January 2003 from weitzenegger.de

January 2003

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 Weitzenegger Consulting, http://www.weitzenegger.de

1. U.S. opposition to a war on Iraq
2. Deadline passes as Doha declaration negotiations stall
3. Socialist International after WSSD
4. PRSPs: An Assessment of the ILO'S Experience
5. EU Enlargement and Development: EADI-Dossier
6. European Commission adopts small business package for an enlarging Europe
7. Network of European and Latin American organisations for R & D
8. "United Cities and Local Governments" to be launched
9. New European Financial Engineering website for local development
10. World Bank Draft Paper on Poverty and Climate Change
11. The World Bank and Civil Society
12. Unions Have a Role to Play at the World Bank
13. Book Review: A future for the excluded: job creation and income generation by the poor
14. Book Review: Improving Global Economic Governance
15. The Long, Winding Road to Pension Reform in Latin America
16. KIT: ICTs and development
17. LEAP IMPACT tools for monitoring and evaluation of information services
18. Springfield BDS 2003 Training Programme
19. Third Berlin Summer School on Private Participation in Infrastructure
20. ATLAS training seminar on Chamber-management related matters
21. CDM Guidebook: A Resource for Clean Development Mechanism in Southern Africa
22. INSTRAW launches new website and discussion forum
23. NORRAG launches website
24. Angola: UNITA Cease-fire

2. Deadline passes as Doha declaration negotiations stall

Eldis has a selection of papers looking at issues surrounding the failure of the TRIPS Council to reach agreement on access to generic drugs for developing countries

3. Socialist International after WSSD

The Socialist International, Committee on the Economy, Social Cohesion and the Environment has issued a statement on the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg titled "Global Governance and Global Sustainability - The Goals of Global Social Democracy". "The Socialist International will continue to strengthen the importance and influence of democratic global policy. Representatives of the SI member parties will act in this direction - as members of the IPU or as civil servants of international institutions. At its next Congress the Socialist International will agree a Social Democratic Approach to Governance in a Global Society, an approach dedicated to equal opportunities and participation for women and men, poor and rich, developing, transnational and developed countries. The Socialist International acknowledges the fact that two main challenges for the globalisation process are the cultural identity conflicts and migration in addition to the economic and social disparities. After 11 September this is more important than ever. According to our social democratic vision, the right answer to these two new challenges can only be given on the basis of our active global solidarity."

4. PRSPs: An Assessment of the ILO'S Experience

The ILO has undertaken Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP)-related activities in a number of countries including five special focus countries (Cambodia, Honduras, Mali, Nepal and the United Republic of Tanzania), especially in Africa where the policy environment is so closely aligned to the development of PRSPs. This paper looks at the value-added of the ILO and its social partners in contributing to PRSPs and helping low-income countries to design and implement them. It focuses on the practical steps taken by the ILO to integrate 'decent work' into the PRS. It focuses on the experience over the past two years in the five ILO special focus PRSP countries (Cambodia, Honduras, Mali, Nepal and Tanzania). Available online at:

5. EU Enlargement and Development: EADI-Dossier

As a follow-up to EADI's 10th General Conference "EU Enlargement in a Changing World - Challenges for Development Co-operation in the 21st Century", a dossier on EU Enlargement and Development has been published on the EADI website and will be updated regularly.

6. European Commission adopts small business package for an enlarging Europe

Commission has adopted a package of five documents outlining EU policy towards small and medium-sized enterprises, providing a snapshot of recent progress in small business policy across Europe and pointing to possible further policy initiatives. The Commission Communication Thinking Small in an Enlarging Europe summarizes the package's policy implications. The snapshot that emerges from the four reports is of a Union in which Member States and candidate countries need to listen harder to small businesses: consultation remains low in both policy and law-making. The reports nonetheless point to substantial progress in key areas such as education for entrepreneurship and simplifying administrative procedures. The financial sector is encouraged to take a closer look at SME lending as a source of opportunities, rather than just risks, especially in candidate countries. The Commission welcomes any reaction to the suggestions made and questions raised in this paper.

7. Network of European and Latin American organisations for R & D

Simbolo is a new project to demonstrate an on-line business e-coach, integrated with additional key service modules for SME's, first time entrepreneurs, and inventors from the targeted LA countries. The e-learning facilities offered are based on the Ten³ concept (Technology e-ncubate, e-nnovate, e-nvest) which have already been successfully pilot tested on the global market focusing on Asia. The objective is to set up a network of European and Latin American organisations who will host, maintain and promote the Ten³ platform in their respective regions. The purpose of this is to provide a dynamic and lean e-learning facility enabling increased economic and cultural exchange between the participating organisations. In addition, the project will facilitate and promote technology transfer projects involving all stakeholders, increase the interconnection between R > D communities and SME's and reach the widest audience possible from the target countries. It is foreseen that by the end of the project a financially and institutionally sustainable platform will have been established as a standard e-learning facility for business oriented education. The business e-coach provides all relevant tuition material and simultaneously indicates possible solutions for further project development.

8. "United Cities and Local Governments" to be launched January 2004

This new name symbolizes the unification of the two largest international local government associations: the International Union of Local Authorities (IULA) and the United Towns Organization (UTO/FMCU). United Cities and Local Governments' mission is to be the united voice and world advocate of democratic local self-government. United Cities and Local Governments will be the interlocutor between local government and the United Nations, and will ensure the political representation of local government to the international community. It will progress local government policies in the key areas of decentralized cooperation, sustainable development, urbanization, social inclusion and poverty eradication. It will be the worldwide source of key information regarding local government, and a focal point for the international community. The Founding Congress of United Cities and Local Governments will be held in Paris, in May 2004, with the theme 'Cities, Local Governments: the Future for Development'. For more information contact: iula @ iula.org

9. New European Financial Engineering website for local development

New strategies of financing local development in Public- Private-Partnership (PPP) are outlined on www.localdeveurope.org. The site is an outcome of a research project EVERS > JUNG worked on in co- operation with New Economics Foundation (London), Fondazione Choros (Padua) and INAISE (Brussels). The site shows a wide range of "Financial Engineering" instruments and explains who to realize them in productive co-operation between public bodies, local developers and banks.

10. World Bank Draft Paper on Poverty and Climate Change

The World Bank, together with nine other bilateral and multilateral agencies, is preparing a paper to initiate a global dialog on how to integrate climate variability and change into development. A draft of this paper -- Poverty and Climate Change: Reducing the Vulnerability of the Poor, 2002 -- is available on this site, along with a form for offering comments. Comment are welcome.

11. The World Bank and Civil Society

The growth of civil society over the past two decades has been one of the most significant trends in international development. The Bank recognizes its critical role in helping to amplify the voices of the poor in the decisions that affect their lives, improving development effectiveness and sustainability, and holding governments and policymakers publicly accountable. This site provides information, links and materials on the Bank's evolving relationship with civil society. (World Bank)

12. Unions Have a Role to Play at the World Bank

An unprecedented collaboration between the World Bank and the international labor movement took place as part of a workshop in Lusaka, Zambia, aimed at building the effectiveness and sustainability of national trade union organizations so that they might contribute constructively to their respective nations' Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. The workshop, attended by representatives from nine African countries, included discussions of both the process of civil society participation in preparing the strategy papers and the substance of policy issues such as macroeconomics, trade, and labor market policy.

13. Book Review: A future for the excluded: job creation and income generation by the poor

A future for the excluded: job creation and income generation by the poor, Clodomir Santos de Morais and the organisation workshop. Edited by C. Raff and M. Sobrado. This book is based on a distinct approach to empowering sociallyexcluded strata in the struggle against poverty. It presents the experiences of grassroots development workers who have applied de Morais's ideas of the Organisation Workshop (OW) in highly diverse social settings. (Eldis)

14. Book Review: Improving Global Economic Governance

Global economic governance refers to the institutions, norms, practises and decision-making processes from which rules, guidelines, standards, and codes arise in order to manage the global economy. This paper by S. Varma (South Centre) identifies the failures of the global economic governance system in the lacks of an effective global institutional framework and regulatory mechanisms. In order to carry out a true reform of global economic governance, the main recommendations suggested by the author are:
* guaranteeing democratic participation and representation with a view towards reforming decision-making
* encouraging South-South cooperation through coalitions and groupings by means of resource provision and technical assistance
* realizing the need to strengthen existing institutions, rules, and processes, or to even replace them with new ones. Available online at

15. The Long, Winding Road to Pension Reform in Latin America

Like other nations, countries in Latin America are attempting to make their retirement systems more efficient and responsive to citizens' needs. This is difficult in the best of times. But it is more problematic when countries have to deal with economic crises involving high inflation, slow growth, defaults on debt payments and currency devaluations - all of which have afflicted Latin America in recent years. In an interview with Knowledge @ Wharton, professor Olivia S. Mitchell, head of Wharton's Pension Research Council and one of the world's leading experts on retirement plans, discusses the challenges facing retirement systems in Latin America. (Wharton)

16. KIT: ICTs and development

The Netherlands Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) has just published a Special on 'ICTs and development'. It features a bibliography - produced with the assistance of two excellent resources on this subject, namely the Euforic 'theme' on ICT and the LEAP bibliography on ICT and evaluation at http://www.bellanet.org/leap/index.cfm?fuseaction=main&cat_id=34. A feature is the 'ICT News' section at http://www.kit.nl/specials/html/it_ict_news.asp which contains news with an information management focus. The news section is being regularly updated. (Sarah Cummings, KIT)

17. LEAP IMPACT tools for monitoring and evaluation of information services

LEAP IMPACT, a community of development professionals interested in monitoring and evaluation of information services, products and projects, has produced a number of evaluation tools. The toolkit is intended to help assess the performance of services such as newsletters and websites. The kit includes information on planning, data collection, indicators, questionnaires, focus groups, case studies, after action review, as well as many other aspects of the evaluation process. LEAP IMPACT is a joint initiative of CTA, IICD, Bellanet, KIT, FAKT and GTZ. The draft tools are available at

18. BDS 2003 Training Programme 13.-31. July 2003

The Springfield Centre for Business in Development, Glasgow, UK How can development agencies improve business services markets for small businesses? Now in its 4th year, the Springfield Centre's 3-week BDS Training Programme provides an in-depth focus on developing BDS markets including the role of BDS in SME development, the rationale for intervention in BDS markets and lessons from BDS promotion interventions. A key focus of the programme is to identify the strategic and practical implications which have emerged for development agencies as they adopt more market-oriented intervention approaches to promoting BDS. For further information please contact: global @ springfieldcentre.com, tel +44 191 3831212, fax +44 191 3831616

19. Third Berlin Summer School on Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI), 5-12 October 2003

The Workgroup for Infrastructure Policy at the Berlin University of Technology announces the 3rd Berlin Summer School on Private Participation in Infrastructure (PPI), which will focus on the transport, water and energy sectors and will take place in Berlin, 5-12 October 2003. The objective of the Berlin Summer School on PPI is to diffuse experience on modern infrastructure management, regulation and finance, and to raise awareness about the potential role of private participation therein. The Summer School offers a hands-on training program and is specifically designed for decision-makers (policy-makers, administrators, consultants) from the public and private sector. The faculty is composed of experienced practitioners from infrastructure companies, financial institutions and international organizations as well as leading academics in the field. The Summer School will be held in English at Berlin University of Technology (with support of GTZ)

20. ATLAS training seminar on Chamber-management related matters

ATLAS Training Seminar III: 26-28 March 2003 in Santiago de Chile The third ATLAS training seminar is co-organised by Eurochambres, The Iberoamerican Association of Chambers of Commerce AICO and the Chamber of Commerce of Santiago. This seminar of a 3 days duration will join together at least 25 Chamber staff from different Latin American countries. The ATLAS training seminar to be held in Santiago will focus on the following 5 Chamber management related topics: ATLAS offers EU and Latin American Chambers of Commerce and Industry a new opportunity for strengthening their network and facilitating economic co-operation between the two regions.

21. CDM Guidebook: A Resource for Clean Development Mechanism in Southern Africa

This practical guidebook is directed at smaller-scale local partners in Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects-small businesses, non-governmental organisations and community based organisations- to empower them to put forward project ideas, particularly ideas with a development focus. The guide aims to bridge the gap between general introductions to the CDM and more technical manuals on project design and greenhouse gas assessment. It covers project design only, not implementation, and it points project developers to detailed resources, where appropriate. (ELDIS) Produced by: Energy & Development Research Centre (EDRC), University of Cape Town (2002), ed. by R. Spalding-Fecher. Available online here.

22. INSTRAW launches new website and discussion forum

The new website of the United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) can be visited at

23. NORRAG launches website

NORRAG is a network of persons and associate members based in universities, research centres, development agencies and NGOs committed to improving interaction among research, policy and practice in the "North" as a means of supporting education and training in the "South". Please visit the network at

24. Angola: UNITA Cease-fire

After three decades of a civil war which has claimed at least half a million lives, the Angolan government and the UNITA rebel movement signed a cease-fire. Although they are facing famine, and have seen several peace deals fall apart in the past, displaced Angolans are beginning the process of returning home to rebuild. The new peace is expected to last, a fact that is giving many people hope for the first time in years. (The Good News)