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This monthly Newsletter brings you news for international cooperation professionals on economic and social development.
Edited by Karsten Weitzenegger, http://www.weitzenegger.de.
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CONTENT
- UN Doha Conference calls for reform of the financial architecture
- How will developing countries be affected by the global financial crisis?
- EC's plan to drive Europe's recovery from the current economic crisis
- UNCTAD: Economic Development in Africa 2008
- Training and Events
- Publications
- Websites of the Month
Easy Expert Registration is open
We are currently looking for economic development experts. Requested expertise includes:
- Small and Medium enterprises (SME) support policy and assistance (advisory services for management, production, technology, research & development, marketing, partnership, safety, exports promotion, financing, human resources management incl. gender issues, training, environmental impact, production quality, etc.)
- Banking, inclusive financial services to SMEs (credit lines, equity, guarantees, micro-credit, micro-insurance, guarantee funds, bank supervision-, other financial instruments for SME development
- Supporting professional/commercial/advisory bodies (professional associations, decentralised advisory agencies, local consultancy strengthening, chambers of commerce, business centres
- Clusters, value chains, innovations, technology transfer
- Local economic development, regional competitiveness
- Vocational Education and Training - VET (formal and non-formal), VET sub-sector analysis, reform and management, Labour Market and Employment
- Use of information and knowledge economy
- Social inclusion and protection (formal and informal), unemployment insurance schemes, social inclusion and assistance policies and systems
- Macro economy, public finance, EU Structural Funds, IPA - pre-accession funds, central banking
- Regulatory environment for business
- External trade policy, WTO, commercial policy customs legislation and procedures, social and ecological labeling, fair trade
- Investment promotion, sector policies (textile, mining, pharmaceutical industry, agriculture, tourism etc.)
- Poverty analysis and monitoring, Poverty (and Social) Impact Assessment, Management for Development Results (MfDR)
Do you have in-depth sectoral expertise with a related academic degree and working experience in developing countries/emerging economies? Are you familiar with development cooperation programmes and instruments? Are you able to work in English or other official languages?
Then please send your CV directly to me at cv @ weitzenegger.de. I will consider your expertise and ambitions and keep an eye on suitable opportunities. At the same time, I register you in AGEG's database. See my site http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/careers.html for guidance.
For upcoming framework contracts, AGEG Consultants eG are also look for experts for rural development, infrastructure, environment, health, culture, education, employment and social development, humanitarian aid, crisis management and post-crisis assistance. AGEG will invite you to submit offers for your services regarding missions for which your qualifications match the Client’s requirements during the next years.
Cheers, Karsten
Take a Deep Thought | http://weitzenegger.de/thought/
Confining African countries to the production of primary commodities amounts to condemning them to remain locked in the commodity trap. Africa needs to create a competitive advantage in the production of manufactured products, as many other developing countries have done. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
1. UN Conference on Financing for Development calls for reform of the financial architecture
The Doha Conference of the Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development adopted, by consensus, a draft outcome document (http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/CONF.212/L.1/REV.1). It calls for a reform of international financial institutions and for including leading emerging countries in decision-making.
In a final statement, delegates noted that the financial crisis plaguing the world ''makes imperative a more fundamental review of the global institutions that govern international trade and finance. ''Measures taken to deal with the crisis should include reforms that ensure a more equitable and stable global financial system, which would provide the basis for sustainable and equitable development for all countries,” the Statement said. The meeting noted that the severity of the current financial crisis called for'' bold action'' to ensure continued funding to help the world's poor nations raise their standards of living. ''The Review Conference reaffirmed Monterrey goals, took hesitant note of the current crises and their impacts, failed to move adequately forward in a number of urgent subjects, but moved beyond Monterrey in several important areas,” the statement said.
''The Review Conference took hesitant note of the current crises and their impacts, failed to move adequately forward in a number of urgent subjects, but moved beyond Monterrey in several important areas,” the present 250 NGOs stated. ''It is time that decent work and gender equality took center stage in the debate on financing for development, and the fact that the outcome document refers to these concepts is a step forward in this direction. At the same time, civil society and trade unions, which are development actors in their own right, must be given a voice in the process,'' argued Conny Reuter, the secretary general of SOLIDAR.
Official Conference Website: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd/doha/
2. How will developing countries be affected by the global financial crisis?
A new report from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) looks at the impact of the global financial crisis on the developing world. Results show that developing countries cannot be treated as a homogenous block. Concerns vary significantly across countries, depending on their current economic situation, exposure to specific impacts and capacity to respond. Isolation from world financial markets will not protect the poorest countries, as the indirect impacts are likely to be severe.
In developing policy responses, account must be taken of the following: Countries will be affected differently by the different areas of impact (exports, foreign investment, exchange rate, interest rates, remittances, foreign aid). Within national economies some people will be more affected than others. There are governance implications at international and national levels. It is proposed that the following policies are pursued: Increase aid flows; enhance social protection, restructure international financial institutions.
http://www.research4development.info/news.asp?ArticleID=50316
3. A comprehensive plan to drive Europe's recovery from the current economic crisis
The European Commission presented a Recovery Plan based on short-term measures to boost demand, save jobs and help restore confidence, and also on ''smart investment'' to yield higher growth and sustainable prosperity in the longer-term. The Plan calls for a timely, targeted and temporary fiscal stimulus in 2009-2010 of EUR 200bn, or 1.5% of EU GDP, with every Member State taking major measures good for its own citizens and good for the rest of Europe. ''If Europe acts decisively to implement this Recovery Plan, we can get back on a path of sustainable growth and pay back short-term government borrowing. If we do not act now, we risk a vicious recessionary cycle of falling purchasing power and tax revenues, rising unemployment and ever wider budget deficits'', warned president Barroso. http://tinyurl.com/6gyhon
4. UNCTAD: Economic Development in Africa 2008
The objective of this year's report is to examine Africa's export performance after trade liberalization in order to draw relevant lessons that could be used to craft future trade and development strategies. The main message is that the efforts made by African countries in terms of trade liberalization over the last twenty-five years have removed most of the policy-induced barriers considered as the main impediments to these countries´ export performance. Though there has been some improvement in Africa's export performance, the level and composition of the continent's exports have not substantially improved. African countries have not diversified their exports towards more dynamic primary commodities and manufacturing goods, which are less prone to the vagaries of international markets.
The Report proposes some policies that could help Africa to refocus its development priorities on structural transformation in order to increase the continent's supply capacity and export response. These policy proposals are underscored by the observation that export development requires more than trade liberalization and that trade policy needs to be closely linked to complementary and clearly defined agricultural and industrial sector development policies. The Report emphasizes the need for macroeconomic and political stability as well as policy predictability as prerequisites for the success of trade liberalization and sectoral development policies in Africa. http://tinyurl.com/59ntun
5. Training and Events
TrainEval - Professional Training on Evaluation Methods
http://www.traineval.org
TrainEval is an advanced training programme for evaluation in development, which has been further adapted to the specific requirements of the European development cooperation and the EC evaluation approach. It has successfully been implemented for the first time since February 2008. The programme has been developed from experienced trainers and evaluators to respond to the increasing demand for evaluation expertise and its professionalization. It is offering a qualification opportunity in development evaluation for consultants, project and evaluation managers of implementing agencies as well as for representatives from financing agencies. Fee: 4300 Euro, Single module: 1280 Euro, reduced until 5January 2009.
Contact: Ms. Bettina Nasgowitz, b.nasgowitz @ ageg.de; Fax: +49-7021-970879.
MDF & HPC offer the course Value Chain Concepts for the 9th time
http://www.hposthumus.nl
Ede, The Netherlands, 19 - 23 January 2009, next: 24 - 28 August 2009
At the end of the course, you will understand the value chain conceptual framework that entails Economic Mapping, Sub Sector Analysis and Value Chain Development. The course will enhance your analytical skills to identify constraints, opportunities and leverage points to develop value chains. You will learn how to design and steer programme interventions that promote equitable growth. Fee: 1980 Euro. Contact: Registration @ mdf.nl
TrainEval Project Cycle Management:
http://www.traineval.org
Berlin, Germany, 28-30 January 2009
The course is aimed at professionals involved in the planning, implementation, supervision, coordination and guidance of development projects and programmes in one or more phases of the project/programme cycle. Contents: PCM in the EC, Steps of the project cycle. PCM and SWAp, Situation analysis, Audit – Monitoring – Evaluation,: Introduction of quality assessment/quality improvement tool, application of the tool. Fee: 860 Euro.
Contact: Ms. Bettina Nasgowitz, b.nasgowitz @ ageg.de; Fax: +49-7021-970879.
Enterprise Development through Value Chains and Business Service Markets
A Market Development approach to Pro-Poor Growth
http://www.itcilo.org/marketdev
The course offers a unique on-the-job learning opportunity using practical tools and lessons from enterprise development programs that have reached thousands of small enterprises in rural and urban areas. Participants select a work challenge as an assignment during the course and get support from international experts that act as online tutors. A mid-course 4 day face-to-face seminar is foreseen in early September 2009 (in Thailand or South Africa).
1st European SME Week: ''Small business, big ideas'', 6-14 May 2009
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policy/entrepreneurship/sme-week/
The SME week is an umbrella campaign aiming to promote entrepreneurship and inform entrepreneurs about support that is available to them at European, national and local level. The SME week is coordinated by the European Commission’s Enterprise and Industry Directorate-General and will be launched in Brussels on the 6th of May next year. The opening will be followed by an array of events organised by public administrations, business organisations and SME support providers at the national and local level throughout Europe.
International Forum on Remittances 2009
http://www.ifad.org/events/remittances/
Nairobi, Kenya, 18-19 June 2009, IFAD; IAD
This year's forum will mainly focus on remittances to and within the African continent. The objective of the forum is to raise awareness among different stakeholders in the remittance market and highlight the potential benefits that remittances can bring to the social and economic development of the African continent. Free registration: remittances @ ifad.org
6. Publications
What's wrong with Microfinance?, Ed. by Thomas Dichter & Malcolm Harper
http://practicalactionpublishing.org/?id=whats_wrong_with
Microfinance has been a long-lived development movement since the 1980s. In 2005 it enjoyed the accolade of a UN international year and in 2007 one of the founding fathers of microfinance received a Nobel Prize. However, despite the undoubted successes, there are also some important problems and fundamental questions to be addressed. Is microfinance really a step on the road to economic growth, or is it a short-term palliative, keeping poor people poor? Can an MFI really work if it embraces the ‘double bottom line’ of both profit and social good? Is microfinance, especially credit, harmful, often landing the vulnerable poor in debt? Should microfinance be reaching the poorest? The chapters, written by well-known experts in the field, are grouped around the categories: clients, institutions, and expectations. The authors aim to sound a timely warning to governments, bankers, donors and the general public. The intention is not to halt or slow microfinance initiatives, but to encourage a reassessment of experiences and a rethink of expectations and policies. Microfinance can never be a panacea and may sometimes be actively damaging to its intended customers.
''Hole in the Pocket''
http://tinyurl.com/5n5rwr
In its new report ActionAid estimates that the fall in growth rates caused by the financial crisis will cost developing countries over $400 billion by 2010. Yet billions of dollars a year are being lost by poor countries because big companies are not paying the taxes they should.
Latin American Economic Outlook 2009
http://tinyurl.com/69zy2j
The 2009 edition of the Latin American Economic Outlook shows that governments in the region could do much more to exploit the ability of fiscal policy to boost economic growth and combat poverty and inequality.
Private sector development in (post-) conflict situations. GTZ Guidebook
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/gtz2008-0383en-private-sector-conflict.pdf
This guidebook explains the challenges of working in a conflictive environment and provides development practitioners with guidance on successful project development, implementation and monitoring. In addition, the internet-based ‘Promotion of Economic Development and Employment in Conflict and Post-Conflict Environments (PEECE) Platform provides further practical advice, tools and project examples to economic development experts working in conflict or post-conflict situations.
Economic development in conflict-affected countries. GTZ Practitioners' note.
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/gtz2008-0409en-economic-development-conflict.pdf
This Practitioners’ Note focuses on the linkage between conflict and private sector development (PSD), acknowledging the need for conflict-sensitive planning and implementation of economic interventions. While much can be said about the different phases of conflict, this note focuses on the phases during and after conflict, drawing lessons from IFC/FIAS’ and BMZ/GTZ´s experiences from a range of countries.
Doing Business: New profiles of 181 economies and 13 regions
http://www.doingbusiness.org/Downloads
Doing Business 2009 economy profiles of 181 economies and 13 regions are now available for download! Each profile summarizes Doing Business indicators for that economy or region of the world. Good-practice economies are also identified.
Doing Business: new report on Doing Business in Landlocked Economies
http://tinyurl.com/5kw2ee
This report analyses the ease of doing business in 38 landlocked economies. Overall, landlocked economies have an average ranking of 107 out of 181 economies covered by the global Doing Business 2009 report.
OECD: Sustainable Development - Linking economy, society, environment
http://tinyurl.com/6ovc86
A succinct examination of the concept of sustainable development: what it means; how it is impacted by globalisation, production and consumption; how it can be measured; and what can be done to promote it.
Better Aid: 2008 Survey on Monitoring the Paris Declaration
http://tinyurl.com/5zyn9v
Assesses progress in 54 developing countries and helps us understand the challenges in making aid more effective in advancing development. 2Making Aid More Effective by 2010''.
After Structural Adjustment, Then What? Lending Selectivity by the World Bank
http://tinyurl.com/5vanpp
The author of this Development Viewpoint #16, Elisa Van Waeyenberge, Department of Economics, SOAS, critically examines the World Bank’s Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, an index that it uses to select countries for financing—but based on their past performance instead of their current need. She contends that this new form of neo-liberal conditionality discriminates against poorer countries and weakens their efforts to maintain stability, raise investment and expand pro-poor expenditures.
more documents:
GTZ Online-Library Sustainable Economic Development
http://www2.gtz.de/wbf/library/topics-en.asp
The Online - Library Sustainable Economic Development provides selected manuals, materials, workshop documentation, and technical literature as well as field reports and discussion papers from projects conducted by GTZ and other development institutions.
7. Websites of the Month
ACCION: Foster Financial Inclusion through Collaboration
http://www.centerforfinancialinclusion.org
Can commercial microfinance institutions organize themselves to protect the interests of their poor clients? The Center for Financial Inclusion at ACCION International is launched its activities with a focus on answering that provocative question, among others.
CGAP launched the 2009 SmartAid for Microfinance Index
http://www.cgap.org/funders.
SmartAid is the first ever effort to measure, rate and compare how well development organizations are at providing funding and advisory services to microfinance. Ultimately, participation in SmartAid can strengthen the effectiveness of an organization's work. In 2006, the heads of 29 major development institutions endorsed the creation of an index. SmartAid is the fulfilment of that commitment. Results are expected in the spring of 2009.
Focuss - A collaborative research tool for global development cooperation
http://www.focuss.info
The Focuss.Info Website is currently indexing 45,573 hand-picked favourite websites from partner organizations (like AGEG Consultants) and individual practitioners (like me) in the field of global development cooperation. And to make sure this amount is growing we encourage visitors of the website of Focuss.Info to join this collaborative initiative.
MyHeadlines - News for professionals
http://www.myheadlines.org
MyHeadlines delivers daily news updates to your mailbox from sources that you select from our collection. There is even more, you can create your own personal newsletters, based on customized searches of our ever growing database of news articles.
Nucleus Entrepreneur's Network
http://www.nucleus-international.net
The website shall serve as platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences for the further development of the Nucleus Approach.
R4D - A Portal to DFID Funded Research
http://www.research4development.info
R4D is a free access on-line database containing information about research programmes supported by DFID. R4D provides you with the latest information about research funded by DFID, including news, case studies and details of current and past research in over 20,000 project and document records.
SKS Microfinance India
http://www.sksindia.com
SKS Microfinance empowers the poor to become economically self-reliant by providing financial services in a sustainable manner. Launched in 1998, SKS Microfinance is one of the fastest growing microfinance organizations in the world, having provided over US $952 million (Rs 4,729 crores) and has maintained loans outstanding of US$ 393 million (Rs 1,954 crores) in loans to 3,333,917 women members in poor regions of India.
The KIS (= knowledge intensive services) Innovation Platform)
http://tinyurl.com/6oyvru
The KIS -IP is a new initiative funded under Europe INNNOVA, with the aim to accelerate the take-up of services innovations in Europe. The initiative focuses on the innovative service solutions in technological and industrial fields by developing and testing new or better innovation support mechanisms for innovative small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Reality of Aid Network
http://www.realityofaid.org
The Reality of Aid project is the only major north/south international non-governmental initiative focusing exclusively on analysis and lobbying for poverty eradication policies and practices in the international aid regime.
XING Group Microfinance Industry
http://www.xing.com/group-21391.0fc826/4466179
In this new XING Group, microfinance professionals from all over the globe link and discuss topics of interest. Use this forum to discuss financial technology, find employment, identify training opportunities and events, and share knowledge resources with fellow members of the microfinance industry. XING is an online networking tool to manage all personal contacts and to find interesting new business contacts. It's amazing how quickly it facilitates contact with key people.
ZNet - The spirit of resistance lives
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/
ZNet is a huge website with thousands of files and diverse facilities. The ZNet top page provides a good overview of all features and especially the newest content. ZNet is a component of Z Communications.
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