2005 from weitzenegger.de

2005

This monthly Newsletter brings you news for international co-operation professionals on economic and social development. Free of charge if you recommend it to other colleagues. Edited by Karsten Karsten Weitzenegger Consulting, http://www.weitzenegger.de

1. Commission for Africa Report highlights steps to increase FDI
2. UK rethinks aid conditionality
3. Blue Book on building inclusive financial sectors for development
4. Global Employment Trends: ILO Brief 2005
5. European Summit recognises role of Chambers in EU
6. EU to modify rules of origin for trade preference schemes
7. Publications
8. Training and Events
9. Websites

The UK Commission for Africa Report (http://www.commissionforafrica.org) presents a number recommendations as an agenda for progress concerning debt, aid, trade and HIV and Aids in Africa. The actions proposed by the Commission constitute a coherent package for Africa. The problems they address are interlocking. They are vicious circles which reinforce one another and must be tackled together.

The Commission has proposed the establishment of an Investment Climate Facility, which would require US$550 million from donors and the private sector over seven years, for the purpose of identifying and overcoming obstacles to doing business in the region. The Report also calls for support of a investment guarantee fund proposed by MIGA (http://www.miga.org) to insure foreign and domestic investors in post-conflict countries in Africa. Finally, the report emphasizes the importance of public-private partnerships in infrastructure, a priority area for private and donor funding.

Going for Growth and Poverty Reduction: the public and private sectors need to work together to create a climate which unleashes the entrepreneurship of the peoples of Africa, generates employment and encourages individuals and firms, domestic and foreign, to invest. Changes in governance are needed to make the investment climate stronger. The developed world must support the African Union's NEPAD programme to build public/private partnerships in order to create a stronger climate for growth, investment and jobs.

More Trade and Fairer Trade: Internally Africa must improve its transport infrastructure to make goods cheaper to move. It must reduce and simplify the tariff systems between one African country and another. But the rich nations must also dismantle the barriers they have erected against African goods, particularly in agriculture. Careful attention must be given to ensure that the poorest people are helped to take advantage of the new opportunities and to cope with the impacts of a more open system of world trade.

Resources: the Commission calls for an additional 25 billion USD per year in aid, to be implemented by 2010. Practical proposals should be developed for innovative financing methods such as international levies on aviation, which can help secure funding for the medium and longer term.

Trade section of the UK 'Commission for Africa' report http://213.225.140.43/english/report/thereport/15chap8.pdf
Full text of the 'Commission for Africa' report http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/thereport/cfafullreport.pdf
Executive summary of the 'Commission for Africa' report http://www.commissionforafrica.org/english/report/thereport/06executivesum.pdf

In 'Partnerships for poverty reduction', DFID explains why the UK will no longer impose policies on developing countries as a condition of aid, but instead use a much more supportive approach.
http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/conditionality.pdf

You are invited to contribute your experience and expertise in a global consultation process launched by The UNCDF and the Financing for Development Office of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to identify the constraints and opportunities imbedded in giving equitable access to financial services to the millions of bankable people currently unbanked worldwide. By completing this questionnaire http://www.uncdf.org/bluebook/register.php , you will be participating along with invited national governments, central banks and other financial institution supervisory bodies, multilateral institutions, civil society, the private sector and stakeholders in the microfinance industry in a consultative process that will lead to the publication of the ''Blue Book on Building Inclusive Financial Sectors''. The online questionnaire will be open for contribution until Friday April 29th 2005.
http://www.uncdf.org/bluebook/

This ILO Brief focuses on increasing employment and poverty alleviation, and improving the conditions of work in the global economy. The report finds that the global employment situation improved slightly in 2004, and that this is only the second time in the past decade that there was a year-over-year decline in total unemployment. However, of the over 2.8 billion workers in the world, nearly half still do not earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the US$2 a day poverty line. The benefits of globalisation must be more evenly distributed through broader consensus on issues regarding core labour standards. Active labour market policies, including skill development, should be strengthened to better prepare workers for the future job market. Improvements must be made in the conditions of work in the informal economy through the formalising process, but it must also maintain its potential to create jobs. Such a strategy should initially entail improving rights, providing social protection, and allowing the organisation and representation of workers. Youth need to be provided with training and skills, and also decent employment opportunities early in their work- life. The wide gap between the unemployment rates of young men and women must be addressed. Tackling youth unemployment requires both an integrated and targeted approach to understand the diverse characteristics of young people as much as the diversity of the labour markets in each economy. (ELDIS)
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC17747

On 22-23 March 2005 European heads of government met at a European Summit in Brussels. While the Summit lacked the pure economic focus that is needed - see also the articles below - it was a big step forward for the recognition of Chambers. For the first time ever, Chambers of Commerce are explicitly listed in the Summit conclusions: Chapter II ''Relaunching the Lisbon Strategy: a partnership for growth and employment'' underlines the key role which small and medium-sized enterprises play and commits the Member States to identifying measures required to cut red tape, introduce one-stop contact points and provide access to finance and accompanying services. In order to make the best use of support networks for SMEs, the Commission and Member States shall cooperate with and involve ''Chambers of Commerce''.
http://www.eurochambres.be

The EC has adopted a plan to develop a new, simplified set of rules of origin for its trade preference schemes, particularly the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP). 'Rules of origin' are a set of requirements that govern whether goods are eligible for the lower rates of customs duty offered under a particular preferential trade arrangement. The new plan, which was adopted on 16 March, asks EU members to revise and simplify the conditions for a product to be considered as originating in a particular country, to modify customs procedures to facilitate exporters' use of preferential market access, and to develop instruments to ensure that preference beneficiaries comply with their obligations. Improving developing countries' access to rich-country markets is to ''inspire'' the process, according to the document outlining the new plan. (BRIDGES Weekly Trade News Digest). The EC 'Communication' on the future rules of origin in preferential trade arrangements is available at http://europa.eu.int/eur-lex/lex/LexUriServ/site/en/com/2005/com2005_0100en01.pdf

Local ownership, co-ownership and capacity-building in aid projects: the findings of a comparative study.
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/mdg/rc/filedownload.do~itemId=1032846
This paper analyses the relation between local ownership in a selection of Swedish aid projects and the manner in which aid is provided. It addresses analytical problems of defining ownership for organizations and methodological problems in the empirical investigation. Key findings of the study are firstly that local ownership cannot be created by other parties, but can be enhanced and facilitated.

Europe must send a strong signal to the developing world
http://www.trialog.or.at/docs/final_base_document_march05.pdf
The Policy Working Group of CONCORD (Task force on the Development Policy Statement) issued the position paper ''Review of the EU development policy statement: Europe must send a strong positive signal to the developing world''. The document is the CONCORD contribution to the electronic consultation on the future of the EC development policy (conducted by the EC between January 18 and March 19, 2005). It questions that an internet consultation is the appropriate way to discuss the future of development policy and urges all actors involved to start serious debate on the future development statement in governments, parliaments and civil society constituencies. The policy paper is intended to serve as a first general CONCORD position on the important issues at stake.

A Manual for Evaluating the Impact of Targeted Poverty Reduction Programmes
http://www.unescap.org/publications/detail.asp?id=938
The Poverty and Development Division of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) has prepared a manual for evaluating the impact of targeted poverty reduction programmes at local level and build capacities of local-level officials of government and NGOs for undertaking this task.

OECD Factbook 2005: Economic, environmental and social statistics
http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,2340,en_2649_201185_34572299_1_1_1_1,00.html
Data relating to 100 major indicators are available in this annual digest of economic, environmental and social statistics covering the OECD's 30 member nations. The data - available in book form and online - are accompanied by explanatory analysis and charts. Coverage is provided in the following areas: Population and migration; Macroeconomic trends; Economic globalisationl Prices; Labour market; Science and technology (including information technology); Energy; Environment; Education; Public policies; and Quality of life.

New directions in impact assessment for development: Methods and practice
http://www.enterprise-impact.org.uk/conference/index.shtml
This Conference was held in Manchester, UK, 24 - 25 November 2003. The conference website links to the papers presented, and to summaries of breakout sessions.

Impact evaluations when time and money are limited
http://www.enterprise-impact.org.uk/feature/index.shtml
EDIAIS has two new feature documents - ''Impact Evaluations When Time and Money are Limited'' by Michael Bamberger and ''Shoestring Evaluation: Designing Impact Evaluations under Budget, Time and Data Constraints'' by Michael Bamberger, Jim Rugh, Mary Church and Lucia Fort.

Joint World Bank and IMF Report on PRSP - Progress in implementation 2005 review
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPRS1/Resources/PRSP-Review/2005prsreview_conceptnote.pdf
Concept note of the Joint World Bank and IMF report on PRSP. The review will be part of the presentation to the board of directors for the forthcoming (2005) annual meeting.

Private sector development in the context of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers
http://www.gersterconsulting.ch/docs/PRSP_Private_Sector.pdf
Second generation PRSPs are coming up. Despite the broadly shared view that economic growth matters for poverty reduction, many interactions between economic policies and poverty are still not well known.

Hamburg's Initiative for Business Start-ups and Innovation
http://www.weitzenegger.de/new/hei.pdf
This paper by Karsten Weitzenegger analyses the City of Hamburg's Initiative for Business Start-ups. It was designed as public-private-partnership to strengthen the demand of BDS by a training voucher system. Public funds were used to stimulate the demand and at the same time to strengthen the networking of suppliers. The large number of existing providers was oriented more towards business starters. The local government did not ''crowd out'' the providers, but took the lead in developing a network in a market-friendly approach. For the donor the system is an efficient and effective way to reach the beneficiaries without maintaining a costly institution. The intervention was designed to be small, but permanent. The experience could be used in designing local economic development activities.

Private sector participation in health
http://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/EN/Fachinformationen/Healthcare13/Private_Sector_Study.pdf
This document is a review of demand and supply side mechanisms for engaging with the private sector. The document points to a set of approaches in regards to public/private sector schemes, and the provisions of health services and commodities to the poor. A review of evidence draws upon case studies of the impacts of private sector interventions and pro-poor programming toward health systems with supply side and demand side mechanisms. The study was instituted by the KfW Entwicklungsbank.

Involving the community: A guide to participatory development communication
http://web.idrc.ca/openebooks/066-7/
This guide by Guy Bessette (Southbound/IDRC 2004) is intended for people working in research and development. It introduces participatory development communication concepts, discusses the effective two-way communication approaches, and presents a methodology to plan, develop, and evaluate communication strategies to address the following questions: How can researchers and practitioners improve communication with local communities and other stakeholders? How can researchers, community members, and development practitioners improve their ability to effectively reach policymakers and promote change?

Chinese Competitiveness: Where Does The Nation Stand?
http://www.isc.hbs.edu/pdf/CAON_China_2004.06.18.pdf
This is a presentation on national competitiveness by Prof. Michael Porter of Harvard Business School.

Transparency International's Global Corruption Report 2005
http://globalcorruptionreport.org
Transparency International s Global Corruption Report 2005 shows how corruption in the construction sector undermines economic development, and threatens to hamstring post-conflict reconstruction in Iraq and beyond. To mark the publication of the Global Corruption

Eradicating poverty through profit: WRI conference summaries
http://topics.developmentgateway.org/special/foreigninvestment?intcmp=800
Session summaries from the World Resources Institute's ''Eradicating Poverty Through Profit'' conference have also been added to this Development Gateway Special Report. These include Consumer Products, Partnering Strategies, The Policy Dimension, Asset-Building Among the Poor, Effective Strategies in the US and Developing World Markets, and Capital Investment.

The Central Role of Entrepreneurs in Transition Economies
http://www.cefe.net/forum/Entrepreneurs-in-transition.pdf
In China, new firms were drivers of reform. The other ex-communist economies had similar experiences. They strengthened the budding market economy by creating jobs, supplying consumer goods, mobilizing savings and ending the state firms' monopoly. As in China, also, the reformers usually did not anticipate the force of entry. Paper by by John McMillan and Christopher Woodruff. (CEFE-Newsletter)

Trade Negotiations Insights
http://www.acp-eu-trade.org/tni.html
A joint ECDPM-ICTSD two-monthly publication on the major issues faced by African and ACP countries in their international trade negotiations at the WTO and with the EU in the context of the Cotonou Agreement.

Developing smallholder agriculture
http://www.smallholderagriculture.com
Developing Smallholder Agriculture is thus a very practical book by Richard L. Tinsley. It promotes looking beyond technology and development. Dissemination concentrates on the supporting services that smallholders need to enable them to enhance their crop management. It emphasizes the importance of village-level, private micro-enterprises as a cost-effective means of assisting smallholders, and questions the potential of governments and public sector institutions in providing these support services.

AGEG-Seminar: Crisis prevention, conflict resolution, peace promotion
http://www.ageg.de/news-events/news-events.html
Kirchheim, Germany, 14-16 April 2005 The German Association of Development Consultants AGEG invites for a news seminar in German language about crisis prevention, conflict resolution, and peace promotion. The facilitator is Inge Remmert-Fontes, a long-term consultant and mediator, member of the board of the competence centre peace promotion in Berne. Contact Ms. Simona Scheibitz, s.scheibitz @ ageg.de, Tel +49 7021 9708721.

Study Tour on German Experiences for International LED Experts
24.04.-06.05.2005 / Germany
http://www.led-tour.de The project activities of InWEnt and GTZ have shown that there is considerable demand in numerous developing countries for practical examples of successful Local and Regional Economic Development (LRED) initiatives. Conversely, many cities and regions in Germany have gained valuable experience over the years in the development and implementation of measures to promote local and regional economic development. To support a practice-oriented transfer of knowledge between selected regions in Germany and Eastern European and developing countries, InWEnt has started to develop a number of ''exposure programmes'' focussing on different aspects of local and regional economic development. These programmes are intended for promoters of local and regional economic development. The group excursion consists of a travel program to two selected regions of Germany and accompanying workshops in which experience is assessed and the concepts and measures that have been introduced can be examined and modified in terms of their adaptability to the target countries.

Summer Academy on OSCE
http://www.hrea.org/erc/Calendar/display.php?doc_id=2510
26 June-9 July 2005, Stadtschlaining, Austria, Level: graduate, professional. Focus: The courses and special events of this summer academy are designed to provide diplomats who are going to work with OSCE delegations and institutions, and other individuals (scholars, NGOrepresentatives, etc.) intending to work in the areas of fact-finding, human-rights, election monitoring, peaceful settlement of disputes, and other types of international diplomatic and civilian mission Location: Stadtschlaining (Austria) Deadline of application: 14 May 2005 Organisation: Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR)

The Role of Banks, Financial and Economic Institutions in Promotion and Financing the SME
http://www.aabfs.org/EB/Conf/Enhome.asp
29.-31.05.2005 / Amman, Jordan Facilitating the Flow of Funds to SMEs, The Arab Academy for Banking and Financial Sciences. Determination of the role of various organizations (banks, financial and economic institutions) in SME support, at both Arab and global levels, and empowering SME to participate actively in balanced economic development in all sectors.

Summer Academy on Local Economic Development
http://www.mesopartner.com/summer-academy/
27 June to 8 July 2005, Ruhr valley, Germany Mesopartner observed that there is a variety of courses available that offer an introductory training to LED, yet there seem to be no training formats available for practitioners with experience in the field. The Summer Academy shall fill this niche by presenting effective ways to address the key challenges in local economic development; offering you an opportunity to share the know-how of leading specialists in the field; and inviting professionals to exchange experience with other colleagues working in this field.

11th EADI General Conference
http://www.eadi.org/edc2010.
From 21-24 September 2005 EADI is organising the 11th EADI General Conference in Bonn with the main theme: Insecurity and development: Regional issues and polices for an independent world. During the conference, one day, Friday 23 September 2005, will be devoted to the EDC2010 programme.

Organizations as learning systems, Asia
http://www.od-asia.com
Further training program for national and international development practitioners in Bangkok, Thailand, 2005 - 2006. The program provides basic knowledge and skills in major content fields of OD. Participants will use various tools of OD interventions. To put knowledge and skills into practice, they are requested to identify, implement, document and present their own OD project in their own working environment. In doing so, they are supported by coaching and supervision. The course is conducted by experienced OD practitioners and trainers. Contact: Ms. Orathai Hofmann, odasia @ asianet.co.th

Support to local government and decentralisation. Strategies and tools
http://www2.gtz.de/snrd/downloads/SNRD_DECENTRAL_Training05.doc
Maseru, Lesotho, 29 May - 5 June 2005 Registration: GTZ-SNRD Africa, Hatfield, Pretoria, SA, Tel: ++27-(0)12-3423537, Fax: ++27-(0)12-3423510, elmo @ gtzpsdp.co.za

Microenterprise and Development Institute Courses
13.06.-01.07.2005 / Manchester, New Hampshire, USA
http://www.snhu.edu/MDI

SID/ EDC2010 International Conference Europe and the South: A New Era. European Development Cooperation: towards policy renewal and a new commitment.
http://www.euforic.org/sid-europe
This report is the outcome of the SID/ EDC2010 conference held in September 2004 in The Hague. As an outcome of the conference an 'Agenda for Action' was drawn up. The Agenda is foremost an appeal to the parliaments, researchers and to segments of the civil society, amongst them the business community to adapt international cooperation, and more especially European development cooperation as a real issue of the 21st century. For any enquires regarding the report, the Agenda for Action or the future activities of the SID European Programme please look at the Website or contact Gordana Stankovic g.stankovic.sid @ socires.nl , tel: + 31 70 338 3285. To order a hard copy of the report please send an e-mail to Gordana Stankovic.

Learning the Business of Microfinance
http://www.uncdf.org/english/microfinance/MFcourse.php
A CD ROM-based Microfinance Distance Learning Course.
This distance learning course intended to make basic knowledge of microfinance accessible around the globe is now available from the United Nations Capital Development Fund's Special Unit for Microfinance. The course explores why and how microfinance operations grow to provide financial services to poor and low-income people on a sustainable basis. The course was designed for working professionals who need to balance the demands of the job with new learning experiences. The course retails to the public for US $49.95. A Guided Tour CD-ROM that provides sample course material is available free of charge through UNCDF by contacting distancelearning @ uncdf.org or Fax (+1 212) 906-6479.

WTO and the Netherlands launch new trainee programme for LDCs
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/pres05_e/pr400_e.htm
The WTO and the Kingdom of the Netherlands launched, on 24 March 2005, a new Trainee Programme for LDCs and other low income, and small and vulnerable, economies. The objective is to give the officials from such countries the opportunity to learn, while working for the WTO, about trade and development related matters and to develop their knowledge of trade policy. More on technical assistance: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/devel_e/teccop_e/tct_e.htm

devtrain online - EADI Training Database
http://www.eadi.org/devtrain
The EADI Training Database allows you to search for post- and undergraduate programmes and training courses with a focus on development issues from 28 European countries. Details are provided on the programme's objectives and themes, its location and costs, plus full contact details and links to the associated organisation.

BOND training ads
http://www.bond.org.uk/classifieds/training.html
BOND is the network of more than 280 UK based voluntary organisations working in international development and development education. The Classifieds section of the website is updated every few days, and includes training.

GRC Exchange about governance in development
http://www.grc-exchange.org
The Governance Resource Centre (GRC) is an information service designed to meet the growing demand for governance advice and expertise within DFID. Hosted by the Governance Resource Centre (GRC) of the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and compiled by leading international experts, the GRC Exchange provides a focal point for sharing ideas in governance. It provides a range of tailored, high quality information services to support the implementation of DFID's Governance Target Strategy Paper, 'Making Governments Work for Poor People' (2001). These services are available to DFID through an intranet style website.

Innovation Funders Network (IFN)
http://www.innovationfunders.org
IFN is a network of funders who seek to strengthen nonprofits and improve the lives of communities and people worldwide through the innovative use of information and communication technology.

ACP-EU cooperation: Are you getting regular updates and news?
http://www.dgroups.org/groups/cool
More than 50 weekly updates, including news, press clippings, links, official reports from EC meetings - - and documentation not available anywhere else. Topics ranging from EU budget to Common Security Policy and Non-state actors. Simple yet intuitive design, tailored for access in the South. Service that everyone is praising and talking about! Keeping you in the ACP-EU loop!

Phil Bradley's Finding Information
http://www.philb.com/whichengine.htm
Phil Bradley's Finding Information not only has some recent additions to the search engine universe, it also tells you in plain English exactly how to use them. This site helps you to define what you need (''I want an overview of a subject,'' ''I want to see thumbnails of pages before visiting them,'' ''I need access to academic resources,'' etc.). And it has dozens of search engines here, including several I never knew about. (FITA)

Tutorials Directory
http://www.tutorialsdirectory.com
Tutorials Directory is a listing of some of sites for self-learners, although limited to computer topics. Here you'll find tutorials on things like operating systems, Web design, Microsoft Office, computer graphics, Internet marketing, and programming. These links will help you to find solutions to the computer problems that cause you to lose sleep, grumble at your spouse, and kick the dog. (FITA)