Knowledge Centre : Development Practice : Aid : Donors : Europe

Fast forward: How the European Commission can take the lead in providing high-quality budget support for education and health  new

Developing-country governments desperately need more long-term and predictable aid, given through their budgets, to finance the expansion of health care, education, and other vital social services. The European Commission (EC) is one of the biggest donors providing this kind of essential budget support, and has innovative plans to further improve and increase this aid. European Union (EU) member states must support these ambitious plans (Oxfam GB, May 2008).

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/policy/debt_aid/bp111_ec_aid.html

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 10)

Knowledge Centre : Development Practice : Capacity Building

Social protection for low capacity households in Zambia  new

Social protection is seen as a central pillar of growth in Zambia's National Development Plan, but its implementation remains a challenge. This Project Briefing proposes a framework of protection, prevention and promotion to enable low capacity households to graduate from vulnerability and poverty (Rebecca Holmes and Rachel Slater, ODI Publications, May 2008).

http://www.odi.org.uk/publications/briefing/project-briefings/pb11-0805-social-protection-zambia.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 6)

Knowledge Centre : Development Practice : Governance, corruption, democracy

Passing on the Challenges or Prescribing Better Management of Diversity? Decentralisation, Power Sharing and Conflict Dynamics in Central Sulawesi, In  new

Since the end of Suharto's rule, Indonesia has initiated an ambitious decentralisation programme. To some extent, this has addressed long-standing local and regional demands for greater autonomy. But it has also opened up space for new forms of competition amongst local identity groups and interests (Rachael Diprose, CRISE Working Paper No.38, 2007).

http://www.crise.ox.ac.uk/pubs/workingpaper38.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 7)

Knowledge Centre : Economy : International Financial Institutions : Asian Development Bank

ADB abandons poverty reduction and social development  new

More than half of Asia's population, 1.8 billion people, lives below the poverty line of $2-day. Of these, over 600 million try to survive with less than $1 day. With ever increasing food prices most of Asia's 'working poor', already struggling on degraded lands, in sweatshops, on streets and at homes, risk further destitution. Yet the Asian Development Bank -an institution whose mission is to reduce poverty- will present a new "Strategy 2020" to member governments at its upcoming annual meeting in Madrid, which is ominously silent on the importance of employment and social protection for the poor. NOTE: This opinion piece has been written by a former Manager and former Senior Staff of ADB. The opinions expressed in this op-ed are those of the authors and do not reflect the position of the United Nations (Isabel Ortiz and Anita Kelles-Viitanen .

http://www.ifiwatchnet.org/?q=en/node/11301

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 4)

Knowledge Centre : Economy : International Financial Institutions : International Monetary Fund

Confronting the Contradictions [pdf]  new

How the economic policies of the International Monetary Fund are forcing poor countries to either freeze, or seriously curtail, spending on teachers (ActionAid, April 2007).

http://www.actionaid.org/assets/pdf/AAConf_Contradictions_Final2.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 5)

Knowledge Centre : Economy : Microfinance

The Vulnerability of 'Self-Help': Women and Microfinance in South India [pdf]  new

Self-help groups (SHGs) play a major role in providing microfinance in India. But they do not work alone. State institutions are also a big part of the microfinance landscape. How does this kind of 'institutionalised co-production' in service delivery work in practice? This research shows that the relationships are not symmetrical. When they seek access to bank credit, women's groups are in a dependent relationship, and are subject to, and tarnished by, the institutional imperatives, systemic corruption and political compulsions that shape the behaviour of rural development bureaucracies and banks (K. Kalpana, 2008)

http://www.ids.ac.uk/ids/bookshop/wp/wp303.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 24)

Knowledge Centre : Education and Information : Education

Alternative Basic Education in African Countries: Emerging from Conflict; Issues of Policy, Co-ordination and Access [pdf]  new

Once conflict has ended in an African state, the need to reconstruct basic education becomes a priority. While post-conflict states share some common issues, they each attempt this reconstruction within a particular context. How can they incorporate different perspectives on issues critical to education reconstruction? What lessons can they learn in relation to funding, management and access, especially in relation to Alternative Basic Education (ABE)? (Carolyne Dennis and Alicia Fentiman, DIFD, 2007)

http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/files/education-emerging-conflict67.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 22)

Knowledge Centre : Environment : Climate Change

Global Responses to Global Threats: Sustainable Security for the 21st Century [pdf]  new

Since the events of September 11, 2001 and the development of the 'war on terror', western powers have cited international terrorism as the greatest threat facing the world. This has diverted attention and resources from other, more serious, likely causes of future conflict. The root causes of global insecurity must be addressed (Chris Abbott, Paul Rogers and John Sloboda, 2006)

http://www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk/publications/briefing_papers/pdf/globalthreats.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 8)

Knowledge Centre : Food and Agriculture : Food Security-Crisis

Ban Ki-moon to lead task force to tackle global food crisis  new

Ban Ki-moon announced that he will lead the Task Force on the Global Food Crisis, which will bring together the heads of UN agencies, funds and programs and the Bretton Woods institutions, as well as experts within the UN and leading authorities from the international community. (UN News Centre, 29 April 2008)

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26491&Cr=food&Cr1=prices

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 6)

Knowledge Centre : Health and Population : Water and Sanitation

Challenges of sanitation and hygiene promotion in Burkina Faso [pdf]  new

Safe hygiene practices and access to sanitation are crucial for combating the main health threats to children. However, nearly twice as many people lack access to sanitation compared with water supply. Is it time to stop aligning sanitation and health (S&H) policies so closely with water management policy? (Katharina Welle, Overseas Development Institute, February 2007).

http://www.odi.org.uk/wpp/resources/project-reports/0701_sanitation_burkina.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 4)

Knowledge Centre : Human Rights : Freedom from Injustice : UN Human Rights Council

The UN Human Rights Council at work: From high hopes back to reality [pdf]  new

Kofi Annan claimed that a change would take place in the way of working: a culture of cooperation and dialogue would replace the culture of confrontation and distrust, which dominated the Commission in recent years. But this analysis of the Council's work demonstrates, the Council is more politicised than ever. (by Veronique Joosten, United Nations Association Flanders Belgium, 2007)

http://www.vvn.be/files/u1/VVN_HRC_at_work_-_Definitieve_versie.pdf

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 5)

Knowledge Centre : Human Rights : Right to Education

Education Rights: A Guide for Practitioners and Activists  new

This resource guides people working at local and national levels around the world in taking on a rights-based approach to education (rather than a service delivery/needs-based approach)(ActionAid International, April 2007).

http://www.actionaid.org/main.aspx?PageID=175

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 7)

Knowledge Centre : Peace and Conflict : Specific Crises : Burma

Will Burma (Myanmar) let world in for aid?  new

The military government in Burma (Myanmar) is receiving an outpouring of emergency aid offers from the international community, as the death toll from Saturday's cyclone continues to soar. While some foreign aid workers were told they could enter the country to assess needs and distribute supplies, as of Tuesday - three days after the disaster hit - they were still awaiting visas. The delay raises questions as to how willing the hermit regime is to facilitate relief in the crucial, early stages of this humanitarian emergency (Christian Science Monitor, 6 May 2008).

http://www.csmonitor.com/2008/0507/p01s01-wosc.htm

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 18)

Knowledge Centre : Society and Culture : Indigenous Peoples : Indigenous Knowledge

Knowledge documentation: Kiss of death, or new lease of life?  new

The Indian government is planning a major initiative to document all traditional knowledge on biodiversity and natural resources in order to safeguard against biopiracy. Notwithstanding its many potential benefits, without inbuilt safeguards this move could prove to be the undoing of traditional knowledge (Ashish Kothari, May 2008).

http://infochangeindia.org/200805057119/Environment/Analysis/Knowledge-documentation-Kiss-of-death-or-new-lease-of-life.html

(Added: Wed May 07 2008   Hits: 6)