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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 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
- WDR 2010: Development and climate protection can go together
- Oxfam: Rich countries must not raid aid to pay climate debt
- Survey on how to design a climate agreement
- Strengthening EU development cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty
- New reports assess EU policy coherence for development
- Official launch of the ACP Migration Facility
- Publications
- Training and Events
- Websites of the Month
More News: http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/newsroom.php
Take a Deep Thought
It always seems impossible until it's done. Nelson Mandela.
1. UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
Over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty -- the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) -- to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable. More recently, a number of nations approved an addition to the treaty: the Kyoto Protocol, which has more powerful (and legally binding) measures. The Kyoto Protocol is an international and legally binding agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide entered into force on 16 February 2005.
The UNFCCC secretariat supports all institutions involved in the climate change process, particularly the COP (Conference of the Parties), the subsidiary bodies and their Bureau. To help countries meet their emission targets, and to encourage the private sector and developing countries to contribute to emission reduction efforts, negotiators of the Protocol included three market-based mechanisms – Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation.
Related Weblinks:
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change UNFCCC: http://www.unfccc.int
Denmark's COP15 website: http://en.cop15.dk
General press info: http://www.pressinfo.cop15.dk
COP15 calendar: http://www.calendar.cop15.dk
Official Tweets: http://twitter.com/cop15
Climate change in Google Earth: http://www.google.com/landing/cop15/
YouTube - Cop15's Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Cop15
SID Forum Update: http://www.sidint.net/intl-agenda/climate-change/
TckTckTck | The World is Ready: http://tcktcktck.org
TckTckTck is the hub for stories on how hundreds of millions of people around the world are coming together to show world leaders we are ready for a new climate deal.
Interactive map and reporting system for the CDM
http://cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/MapApp
The CDM project map shows the location of CDM activities worldwide. Visitors can travel around the globe and learn about the location and many details of each project. In addition to this, a series of new graphs provide detailed breakdowns about the range, distribution of such projects that highlight national participation, project impacts and the status of project registration.
2. WDR 2010: Development and climate protection can go together
Developing countries can shift to lower-carbon paths while promoting development and reducing poverty – if they receive financial and technical assistance from high-income countries. This is among the findings of the World Development Report (WDR) 2010, published by the World Bank. It is key, thus the report, that industrialised countries curb their carbon dioxide emissions and foster the development of alternative energy sources. ''If developed countries act now, a ‘climate-smart’ world is feasible, and the costs for getting there will be high but still manageable”, says the report, which was produced with an eye to the upcoming United Nations climate summit due mid-December in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Developing countries face 75–80 percent of the potential damage from climate change. They therefore urgently need help to prepare for the impacts – drought, fl oods and rising sea levels. They also need assistance to intensify agricultural production, combat malnutrition and disease, and build climate resilient infrastructure. The current financial crisis cannot be an excuse to put climate protection on the back burner, the report warns. Source: World Bank, http://www.worldbank.org/wdr2010
3. Oxfam: 'Rich countries must not raid aid to pay climate debt'
A new Oxfam report has warned that at least 4.5 million children could die unless world leaders deliver additional funds to help poor countries fight the growing impact of climate change, rather than diverting it from existing aid promises. The report, 'Beyond Aid,' also warns that at least 75 million fewer children are likely to attend school and 8.6 million fewer people could have access to HIV/AIDS treatment if aid is diverted to help poor countries tackle climate change. Without at least $50 billion a year in addition to the 0.7 per cent of national income rich countries have already pledged as aid, recent progress toward the Millennium Development Goals could stall and then go into reverse. Source: Oxfam, http://tinyurl.com/yc5atwj
4. CGDEV's Survey on how to design a climate agreement
The Center for Global Development launched a survey on how to design a climate agreement that is environmentally effective, economically efficient, and fair. The 15 questions about climate policy in this survey present you with some of the same choices that climate negotiators are weighing, and that global leaders will tackle at Copenhagen and beyond. An important goal of the survey is to discover on which aspects of a climate agreement people from different backgrounds agree, and on which they disagree. The Center hopes to discover on which issues there is agreement among people who share a commitment to development but come from different backgrounds, and on which issues a consensus has yet to emerge. http://www.join.cgdev.org/site/R?i=loPmIQsFmx3x-L5kZS-Nuw
5. Strengthening EU development cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty
The expected introduction of the European Union’s (EU) Lisbon Treaty in 2010 will fundamentally alter how EU external action is conducted. This presents both risks and opportunities for EU development cooperation. The general expectation of EU Member States’ Senior Officials is that progress in EU integration and a stronger EU profile in the world would strengthen EU development cooperation and improve policy coherence for development This would also help to ensure better cooperation with partner countries in the South. But there were varying assessments on how these aspirations might best be achieved. See the ECDPM background document. Source: ECDPM. http://dev.afflux.com/ecdpm/manager2/link.php?ID=1125
6. New reports assess EU policy coherence for development
The European Commission published a progress report of the Policy Coherence for Development (PCD) approach launched in 2005 as part of the European Consensus on Development. The PCD review published in late September says that its framework ''allows for a systematic exploration of the effects that EU policies other than aid might have on development and on the achievement of the MDGs. The European Commission claims that these are ''powerful mechanisms to promote PCD”. Source: CTA. http://www.eurodad.org/whatsnew/articles.aspx?id=3883
7. Official launch of the ACP Migration Facility
http://www.acp.int/en/sg/migration09/acpmigration09_workshop.html
The ACP Migration Facility aiming to support the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries to better understand and manage the flow of migration within their borders, was officially launched on the 27th and 28th October in Brussels. This took place during a workshop organised by the ACP Secretariat in collaboration with the European Commission’s EuropeAid Cooperation Office (AIDCO). Source: ACP Secretariat.
8. Publications | More: http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/publications.html
'Beyond Economics' - Launch of SID's Development journal
http://tinyurl.com/yg52pap
The latest issue of Development, the flagship journal of the Society for International Development, has just been published. Entitled ‘'Beyond Economics' Volume 52 number 3 takes up the challenge of rethinking the culture of economics in the wake of the current financial crisis. It explores what needs to change in economic theory and policy in order to address the food, finance, climate and (the less visible) care crises.
Africa Consolidates on Macro-economic Progress
http://www.uneca.org/gpad/agr2/macro-economicagrii.pdf
The second edition of the African Governance Report (AGR II) published by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) indicates that substantial progress has been achieved in the macroeconomic environment. Growth rates, lower inflation rates and public finance management improvements mark the economic plane in Africa.
Beyond Planning: Markets and Networks for Better Aid. Center for Global Development.
http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/1422971/
According to this document, the political economy of aid agencies is driven by incomplete information and multiple competing objectives and confounded by principal-agent and collective-action problems. Policies to improve aid rely too much on a planning paradigm that tries to ignore, rather than change, the political economy of aid. A considered combination of market mechanisms, networked collaboration, and collective regulation would be more likely to lead to significant improvements. The priority should be on reforms that put pressure on the aid system to evolve in the right direction rather than on grand designs.
Busting the cluster myths
http://tinyurl.com/ybdfnmn
Conventional wisdom states that being part of a cluster is integral to companies operating within certain sectors. Lara Williams at FDI Magazine investigates whether business clusters justify the huge hype that surrounds them. Despite a common belief that industry clusters are good for local economies, it is still not clear what the concept means from a company perspective.
Do CCTs Lessen the Impact of the Current Economic Crisis? Yes, but...
http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCOnePager96.pdf
The recent financial and economic crisis has sparked a debate on whether conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes make families less vulnerable to that crisis. This link between the crisis and CCTs was made because countries like Brazil, which have large CCT programmes, were enduring the impacts better than most others. Produced by: The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth
First European Report on Development
http://erd.eui.eu
The first European Report on Development (ERD), entitled 'Overcoming Fragility in Africa – Forging a New European Approach', was launched on 22nd October. The report focuses on the issue of fragility in its various dimensions, on its implications for development policies and on the approaches to tackle it. The ERD is a multi-annual process which aims to enhance a European perspective on development issues by building common ground between the European research community and policy-makers.
Global Value Chains, Technology Transfer and Local Firm Upgrading in Non-OECD Countries
http://www.giga-hamburg.de/workingpapers
Drawing on innovation and growth models as much as on value chain literature, Juliane Brach and Robert Kappel outline an analytical model for empirical research on local firm upgrading in non-OECD countries and technology transfer within global value chains. GIGA Working Paper No 110.
GTZ Value Chains Promotion Guideline from El Salvador
Volume 1: Private sector (Entrepreneurs)
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/gtz2009-0215en-value-chains-private-sector.pdf
Volume 2: Business Development Service Providers (BDS)
http://www2.gtz.de/dokumente/bib/gtz2009-0216en-value-chains-bds.pdf
The objective in this GFA guide by Carmen Langner and Wolfgang Demenusis to lead in a direct and practical way to the development and promotion of value chains in the Salvadoran context. It emphasizes in opportunities and benefits that a chain promotion can offer entrepreneur actors, explaining its won role and the support they can get from different institutions. Volume 2 is addressed to BDS providers.
Handbook on Women-owned SMEs:
Challenges and Opportunities in Policies and Programmes
http://www.globalknowledgepartnership.org/gkp/index.cfm/elementid/3596
In this book, a number of authors who come from different parts of the world and who have complementary experience, venture into issues confronting WOEs with respect to knowledge and competence development. Discussing and comparing the situation of WOEs in different countries and under varying circumstances, the contributions to this book assume a global outlook.
Joint evaluations - Challenges and Opportunities
http://www.sadev.se/Uploads/Files/338.pdf
This SADEV study was commissioned by OECD DAC Evaluation Network.
With an increasing number of donors having experience in working jointly on evaluations, it is a valuable exercise to capture these donors’ perceptions of joint evaluation work. This should pave the way for finding opportunities and approaches for overcoming remaining obstacles, permitting an increased reliance on – and hence increased participation in – joint evaluations.
Private sector led growth and development cooperation
http://www.diis.dk/sw85609.asp
This DIIS paper goes through the history of and rationale for support to the private sector, and it identifies a number of distinct approaches to the subject. Moreover, the paper discusses these approaches in the context of the Paris Declaration and notes a conspicuous lack of coherence between the approaches to private sector development and the principles of the Declaration.
Social Watch Report 2009 - Making finances work: People first
http://www.socialwatch.org/node/799
People first, Over sixty reports from civil society organizations around the world show that the only way out of the current ecological and economic crisis is to invest in people.
The Global Economic Crisis Hampers Human Development. How?
http://www.ipc-undp.org/pub/IPCOnePager95.pdf
For developing economies the current crisis means reduced demand for their exports, a decline in capital inflows and lower income from tourism. This One Pager discusses the transmission of the crisis from changes in aggregate variables to its impact on progress towards human development. The focus is on African economies. Produced by: The International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
Theory, General Equilibrium, Political Economy and Empirics in Development Economics
http://tinyurl.com/ycqz5kq
Daron Acemoglu argues in this paper that economic theory plays (should play) a central role in formulating models, estimates of which can be used for counterfactual and policy analysis. He emphasises why relying solely on instruments for this type of analysis may be insufficient, and discusses why, in certain instances, counterfactual analysis based on microdata that ignores general equilibrium and political economy issues may lead to misleading conclusions.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. October 2009.
9. Training and Events | More: http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/training.html
Follow the major development cooperation events on our
Event Calendar: http://www.weitzenegger.de/en/training.html
See job opportunities from all over at Weitzenegger's International Development Job Market
http://www.weitzenegger.de/new/jobmarket.php
UMCK E-learning portal (DANIDA Danmark)
http://www.open-e-learning.danida-dccd.dk
The MFA Competence Centre has recently launched the E-learning Portal. In addition to the online activities provided for MFA staff, the new E-learning Portal offers a range of courses developed for external users. Now available: Gender Equality in Practice, Anti-corruption E-learning Course, Travel Security and Safety.
European Microfinance Week 2009, Meet the makers of sustainable finance
http://www.e-mfp.eu
Luxembourg, 24-29 November 2009, Abbaye de Neumunster
The European Microfinance Week 2009 is a forum open to all European microfinance professionals interested in microfinance in developing countries, where key players provide an overview of the latest issues in a sector which has diversified into a variety of financial services with social objectives. Participants will have the opportunity to meet and share experience with European players from key sectors: financial institutions, NGOs and universities, as well as representatives of policy-making bodies.
Workshop: Promoting Global Value Chains: The Role of Governance
http://www.eadi.org/index.php?id=1120
Maastricht, Netherlands, 26-27 November 2009
EADI Working Group on Industrialisation Strategies in co-operation with Maastricht School of Management.
Impact Evaluation Workshop
http://tinyurl.com/yz48uzt
Bonn, Germany, 1 December 2009, 11-17 h, German Development Institute DIE
The German Development Institute together with the Ministry for Economic Corporation and Development will host a workshop on current trends in Impact Evaluation. The event will start with a Public Lecture of Howard White, Director of the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3IE), one of the leading experts of impact evaluation in the field of Development Corporation. Howard White will inform about the recent trends in impact evaluation and about the function of the organization he is currently heading. Must register with Gisela Kuhlmann, Gisela.Kuhlmann@die-gdi.de.
Annual Joint Conference of the French Development Agency (AFD) and the European Development Network (EUDN)
http://www.afd.fr/jahia/Jahia/lang/en/home/EUDN2009
Paris, France, 9 December 2009
The conference aims at covering the issue ''Fragmentation in a Globalized World'' by adopting the standpoint of major regions of the world: Asia, Europe, Middle-East, Sub-Saharan Africa et Latin America.
Enterprise Development through Value Chains and Business Service Markets:
A Market Development approach to Pro-Poor Growth
http://marketdev.itcilo.org
online, 15 March - 30 November 2010
This ILO-ITC course ramps-up your enterprise development program using the experience from effective enterprise development programs that have reached tens or hundreds of thousands of small enterprises, helping them to grow and improve the lives of owners and employees. A well experienced team of international experts will support you along the learning process. Practical tools and strategies for developing value chains and business service markets are delivered to you at a distance and in person.
4th ValueLinks Introductory Training Seminar
http://www.idc-aachen.de/english/2_4.html
Oestrich-Winkel, Germany, 12-16 April 2010
The objective is to enhance the skills of participants in designing, implementing and monitoring value chain upgrading projects. The know-how covers both technical subjects and facilitation skills working with groups of entrepreneurs, business associations and public institutions.
International Executive Master in Development Studies (IMAS)
http://graduateinstitute.ch/executive/imas
Course at The Graduate Institute Geneva
10. Websites of the Month | More Weblinks: http://delicious.com/weitzenegger
African Arguments Online
http://africanarguments.org
Hosted by the Royal African Society and the Social Science Research Council, African Arguments Online shall get the site of the most vigorous debates on Africa available on the web. This is a counterpart to the African Arguments book series.
African Rural Energy Enterprise Development (AREED)
http://www.areed.org
AREED, an inititive of the United Nations Environment Programme seeks to develop new sustainable energy enterprises that use clean, efficient, and renewable energy technologies to meet the energy needs of under-served populations, thereby reducing the environmental and health consequences of existing energy use patterns.
Capacity4Dev.eu
http://capacity4dev.ec.europa.eu
An interactive website supporting the European Commission's reform of technical co-operation. The platform is an open forum where EC staff at country level and in headquarters, development practitioners, partner countries, other donors, academics and civil society representatives can share ideas and knowledge. Responding to a strong demand for exchange and cross fertilisation, this new website, has been set up to support the EC's effort to reform the way it works with technical cooperation and facilitate communication on the issue. It works - I did register with success, and new users are coming in.
Development Data
http://www.developmentdata.org
Useful website with an extensive list of links to datasets that are freely available on the internet. The site is maintained by Gunilla Peterson and organized by topic (aid, education, health, migration, governance, etc.). The data linked to are provided by reputable international organisations and research institutions and data documentation is available for all the data.
Europe’s World
http://www.europesworld.org
Europe’s World is the only independent Europe-wide policy journal, produced in association with some over 100 leading European think tanks and academic institutions. Its aim is to give readers direct access to the latest in policy thinking across the EU, and encourage visitors to submit their own reports and comment on any of the contributions featured on the website.
Gapminder.org - For a fact based world view.
http://www.gapminder.org
Gapminder is a non-profit venture promoting sustainable global development and achievement of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals by increased use and understanding of statistics and other information about social, economic and environmental development at local, national and global levels.
Irenees.net
http://www.irenees.net
Irenees.net constitutes a tool for assessing know-how, emerging from the numerous initiatives for peace, destined to promote the exchange of knowledge and the transversal nature of the various approaches in order to elaborate an international expertise to aid in the progressive construction of an art of peace.
Kabissa launches new interactive Website
http://www.kabissa.org
Kabissa, an online network of over 1400 organisations working for positive change in Africa, has recently launched a new website. The new site provides a central platform for those with an interest in development issues in Africa to collaborate and share ideas, through discussion groups, blogs and other interactive tools.
LenCD - Learning Network on Capacity Development
http://sites.google.com/site/lencdorg/
LenCD is an open Learning Network on Capacity Development that links many initiatives globally and is supporting an evolving community of practice. Its objectives are to facilitate the sharing of lessons and distill quality criteria for good practice; promote research, share experiences, monitor outcomes and carry out other empirical work; foster country-level, regional and international dialogue and collaboration; promote the mainstreaming of capacity development issues into agency operations; and act as a key partner to advance the OECD/DAC’s capacity development agenda. You are welcome to join.
MyC4
http://www.myc4.com
MyC4 raises capital for African entrepreneurs, and in so doing is striving to become a significant tool in the fight to end extreme poverty. MYC4 is an online marketplace that connects you directly with African entrepreneurs, who lack capital to develop their businesses. We see a huge business potential in Africa waiting to be triggered. MYC4 is the explosive.
New EU website goes live
http://europa.eu
The European Commission has launched a revamped version of its Europa website. After two years of analysis and review, the EU executive hopes its new central web portal will make for a simpler, more organised experience for EU citizens.
DG Development (http://ec.europa.eu/development/services/news_en.cfm) now offers an I-Center (http://ec.europa.eu/development/icentergen_en.cfm) with personal Document and Media Library, Publication catalogue and more features to come.
PostAdjust - Making the life easier for people making the world better
http://www.postadjust.org
Postadjust helps people living at duty stations around the world do things they would have no problem doing at home. PostAdjust is open to staff of UN organizations, NGOs, Diplomatic missions and other international development organizations. Members can search vacancies from all UN-agencies and major Development Organizations, sell, rent or buy everything they need to adjust to their situation, find updated, useful and entertaining information about their duty station – and share their knowledge.
Pro€Invest
http://www.proinvest-eu.org
All information related to available tools of the Pro€Invest Programme such as technical assistance will be easily accessible. New rubrics will also give you the opportunity to discover all activities and projects of intermediary and regional organizations that have worked with the Programme.
South Asia Social Accountability Network (SasaNet)
http://www.sasanet.org/
The SasaNet website is the electronic voice of the South Asia Social Accountability Network and a key tool in capacity building and communication efforts of institutions and individuals interested in social accountability. The website offers a comprehensive knowledge base which includes conceptual information, set of tools, best practices and case studies for facilitating enhanced social accountability in governance.
The European Microfinance Platform [e-MFP]
http://www.e-mfp.eu
e-MFP is a growing network of approximately 100 organisations and individuals active in the area of microfinance. The principal objective is to promote co-operation amongst European microfinance bodies working in developing countries, by facilitating communication and the exchange of information. e-MFP members include banks, financial institutions, government agencies, NGOs, consultancy firms, researchers and universities.
Twitter List: Development Cooperation
http://twitter.com/kweitzenegger/development-cooperation
Twitter Lists are a great way to organize the people you follow and discover new and interesting accounts. The idea is to allow people to curate lists of Twitter accounts. Other Twitter users can then subscribe to your lists. Check out my new list on development cooperation news. Tell me if you want be part of it. | 
