December 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


CONTENT

  1. FDI by multinationals from developing countries is increasing rapidly
  2. The World Summit on Information Society
  3. EC staff paper on the trade and development aspects of EPA negotiations
  4. Summit of the Americas: FTAA stalled
  5. New trade and development index
  6. E-discussion: How can microfinance reduce the impact of natural disasters on vulnerable communities?
  7. World Bank announces private sector development research competition
  8. Louis Michel calls on European business to invest more in Africa
  9. European Commission promotes EU-wide online advertising of public contracts
  10. Training and Events
  11. Publications
  12. Websites of the Month

1. FDI by multinationals from developing countries is increasing rapidly

http://www.ftconferences.com/mini_site/southernmultinationals_2005_main/index.html
A recent IFC-Financial Times conference focused on the increasingly important trend of FDI originating from developing countries. The conference examined outward investment by developing country multinationals and brought together top executives from these companies to compare experiences, learn from best practices and forge new links in cross-border investing. Complementing the focus of this conference, a recent study by the World Bank found that South-South FDI had increased from US$15 billion in 1995 to US$46 billion in 2003, accounting for about 35 percent of total FDI flows into developing countries -- http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/pressroom/ifcpressroom.nsf/PressRelease?openform&7A58C4C5AF8DDAB4852570B20056213A.

2. The World Summit on Information Society

http://europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/news/Monthly_Topic_November_05_EN.pdf#zoom=100
The DG Development has issued a special bulletin on the outcoöes of the World Summit on Information Society held in Tunis from 16 -18 November. The European Union holds a very positive approach to financing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and sees it as an important and integral part of development. Especially areas such as education, health, economic growth and governance would profit from more advanced ICT and especially from better ICT infrastructure. For the delegation of the European Union, two key issues were in the centre of attention of the second phase of the summit: Internet governance and financial mechanisms for bridging the digital divide between developed and developing countries. As a third issue, the question of the implementation of the WSIS acquis and a potential follow-up to the Tunis Summit should be negotiated. All these issues have found a positive outcome. The European Union believed that a sound and advanced ICT infrastructure was essential for Africa to meet the MDGs. The EU is responding to these challenges by moving ahead with an ambitious Europe-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure that will cater among others for Trans-African Networks for Telecommunications. In the framework of the follow-up to the WSIS, this will include supporting the development of advanced and low-cost technologies for electronic communications and the development of regulatory frameworks to create a sound business environment for innovation, growth and social inclusion. But there are still a number of hurdles to be taken before in Africa a lively ICT industry ready to boost the economy will be established. Among the foremost problems are bureaucratic and legal procedures for example already when a new firm should be incorporated or registered. Other vital problems are access to credits, good corporate governance, contract enforcement and court efficiency and finally a sound culture of bankruptcy, which allows assets and human capital to be reallocated in order to take on efficient and productive use again.

3. EC staff paper on the trade and development aspects of EPA negotiations

http://www.epawatch.net/general/text.php?itemID=312&menuID=24
EC Staff Paper on trade and development aspects of Economic Partnership Agreements negotiations The EU Commission presented a staff paper entitled ''The trade and development aspects of EPA negotiations''. It is a a factual account of the negotiations for EPAs with the ACP countries and outlineshow trade and development aspects are being dealt with in the context of EPA negotiations. Areas where development cooperation can further support the EPA process are identified.

4. Summit of the Americas: FTAA stalled

http://www.tradeobservatory.org/headlines.cfm?RefID=77420
The 4-5 November meeting in Mar del Plata/ Argentina ended inconclusively after the 34 heads of state present failed to agree on a final declaration. The summit had been expected to discuss issues such as employment and poverty, but instead all attention focused on a failure to move forward on negotiations for a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), first pro-posed at the first Summit of the Americas in 1994.

5. New trade and development index

http://www.unctad.org/Templates/Page.asp?intItemID=3582&lang=1
The new index, which is included in UNCTAD's report ''Developing Countries in International Trade 2005'' monitors the trade and development performance of a sample of 110 countries (developed and developing countries as well as LDCs). It aims at assessing the quantitative relationship between trade and development in countries at different stages of development. Korea, Malaysia and Uruguay were the highest ranked developing countries and several Sub-Saharan African countries were ranked at the bottom of the list.

6. E-discussion: How can microfinance reduce the impact of natural disasters on vulnerable communities?

http://www.insecurityforum.org
We would like to invite you to an e-discussion at Insecurityforum.org. Can microfinance reduce the vulnerability of the poor to disasters? What is the added-value of microfinance in post-disaster period? Participation is free-of-charge. A summary report of the discussion will be posted on the web and submitted to the Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), which is launching a global debate on the role of microfinance in disaster management. Insecurityforum brings together the community of development workers, activists, policy makers, and researchers on the internet who want to explore the link between insecurity and development in its different forms. It is maintained by the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI).

7. World Bank announces private sector development research competition

http://www.ifc.org/competition
The International Finance Corporation and the Financial Times invite entries for the first international private sector development research paper competition for 2005-2006 seeking to promote the best thinking on the role of business in development. The theme of the competition is Business and Development: The Private Path to Prosperity. Papers should add to the global discussion on private sector development and economic growth by providing new and innovative analyses, perspectives, or ideas. The target audience can be economic and financial policymakers, the international financial community, or international and domestic investors. All entries must be received by June 30, 2006.

8. Louis Michel calls on European business to invest more in Africa

http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/05/1370&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
In a speech to the Movement of French Business (MEDEF) on 3 November, EU Development Commissioner Louis Michel presented his strategy for Africa. During his talk, he called on French and European corporations to invest more in Africa. In this respect, he asserted that ''development without private sector is just ineffective aid, charity''. According to Louis Michel, huge investments will be nessassary for many years to come to provide Africa with the needed infrastructure. ''The key concept of this programme is interconnectivity, namely: the building of big transafrican communication networks such as railways, highways, harbours and airports, telecommunication networks, energy and water'', he said. He also stated that particular attention will have to be paid to agriculture and to all the added value that this sector can bring (transformation industries, etc.). Finally, Michel confirmed the creation of a permanent Euro-African economic forum, which will meet for the the first time next April. Its main objectives are to create effective partnerships between European and African companies and to promote the creation of SMEs that is particularly lacking in Africa.

9. European Commission promotes EU-wide online advertising of public contracts

http://europa.eu.int/idabc/en/document/5003/194
New standard forms adopted by the European Commission in mid-October intend to make it easier to advertise large public contracts on the Internet.

10. Training and Events

Professional Management of International Development Co-operation (promic) Training Courses
2006 http://www.promic-training.com
AGEG Coop., the German Association of Development Consultants and PARTICIP Ltd., Consultants for Development and Environment, are pleased to announce the first training programme for Professional Management of International Development Co-operation: promic. promic is a comprehensive, international training course taking into account the most recent trends in this field. It is designed to provide you with a coherent set of tools for an effective management of development interventions. The training course consists of 4 modules with an optional fifth module and will take place, three times between March and July 2006, at different venues: Brussels, Bratislava and Berlin. To join the promic mailing list in order to be continuously updated on programme information and further offerings or to receive a hard copy of the 2006 brochure, please send us an e-mail to info @ promic-training.com

Course: Value Chain Concepts
http://www.mdf.nl/en/training_course.php?country_id=nl&®ion_id=01&&course_id=VCC
16-20 January 2006, at MDF Ede in The Netherlands.
In this course by Hans Posthumus Consultancy and MDF Training & Consultancy, the various approaches to Private Sector Development will be introduced to understand the pros and cons of each approach in its context. The Value Chain Concept is presented, discussed and practised in a structured and participatory way whereby due attention is given to the various approaches that exist among value chain development practitioners and the various roles that donors, development organisations, private sector organisations, governmental organisations and other stakeholders can play. The participants will practice Value Chain Analysis and Development tools and instruments to develop skills and understanding of the actual Value Chain Concept practices as well as the process and management thereof. Contact: Hans Posthumus, hans @ hposthumus.nl

Capital Market Development & Regulation (UNITAR Basic Course)
http://www.unitar.org/dfm/dfmelearning/Registration/form.asp
27 February - 7 April 2006 (Registration Deadline: January 27, 2006) This course exposes finance-sector officials to the fundamentals of capital market development and regulation, including the various institutions needed in a country for sound and sustainable development of capital and securities markets. Country examples and best practices from developing countries are also discussed in this course. Course Moderators: Prof. Stuart Cohn - UNITAR Senior Special Fellow, and Ms. Grabkowska - UNITAR Expert. You can only register online.

UNITAR e-Learning Course Calendar for 2006
http://www.unitar.org/dfm/dfmelearning/index.htm
Courses at the United Nations Institute for Training and Research are free but slots are limited. Register now at : http://www.unitar.org/dfm/dfmelearning/Registration/Form.asp

SDC Small Enterprise Development (SED) Workshop
http://www.intercooperation.ch/sed/2006/wks-sed/
Reforming the Business Environment: Current thinking and future opportunities
12-13 January 2006, Gerzensee (Bern) Switzerland - The now traditional SDC Small Enterprise Development (SED) Workshop is a learning and networking event. It aims at presenting new trends and good practices in the field of small enterprise development as well as allowing the participants to exchange information and experiences. The workshop will be held in Gerzensee - It is designed for SED specialists and programme managers, advisers and project staff dealing with SED in the South and East. It is addressed mainly to the staff of Swiss Development Organisations (SDC, NGOs and other private organisations) or for consultants.

Managing Change within Organisations training course
http://www.intrac.org/training.php?id=27
25-27 January 2006, London, UK
Change can be managed. Raise your awareness about the need to respond to change in your environment and promote the concept of change as a continuous process. Learn how to analyse such a change process, deal with different interests, manage resistance, and work productively with your colleagues. Contact: training @ intrac.org

Interest Rates and Self-Sufficiency
http://www.ruralfinance.org/id/29312
Training material by Rural Finance Learning Centre

Managing Investment Climate Reform--new World Bank reading list
http://rru.worldbank.org/PapersLinks/Investment-Climate-Reforms/
Most policymakers and development practitioners agree that a sound investment climate is crucial for economic growth. The resources gathered in this new reading list explore the political economy of investment climate reforms and address specific strategies for diagnosing reforms and working with stakeholders.

10th Ethiopia International Trade Expo
http://www.ieoexhibitions.com - http://www.africantradefairs.com
23 - 28 February 2006 , Addis Ababa Exhibition Center, Addis Ababa - Ethiopia International Trade Show for all kind of consumer and industrial products.

Making service markets work for enterprise competitiveness
http://www.springfieldcentre.com/currentprogrammes.php
5 - 10 March 2006, Phuket, Thailand,
This training session aims to provide answers to the question: how can governments and development agencies stimulate small enterprise competitiveness? Please note that the closing date for applications is 25 January 2006.

Dutch - African Enterprise Fair 2006
http://www.dutchafrica-enterprisefair.com
25 January 2006, Rotterdam, Netherlands, World Trade Center (WTC) Contact: Chudi Communication Consult, info @ dutchafrica-enterprisefair.com

Evaluation Training and Reference Resources
http://www.ideas-int.org/Documents/Training%20and%20reference%20resources%2022-11-05.doc
A list of reference materials by IDEAS which will be of help to Development Evaluation professionals. The list was last updated on 02 December 2005. New entries are highlighted.

Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTAMSTERDAM/0,,contentMDK:20687611%7EpagePK:64168445%7EpiPK:64168309%7EtheSitePK:626814,00.html
29-30 May 2006 Tokyo, Japan. Conference theme: ''Infrastructure for Development for the New Era''. It will consist of several major topics relating to infrastructure and growth, climate change, energy efficiency, rural development, agriculture and the implications for regional cooperation.

11. Publications

Programming in trade-related capacity building: A resource tool for practitioners
http://www.nsi-ins.ca/english/pdf/TRCB_programming_resource_tool.pdf
By Chantal Blouin and Ann Weston. The North-South Institute, 2005.
International trade is seen in the development community as an important tool for poverty reduction. However, many developing countries have been prevented from fully reaping the potential benefits of trade and trade liberalisation by limitations in their capacity to design and negotiate trade rules, to take advantage of market access gains due to supply-side constraints, and to adjust to increased competition in domestic markets. To address these limitations, donors have been increasingly active in supporting trade-related capacity building (TRCB). TRCB is relatively new and donors are still struggling to identify what approaches work best to build capacity in this area. The objective of this resource tool is to draw lessons from the existing knowledge and evaluations of TRCB and to provide examples of projects that illustrate good practices and ways to adhere to the principles that should inform the design of TRCB programmes.

Where Is the Wealth of Nations?
http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=4980649
The book presents estimates of total wealth for nearly 120 countries, using economic theory to decompose the wealth of a nation into its component pieces -- produced capital, natural resources and human resources. The estimates provide an opportunity to look at economic management from a broader and comprehensive perspective. The basic tenet is that economic development can be conceived as a process of portfolio management, so that sustainability becomes an integral part of economic policy-making. The analysis tackles issues such as growth, development and equity.

Africa Yearbook 2004 Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara
http://www.AfricaYearbook.nl
Edited by Andreas Mehler, Henning Melber and Klaas van Walraven Brill Academic Publishers (www.brill.nl), ISBN 90 04 14462 5 The Africa Yearbook covers major domestic political developments, the foreign policy and socio-economic trends in sub-Sahara Africa - all related to developments in one calendar year.

The Private Sector's Perspective, Priorities and Role in Regional Integration and Implications for Regional Trade Arrangements
http://www.ecdpm.org/dp66
Regional trade arrangements in Southern and Eastern Africa have been characterised by countries' multiple and overlapping membership in different regional integration initiatives. However, the question has yet to be looked at from the private-sector perspective. Given that companies, not countries, trade and invest and that the objective of trade policy is to shape companies' incentives so as to engender growth and development, their perspective is central to any attempt to assess regional integration.

Reality check: The distributional impact of privatization in developing countries.
http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/4520
Edited by John Nellis and Nancy Birdsall. Center for Global Development, 2005.
The privatisation of state-owned enterprises has been among the most controversial of market reforms. This new edited volume brings together a comprehensive set of country studies on the effects of privatisation on people - and answers the overarching question: who are the winners and losers of the wave of privatisations that swept across the developing world in the 1980s and 1990s? The studies featured in the volume address key questions: Are the poorest households paying more for water, power, and other basic services? Did those who lost jobs suffer permanent declines in income? Were state assets sold at prices that were too low, and who benefited from the resulting windfalls? Was the process, in laypersons' terms, ''fair''?

Poverty lines versus the poor: Method versus meaning
http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?root=2005&leaf=10&filename=9272&filetype=pdf
This paper argues that the use of poverty lines provides a one-dimensional picture and overlooks the multifaceted nature of human deprivation. The author presents the argument that there is insufficient poverty in the poverty line approach, providing evidence suggesting it is dangerously misleading methodology.

12. Websites of the Month

EU development finance
http://www.euforic.org/detail_page.phtml?page=actors_eufinance
See Euforic's new page on European finance for development is now on line. It provides an overview of the main development finance institutions and instruments, featuring also information on what the EU is doing in relation to microcredit and microfinance.

Evaluation guidelines produced by members of the DAC Network on Development Evaluation
http://www.oecd.org/document/11/0,2340,en_35038640_35039563_35126667_1_1_1_1,00.html
This webpage of the DAC Evaluation Resource Center provides links to a large number of guidelines for monitoring and evaluation developed by donor agencies.

Engagement of New Member States (NMS) in EU Development Co-operation
http://www.presidencyfund.org
In the spring of 2004 the Presidency Fund was established to strengthen the engagement of New Member States (NMS) in EU Development Co-operation. This initiative was launched in recognition of the role that the 10 NMS have on future EU Development Co-operation. Having successfully facilitated the EU expansion in May 2004, the Irish Government took the leadership role in spearheading the Presidency Fund, with the view that it would grow with the support of subsequent Presidency countries, leading to the Dutch Government's contribution. The Fund is managed by Eurostep with the support of an Advisory Board comprising highly-placed individuals working in the development sector as well as political representatives. The Fund has an initial operating capital of € 1 million to be used over three years and operates through Calls for Proposals. These will be issued through its website. On 4 November the Fund has published its first Call for Proposals.

Tool for investment promotion: The Investment Gateway
http://www.investway.info
The Investment Gateway is an online information system designed as a catalyst for sector-specific interaction, fostering strategic alliances and investment. This service, developed by UNCTAD provides market regulators with a mechanism for implementing e-administration techniques and simplifying the domestic legal framework dealing with investment.

Tool: Sector Profile for Your Web Site
http://www.fdipromotion.com/toolkit/Documents/1/Sector_Profilefor_the_Web.pdf
Is your marketing message properly integrated in your sector profiles? Are you including the existing investors? Download this template and make sure you keep these headlines when you post your location sector opportunities online. You can also use the template as a checklist for developing the backbone of in-depth sector overviews and respond to investor enquiries. Source: Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).

AVBAN Africa Virtual Business Association Network
http://www.avban.org
AVBAN is providing African business associations with online resources and communication tools to help them promote good governance of their associations and their countries, hold governments accountable to their constituents, and demand an economic environment that will increase efficiency and productivity. AVBAN is supported by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) is a non-profit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Anti-Corruption Gateway for Europe and Eurasia
http://www.nobribes.org
This site has the latest information, news, and reports on corruption in dozens of countries in Europe and Asia. The best way to start is by clicking on ''Reference Centre'' in the left column. There you'll find information on corruption, news about corruption in various countries, anti-corruption strategies, various treaties and codes of ethics, and assessments of countries. There are also discussion groups, programs, and a calendar of events related to anti-corruption. (FITA)

e-Government Grants Program of the Development Gateway Foundation
http://egovernment.developmentgateway.org
The Development Gateway Foundation's e-Government Grants Program provides a mechanism for the rapid implementation of locally-driven and scalable e-government initiatives in developing countries. It is a key component of the foundation's overall efforts to increase transparency in development processes and build local capacity to create new economic opportunities.

IALE Intercomunicación América Latina - Europa
http://www.migrantesenlinea.org
Frente a la realidad de exclusión de grandes mayorías en América Latina y asumiendo la realidad de crecientes migraciones tanto internas en Latinoamérica, como desde allí hacia Europa, se desarrollará un sistema satelital e informático de intercomunicación entre Europa y Latinoamérica, con el empleo de radioemisoras comunitarias y educativas y de la red Internet, que poniendo especial atención en el hecho migratorio, favorecerá la transmisión de información veraz sobre esa realidad, el desarrollo de proyectos productivos y la promoción de un sistema de finanzas éticas. Paralelamente se favorecerá el intercambio cultural, político y en el campo del desarrollo social y económico entre ambas regiones, proponiéndose incrementar las posibilidades y oportunidades de desarrollo de ciudadanos y ciudadanas excluidas y excluidos en América Latina.


 

Back to weitzenegger.de