environment that is reenergizing and promoting the development of small and micro enterprises; social entrepreneurship. On September 4, the IDB will hold its annual micro-enterprise development competition which awards outstanding achievements, innovations, and leadership of institutions and individuals for their work with low-income businesspeople in Latin America and the Caribbean. Interested practitioners, academics, and researchers are invited to submit proposals of best practice and research that respond to the panel discussions in the four tracks of the program agenda: Microfinance, Business Development Services, Social Entrepreneurship and Enabling Environment. Deadline for submitting applications is May 31, 2003. http://www.iadb.org/foromic/agenda.asp

8. CGAP Donor Information Resource Centre

This new initiative offers easy-to-use information on microfinance good practices for donor staff and managers for whom microfinance is just one part of their portfolio of activities. The DIRECT provides information products such as short two-page briefs, power point presentations, case studies and links to other resources. Material available on DIRECT can be modified, adapted and disseminated to others. Latest additions to the site are: a Donor Brief 'Microfinance means financial services for the Poor' that introduces a vision of microfinance as financial services for the poor; a training module 'Do poor people really save' that looks at how and why poor people save and how donors can support deposit mobilization; a presentation 'Credit components' that explores the challenges of credit components in multi-sectoral projects and proposes options for donor operations. http://www.cgap.org

9. Handbook for Value Chain Research

The Handbook by Kaplinsky and Morris (Gapresearch.org, IDS, 2003) provides a broad overview defining value chains, introducing key concepts and discussing the contribution of value chain analysis as an analytical and policy tool. It explains the underlying theoretical constructs and lays out a methodology for undertaking value chain research from which readers are encouraged to pick and choose. The objective is to help researchers plan and carry out value chain research, particularly to help poor producers and poor countries to participate effectively in the global economy.
http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/global/pdfs/vchnov01.pdf

10. Writing Guide for Change

Guide by Fahamu to effective writing, aimed at researchers, campaigners, scientists, fundraisers, project managers, social activists and people who train writers. It includes practical examples and exercises. "Writing for Change" is available in English, French and Spanish. http://www.fahamu.org.uk/cds/change.html

11. Guidelines for Enhancing Good Economic and Corporate Governance in Africa

These guidelines grew out of a NEPAD meeting that resolved to prioritize the enhancement of good governance and are intended to provide a framework of policies, processes, instruments, codes, standards, indicators, best practices, and enforcement mechanisms that can be adopted and/or adapted by African countries to demonstrate their commitment to good economic and corporate governance practices. They aim to offer African countries a general framework for thinking about how they can approach and attain reputable and beneficial systems of economic and corporate governance. They also provide guidance on the key elements of a well-performing economic and corporate governance system. Produced by United Nations Online Network in Public Administration and Finance (UNPAN) Available online at: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/uneca/unpan009243.pdf

12. IDB paper on "Financing Microfinance"

This Inter-American Bank paper aims to reveal some basic trends in the financing of microfinance institutions - where it comes from and how it has changed over time. While the paper is not a comprehensive review of the topic, it nevertheless offers some new information and points to some previously unexplored patterns. The paper also represents an effort to understand the future funding needs of the microfinance industry. In doing so, the paper identifies and examines key emerging issues that face the microfinance industry, including access to capital markets, greater reliance on foreign currency liabilities and the search for additional equity. http://www.iadb.org/sds/mic/publication/publication_159_3252_e.htm

13. ADB Handbook on Poverty and Social Analysis

This new Asian Development Bank handbook is a working document intended to help project teams, consultants, and national executing/implementing agencies in designing country programs and projects that will strengthen the fight against poverty. To keep abreast of new ideas and experience, the guidelines contained in this handbook will be updated regularly according to the approved policies of the ADB and its member countries in the Asia Pacific region. Available online at: http://www.adb.org/Documents/Handbooks/Poverty_Social/

14. EURODAD papers: Is the IMF Pro-poor?

EURODAD published three papers that are the result of the first phase of Eurodad's 2003 research programme focussing on the IMF's Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility. http://www.eurodad.org

15. Network Site for Central and Eastern European studies

"Kakanien revisited" is a web site for interdisciplinary research in the field of Central and Eastern European studies. A networking project supported by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture (bm:bwk) and the University of Vienna, the site is intended as a resource for exchange and as a space devoted to the expression of a variety of perspectives on the past and present. It is available to all scholars involved in research on Central and Eastern European topics, and intended to especially serve those from Central and Eastern European states. http://www.kakanien.ac.at

16. WEED re-launches Website on Corporate Accountability

World Economy, Ecology & Development Assoc. (WEED) launched today its completely revised and updated website on corporate accountability. It aims to facilitate the flow of information among NGOs and social movements who believe that governments, private sector and civil society need to make greater efforts to ensure the accountability of business and industry, especially Transnational Corporations, to society. It contains information about ongoing civil society campaigns on corporate accountability and about NGOs and trade unions who are active in this field. It provides comprehensive material on codes of conduct, multi-stakeholder initiatives and intergovernmental processes, as well as best and worst practice cases of corporate behaviour. Finally, this site makes available documents and publications on corporate accountability and links to relevant research institutes and databases. Contact: Jens Martens (jens.martens @ weed-online.org)
http://www.corporate-accountability.org

17. New "European MicroFinance Network"

18. Eldis/HSRC Health Systems Resource Guide

19. World Bank Convenes a Knowledge Forum

In 1996, Bank President James Wolfensohn set out to transform the institution into a "knowledge bank". According to Wolfensohn's vision, this new "knowledge bank" would capture the wealth of its cross-country experiences, the latest research and best practices on development issues and disseminate this information to staff, donor partners and client countries. For two days in late April, the World Bank Institute hosted a Knowledge Forum to assess how much progress has been made in the seven years since President Wolfensohn gave voice to this vision. In his opening address, Wolfensohn described knowledge as the new currency in which development is made possible. He stressed the importance of retaining the institutional knowledge of retiring staff, and noted new technologies make the sharing of information possible in ways that had not existed a few years ago. Importantly, he said, the very act of knowledge dissemination from the Bank to its clients and partners was changing the culture of the institution.
http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/B-SPAN/sub_kforum.htm

20. Security-Sector-Reform in the Internet

The GTZ-supported project "Reform of the Security-Sector" published information on the topic itself and background information about the project. The web page also contains project examples, important documents concerning security sector reform and an overview of contact persons.
http://www.gtz.de/security-sector/english/

21. Master Program "Regional Policies and Development in Europe"

In September 15th 2003, the Institute of Geography and Regional Science in Graz, Austria, will start its e-learning based Master Program "Regional Policies and Development in Europe" - "Regi_On_Line" which has been especially designed to enhance communication on regional development between Western, Central and Eastern European countries.
http://www.regionline.at

22. Urban and City Management Programme Distance Learning Course City Strategies to reduce Urban Poverty through Local Economic Development

This CD ROM is the first version of an electronic resource designed to encourage a learning process through which mayors, city managers, civil society organizations, academicians and other related officials can together formulate strategies to reduce urban poverty by creating an enabling environment for local economic development. Based on the successful delivery of the core Urban and City Management course, and feedback from participants, WBI has identified the need to focus on three modules, namely - City Strategy and Governance; Poverty Reduction Strategies; and Local Economic Development. The focus on urban poverty reduction through local economic development.
http://www1.worldbank.org/nars/ucmp/index.htm

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